Royal Navy Dockyards were harbour facilities where commissioned ships were either built or based, or where ships were overhauled and refitted. Historically, the
Royal Navy maintained a string of dockyards around the world; these publicly owned establishments were officially designated
Royal Dockyards or
HM Dockyards until the late 1960s (after which the term 'Naval Base' gained currency, reflecting a change of emphasis from ship building and maintenance to accommodation and training of personnel). Today, the few shipbuilding/maintenance Yards that remain operational have been privatized (though they are still often called 'Royal' dockyards in common, if not in official, parlance).