A depiction of a Royal Navy rating with cutlass in a boarding action
Ratings of the Royal Navy have used cutlasses, short, wide bladed swords, since the early 18th century. These were originally of non-uniform design but the 1804 Pattern, the first Navy-issue standard cutlass, was introduced at the start of the 19th century. This was a bluntish weapon that was perhaps intended for cutting away canvas and ropes rather than as a thrusting combat weapon. The 1845 Pattern cutlass introduced a bowl-style hand guard which provided greater protection, with a longer and more curved blade. Its sharper point made it more useful for thrusting attacks, which were now emphasised in the drill manual. The 1845 Pattern was modified several times including shortening and straightening the blades, which weakened them. The 1889 Pattern had a straight, spear-pointed blade with a hilt that curved outwards to catch and redirect an opponent's sword point. The 1900 Pattern, the last navy-issue cutlass, was similar to its predecessor with the introduction of a fuller and a hilt insert that cushioned the user's little finger. The cutlass was withdrawn from service in 1936 but remains in use for ceremonial purposes. It is thought that it was last used in combat in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion.
In addition to the cutlass the Royal Navy designed and issued cutlass-style bayonets for some of its mid-19th-century rifles. The first of these was introduced in 1859 for the Pattern 1853 Enfield. This was the first rifle to be issued to the navy, who had previously used muskets with standard British Army issue bayonets. The 1859 Enfield Cutlass Bayonet could be used either as a handheld weapon or mounted to the rifle. It proved less than ideal in both roles, its hilt not providing sufficient protection for the hand and its weight unbalancing the rifle. The 1859 Pattern bayonet remained in use when the rifle was converted to the Snider–Enfield. The introduction of the Martini-Henry rifle saw a new 1871 Pattern cutlass bayonet introduced. Though some new weapons were manufactured, many were made by cutting down the 1859 Pattern which weakened the blades. When the navy adopted the Lee–Metford rifle in 1888 it did not design its own cutlass bayonet and used the standard army-issue pattern.
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