Seven ships of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 have borne the name HMS Fowey, either after the Cornish

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 town of Fowey

Fowey

Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...

, or the River Fowey

River Fowey

The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, United Kingdom.It rises about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens at Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last ....

 which runs through it, whilst another two were planned:
was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1696 and captured by the French in 1704. was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1705 and captured by the French in 1709. was a 44-gun fifth rate launched in 1709. She was renamed HMS Queenborough in 1744 and was broken up in 1746. was a 44-gun fifth rate launched in 1744 and wrecked in 1748. was a 24-gun sixth rate launched in 1749 and sunk in 1781. was a 3-gun gunvessel, originally an ex-barge purchased in 1795 and sold in 1800.

• HMS Fowey was a planned Hunt class
  Hunt class minesweeper (1916)
  The Hunt class minesweeper was a class of minesweeping sloop built between 1916 and 1919 for the Royal Navy. They were built in two discrete groups, the earlier Belvoir group designed by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company and the subsequent Aberdare group designed by the Admiralty...
  
   minesweeper
  Minesweeper (ship)
  A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
  
  . She was renamed HMS Forres
  HMS Forres
  HMS Forres was a Hunt class minesweeper of the Royal Navy ordered towards the end of World War I. She was initially named Fowey but was renamed prior to launch to avoid possible confusion with coastal locations....
  
   in before being launched in 1918. was a Shoreham class
  Shoreham class sloop
  The Shoreham-class sloops were a class of eight small British warships built in the early 1930s.Developed from the Bridgewater-class sloops, with a longer hull, the Shoreham-class sloops were laid down between 1929 and 1931 at Chatham and Devonport Naval Dockyards.-Ships:*HMS Shoreham was launched...
  
   sloop
  Sloop-of-war
  In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
  
   launched in 1930 and sold in 1946.
• HMS Fowey was laid down as a Rothesay class
  Rothesay class frigate
  The Rothesay class, or Type 12M frigates were a class of frigates serving with the Royal Navy, South African Navy and the New Zealand Navy....
  
   frigate
  Frigate
  A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
  
  , but she was renamed and subsequently launched as the Leander class
  Leander class frigate
  The Leander class, or Type 12I frigates, comprising twenty-six vessels, was among the most numerous and long-lived classes of frigate in the Royal Navy's modern history. The class was built in three batches between 1959 and 1973...
  
   frigate HMS Ajax
  HMS Ajax (F114)
  HMS Ajax was a of the Royal Navy. She was built by the famous Cammell Laird company of Birkenhead. Ajax was launched on 16 August 1962 and commissioned on 10 December 1963...
  
  .