Faced with the ever present threat of the French Navy, as well as a strong, potentially hostile, Scottish fleet, Henry VIII embarked on a program of naval building, including the Mary Rose and the Peter Pomegranate. From a technological point of view, these ships were a radical departure from those of his father (Henry VII).

The HM Bark Endeavour, made famous by Captain James Cook's first historical voyage in her in 1768-71, was originally the Collier Earl of Pembroke. She was chosen for Cook's voyage because of her strong construction. She was purchased by the Royal Navy at Whitby and then converted to an exploration ship at Deptford.

HMAV Bounty was made eternally famous by the mutiny against Captain William Bligh, on her way back from Tahiti in 1789. Bounty was a small merchant ship purchased and converted into a naval transport to carry breadfruit to the plantations of the West Indies.

The HM Schooner Pickle will forever be associated with Admiral Nelson’s final and most historic victory, the Battle of Trafalgar 1805, Pickle was chosen to carry the News of Nelson’s victory and death back to England.