Guardship

Guardship is a term used in two senses. In the first place it is applied to a guardship of reserve, which is practically a depôt ship for men employed in vessels of the royal navy out of commission; and of these there are only three, stationed at Sheerness, Portsmouth, and Plymouth. In the second place the term is applied to vessels of the royal navy which are stationed at other ports on the coast; they are the headquarters of the different coastguard districts, and are kept manned with reduced crews; they can complete their crews at any time from the men in the coastguard, and so manned can proceed to sea at once as a fighting squadron, and, indeed, are supposed to be in the English Channel ready for action in four days after a mobilisation order is issued. The Royal Naval Reserve in some cases do their drill on board these ships, which, however, are in no sense guard (i.e. defence) ships for the particular ports at which they are stationed.