Royal Mail Ship

Royal Mail Ship (RMS) is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail.Woodman, Richard. (2002).  The History of the Ship: The Comprehensive Story of Seafaring from the earliest times to the present day, p. 139.

 History 
In the early 19th century, the British Admiralty provided RMS service.The Admiralty took over the service from the General Post Office in 1823.

The designation "RMS" has been used since 1840.The first citation in the Times is from 18 August 1840

In 1850 contracts were awarded to private companies. Having the title "RMS" was seen as a mark of quality and a competitive advantage, because the mail had to be on time.

List of RMS ships

 HMHS Britannic
 RMS Carpathia
 RMS Laconia
 RMS Lusitania 
 RMS Queen Elizabeth 
 RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 
 RMS Queen Mary
 RMS Queen Mary 2
 Titanic
RMS Empress of Ireland

 References 

Category:Ships
Category:Postal services in the United Kingdom