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 Sheerness, after the town of Sheerness

Sheerness

Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....

 in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

, once home to one of the navy's dockyards:
was a 2-gun smack

Smack (ship)

A smack was a traditional fishing boat used off the coast of England and the Atlantic coast of America for most of the 19th century, and even in small numbers up to the Second World War. It was originally a cutter rigged sailing boat until about 1865, when the smacks became so large that cutter...

 launched in 1673 and sunk as a foundation in 1695. was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1691, rebuilt in 1731 and sold in 1744. was a 24-gun sixth rate launched in 1743 and sold in 1768. was a store lighter

Lighter (barge)

A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...

launched in 1759 and broken up in 1811. was a 44-gun fifth rate launched in 1787 and wrecked in 1805. was a 4-gun tender launched in 1788 and broken up in 1811. was a 10-gun tender purchased in 1791 and probably sold in 1810.