A Bermuda sloop of the Royal Navy, entering port in the West Indies. Beginning in the 1790s, the navy procured large numbers of these Bermudian vessels, some ordered directly from builders in Bermuda, with others bought up from commercial trade. The most noteworthy example was HMS Pickle, which brought home news of British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. The Bermudian ships, which might have from one to three masts, were employed at first to counter the menace of French privateers in western waters, and later became the standard advice vessels of the fleet - communications carriers, and fast transports of vital materials or persons. They were also used for reconnaissance, chasing slave smugglers, and other uses. The vessel shown may be the earliest recorded example of the modern, triangular Bermuda rig on a multiple-masted vessel, though the rig had been used in Bermuda for some time before that.