# HMS Romney -- warship for the British **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 6, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647 "2012-08-06T19:07:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/1 "2012-08-06T19:07:22Z")
was stationed in Newfoundland and enforced the various tax acts during the Revolutionary War. Royal Commissioners would hide out on it to avoid patriots. > **[HMS Romney (1762)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Romney_%281762%29)** > > HMS Romney was a 50-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in a career that spanned forty years. Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Romney. The origins of the name are from the town of New Romney, although it may be that the name entered the Royal Navy in honour of Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney. > Launched in 1762, Romney spent most of her early career in North American waters, ser... I don’t know if this has already been done. Offshore haven for taxers. Somebody please tell me this isn’t true. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/2 "2012-08-07T10:52:00Z")
Zimmerman riffs off it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Qct0TjTTE). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/3 "2012-08-07T14:23:24Z")
I have no idea what the eff you’re talking about, OP. Are you suggesting that Mitt Romney is a British warship? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/4 "2012-08-07T14:31:19Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Somebody please tell me this isn’t true. It isn’t true. Feel better? I don’t know what it is that I’m telling you isn’t true, but I doubt it matters. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/5 "2012-08-07T14:48:45Z")
The relevant quote from Wikipedia, for those who don’t want to wade into the link: > [@](#): > > While serving off North America, Romney achieved a degree of notoriety after being sent to Boston Harbour to support the commissioners, who had asked Hood for help in enforcing the Townshend Acts.[4] Romney arrived on 17 May 1768, but being short of men, Captain Corner began to impress seamen from the harbour. This was unpopular with the locals, who took to attacking the impress gangs. Events escalated when the commissioners in the town ordered the seizure of the merchant vessel Liberty, which belonged to John Hancock.[4] When sailors and marines from Romney attempted to seize the vessel, mobs attacked them and then turned on the commissioners. Many of the officials took refuge aboard the Romney, before transferring to Castle William.[5] These incidents heightened tensions that would eventually lead to the Boston Massacre in 1770. For further chuckles, the _Romney_’s official classification in the Royal Navy was “[fourth rate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_rate)”. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/6 "2012-08-07T15:23:01Z")
Looking at the history of the article, the stuff about the Townshed acts was in the article as far back as 2009. So it doesn’t seem to be a case of someone vandalizing the article to make fun of the current GOP candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/7 "2012-08-07T15:49:40Z")
For those that are confused: Back during the Revolutionary War, the British had a warship named “Romney” (presumably named after someone with no particular connection to the current presidential candidate). Some of the duties and actions of said warship coincidentally bear amusing parallels to those of the current candidate. This is easy fodder for cheap jokes. The OP is wondering about such jokes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/8 "2012-08-07T16:19:16Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It isn’t true. Feel better? > > I don’t know what it is that I’m telling you isn’t true, but I doubt it matters. Yes, I do feel better. Doubly so. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I have no idea what the eff you’re talking about, OP. Are you suggesting that Mitt Romney is a British warship? Warships are people, my friend. And cheap jokes are the best. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/9 "2012-08-08T19:02:39Z")
In addition to four “fourth-rate frigates” (in succession, not simultaneously), the name HMS Romney was also given to [a minesweeper,](http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-22MS-Bangor-Romney.htm) J77 of the Bangor class, which served during World War II (1940-July 1946) and went into Reserve status until sold in 1950. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/10 "2012-08-08T19:09:13Z")
“Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Romney. The origins of the name are from the town of New Romney, although it maybe that the name entered the Royal Navy in honour of Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney.” ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/11 "2012-08-08T20:33:02Z")
And Obama is the name of a Japanese city: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama,\_Fukui](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama,_Fukui) and a fictional Japanese female naval officer in World War II: [http://mangafox.me/manga/kurogane\_pukapuka\_tai/v01/c001/7.html](http://mangafox.me/manga/kurogane_pukapuka_tai/v01/c001/7.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/12 "2012-08-08T20:39:03Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > The relevant quote from Wikipedia, for those who don’t want to wade into the link: > > For further chuckles, the _Romney_’s official classification in the Royal Navy was “[fourth rate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_rate)”. In fairness to the Romney, even a fourth-rate frigate outmatched anything the Continentals were able to field in the Revolutionary War. [Continental Navy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Navy#The_Thirteen_Frigates) . ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/13 "2012-08-08T23:41:47Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > In addition to four “fourth-rate frigates” (in succession, not simultaneously), the name HMS Romney was also given to [a minesweeper,](http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-22MS-Bangor-Romney.htm) J77 of the Bangor class, which served during World War II (1940-July 1946) and went into Reserve status until sold in 1950. You said Bangor. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/14 "2012-08-08T23:44:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > For those that are confused: Back during the Revolutionary War, the British had a warship named “Romney” (presumably named after someone with no particular connection to the current presidential candidate). Some of the duties and actions of said warship coincidentally bear amusing parallels to those of the current candidate. This is easy fodder for cheap jokes. The OP is wondering about such jokes. The Boston connection is particularly nice. ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hms-romney-warship-for-the-british/630647/15 "2012-08-09T01:49:33Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > And Obama is the name of a Japanese city: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama,\_Fukui](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama,_Fukui) and a fictional Japanese female naval officer in World War II: [http://mangafox.me/manga/kurogane\_pukapuka\_tai/v01/c001/7.html](http://mangafox.me/manga/kurogane_pukapuka_tai/v01/c001/7.html) Also: Dole is a banana, and Bush is a plant, and Ford is a car, and Roosevelt is a wedgie delivered with great force, and Nixon is a bag full of dicks.