Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Thistle, after the thistle, the national flower of Scotland:
HMS Thistle was a 10-gun schooner launched in 1808 and wrecked on 6 March 1811 on Maransquam Beach, 30 miles south of Sandy Hook, due to an inaccurate chart. Her crew was saved, except for four small boys.
HMS Thistle was a 12-gun brig launched in 1812 and broken up in 1823.
HMS Thistle was a Dapper-class wood screw gunboat launched in 1855 and broken up in 1863.
HMS Thistle was a composite screw gunvessel launched in 1868 and sold in 1888.
HMS Thistle was a Bramble-class gunboat launched in 1899 and sold in 1926.
HMS Thistle was a T-class submarine launched in 1939 and sunk in 1940.
