Eight ships of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 have borne the name HMS Jackal, after the predatory mammal, the jackal

Jackal

Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...

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was a 10-gun cutter purchased in 1778 and sold in 1785. was a 14-gun cutter purchased in 1779. She was handed over to the French by her mutinous crew later that year, becoming the privateer

Privateer

A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...

 Boulogne. She was recaptured in 1781, but captured again in 1782 by the . was a 10-gun brig

Brig

A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...

. She was a purchased vessel in service in 1792. was a 12-gun gun-brig launched in 1801 and captured by the French in 1807. was an iron paddle gunvessel launched in 1844 and sold in 1887.

• HMS Jackal was a fishery protection vessel purchased in 1885 as . She was renamed HMS Jackal in 1886 and was sold in 1906. was an Acheron-class
  Acheron class destroyer
  The Acheron class was a class of twenty-three destroyers of the British Royal Navy, all built under the 1910-11 Programme and completed between 1911 and 1912, which served during World War I. A further six ships were built to the same design for the Royal Australian Navy as River-class destroyers...
  
   destroyer
  Destroyer
  In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
  
   launched in 1911 and sold in 1920. was a J-class
  J, K and N class destroyer
  The J, K and N class was a class of 24 destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier torpedo armament, after the Tribal class that emphasised guns over torpedoes. The ships were built in three flotillas or groups, eight each of ships with...
  
  destroyer launched in 1938 and sunk in 1942.