When a standing English navy becomes recognizable

What is the earliest ship that can be considered part of the Royal Navy?

Ships of Henry VIII's Navy Royal provide the clearest starting point, while earlier rulers usually relied on hired merchant ships.

The recognizable transition comes in Henry VIII's reign. Some ships from that period belong to the Navy Royal and can reasonably be treated as predecessors of the Royal Navy, while Henry VIII greatly enlarged the permanent naval element. Earlier rulers more often hired merchant ships for wartime service, making the institutional boundary much less clear.