HMS

HMS was a registry prefix that was used both in historical Earth naval ships and in starships.

The HMS prefix originated in the British Royal Navy, where it was used to denote warships as early as the 18th century. Some notable sailing ships with the prefix include HMS Defiant, HMS Enterprize, and HMS Victory.

In the 21st century the Royal Navy operated a submarine named HMS Clement with the registry, suggesting it continued to be used at least until then. (ENT: "Minefield")

HMS, at least in the current era, stands for "his/her majesty's ship".

Later the prefix was also used in at least two early 22nd century Earth starships of unknown affiliation, HMS New Zealand and HMS Lord Nelson, both DY-class ships. (TNG: "Up The Long Ladder")

It is unknown if these vessels were operated by the Royal Navy. However, the fact that in the early 22nd century Malcolm Reed felt that he could not join the navy due to his fear of water suggests that no space branch existed. Nonetheless, it seems likely that the ships were built by the United Kingdom, judging from both the prefix and the names (New Zealand is a former British colony. A ship built by New Zealand, however, would by current conventions been prefixed HMNZ). The HMS prefix is not exclusive to British ships, however; it is also used by the Swedish and Saudi Arabian navies. Finally, it should be noted that the use of HMS does not necessarily imply that Great Britain still had a monarchy in this era, as many real-life precedents exist where the prefix remains after the monarchy is abolished.

The name HMS Bounty was given to a Klingon Bird-of-Prey commandeered by James T. Kirk in 2285. It was named as such in a fit of historical irony, as the original Bounty, a Royal Navy ship, had been taken over by mutineers – a situation similar to that the former USS Enterprise crewmembers found themselves in that year. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

The use of the registry on this ship thus was purely a historical nod and not in any way to be considered official or compliant with naming conventions.

HMS Pinafore was an Earth operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan about a sailing ship of the same name. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

External link

• Her Majesty's Ship at Wikipedia