WHEN DID ENGLAND SWITCH FROM HMS TO RMS FOR SHIPS?

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England didn’t and neither did the UK which is the relevant entity. The terminology still stands. HMS stands for His (previously Her) Majesty’s Ship and is used for ships and submarines that belong to the Royal Navy.

The first recorded use of the abbreviation HMS was in 1789, although the term HBMS or His Britannic Majesty’s Ship had been used since the Union between England and Scotland in 1707. Smaller vessels may be referred to as HM ships or, in the case of the Royal Yacht, HMY. The logistical support ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are referred to as RFA. Ships of some nations of the Commonwealth may be referred to as HMAS, HMNZS or HMCS (or NCSM for Navire canadien de Sa Majesté).

RMS stands for Royal Mail Ship and is used for ships that are under contract to the Royal Mails regardless of what line they belong to. This terminology dates back to 1840. The first Royal Mail Ship was the Mona’s Isle which carried mails to the Isle of Man. The most recent is the Queen Mary 2 which does not actually carry mail but was designated RMS in recognition of the Cunard Line’s long history of carrying the mails. The most famous RMS was probably the RMS Titanic.

Written by Richard Meakin and published in Quora. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa