Stone frigate

{{Short description|Naval establishment on land}} {{Distinguish|Stone ship}} {{For|the building at the Royal Military College of Canada|HMCS Stone Frigate}} {{More citations needed|date=December 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Use British English|date=August 2024}} [[File:In the Navy, February 2022 2.jpg|thumb|HMS ''Excellent'', Portsmouth]]

A '''stone frigate''' (or '''concrete frigate''') is a naval establishment on land. The term has its origins in Britain's Royal Navy.

Historically, the Royal Navy preferred to house and train its sailors on hulks, old wooden ships of the line that were permanently moored offshore. Shore accommodation was regarded as expensive to build and liable to breed indiscipline.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shore Establishments: From Hulks to 'Stone Frigates'|publisher=Sea Your History|access-date=1 May 2026|url=https://seayourhistory.org.uk/content/view/602/770}}</ref> The use of hulks became increasingly impractical, however, and they began to be replaced by shore establishments from the late 19th century onwards. An early "stone frigate" was the gunnery school HMS ''Excellent'', established in 1891 to replace a hulk of the same name. By World War I there were about 25 "stone frigates" in the United Kingdom.

The use of stone frigates continues in the Royal Navy and some other navies of the Commonwealth of Nations, including the Royal Canadian Navy, the Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Navy.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Royal Navy shore establishments}} {{Royal Naval Air Stations}} {{Portal bar|United Kingdom|History}} {{Authority control}}

* Category:Legal fictions Category:Military slang and jargon Category:Naval history