Hoy (boat)

A hoy is a small gaff-rigged coasting ship or a heavy barge used for freight, usually with a burthen of about 60 tons (bm).

In the sixteenth century, Sir Roger Williams considered that a combination of manoeuvrability, shallow draught, and heavy artillery made the hoy the most effective warship in Dutch coastal waters.

The British East India Company used hoys as lighters for larger ships that could not travel up the Thames to London.

The British Royal Navy used hoys that were specially built to carry fresh water, gunpowder, or ballast.

Some were employed in such tasks as laying buoys or survey work, while others served to escort coastal convoys.

In 1793–94 the Royal Navy purchased 19 Dutch hoys as coastal gun-vessels, particularly for service under Admiral Sir Sidney Smith.

Concern about a possible French invasion led the Royal Navy on 28 September 1804 to arm 16 hoys at Margate for the defense of the coast.

18th-century diagram of a hoy
18th-century diagram of a hoy, with the names of essential parts and a legend giving dimensions [ 1 ]
A Scene on board a Margate Hoy as described by Dibden (caricature) , 1804, National Maritime Museum , Greenwich
Admiralty plan of the hoy Lyon , 1709, National Maritime Museum , Greenwich