"Stone frigate" is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. The term has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy, which until the late 19th century housed training and other support facilities in hulks — old wooden ships of the line — moored in ports as receiving ships, depot ships , or floating barracks. The Admiralty regarded shore accommodation as expensive and liable to lead to indiscipline. These floating establishments kept their names while the actual vessels housing them changed. For example, the gunnery training school at Portsmouth occupied three ships between its foundation in 1830 and its move ashore in 1891 but all were named (or renamed) HMS Excellent.
As ships began to use increasingly complex technology in the late 19th century, these facilities grew too large to continue afloat and were moved to shore establishments while keeping their names. An early "stone frigate" was the engineering training college HMS Marlborough, moved ashore to Portsmouth in 1880. The gunnery school continued to be named HMS Excellent after its move ashore to Whale Island in 1891. By World War I there were about 25 "stone frigates" in the United Kingdom.
The practice continues in the Royal Navy and some other navies of the Commonwealth of Nations, notably the Royal Canadian Navy.
