362 : The Atlantic 



the mainmast. Then also masts were increased in heights so that 

 topsails could be set above the regular sails or courses. Similarly the 

 bowsprit was lengthened to take more head sail. 



Mere growth in size and power did not distinguish the war vessel 

 from the merchantman. It was the use of gunpowder and cannons 

 that brought about a real difference in these vessels. The first can- 

 nons used on ships were simply mounted on the deck of the fore- 

 castle or aftercastle. As more and more cannon were required and 

 as they grew in size they were placed on the main deck, and gun 

 ports through which they could fire had to be provided. Shot and 

 powder and crews to manage the guns also cluttered the vessel and 

 soon it became evident that a ship which was equipped to fight a 

 naval battle was no longer of much use for general purposes. Armed 

 merchantmen were built and used and some of these of later time 

 were formidable vessels such as the East Indiamen, But most armed 

 merchantmen could only stave off a small attack or serve as raiders 

 of smaller vessels. When guns appeared at sea a ship qualified for 

 naval battle was of necessity a specialized warship. Obviously only a 

 national navy could afford to build and manage such vessels. 



The idea of a national navy did not have to wait for gunpowder 

 and cannons. Even in classic times the Athenians built warships and 

 kept them in storage at such infrequent times as they were not 

 needed for defense or attack. In England after Wedemore in 878 

 Alfred built up a navy to resist the next invasion of the Danes. Later 

 Henry VIII felt the acute need for naval protection and gave the 

 matter his personal attention so that he appeared at yards where 

 ships were building to encourage as well as to supervise the work of 

 naval construction. A symbol of this interest was the battleship the 

 Great Harry built at Bristol in 15 14, said to have been of 1,000 tons 

 and one of the largest vessels of her time. In 1544 Portsmouth navy 

 yard was increased in size to provide the navy with more ships and 

 larger ships. 



Navies, however, are the children of fortune. The future may 

 sometimes be good and may often be bad; the one certainty is that 

 it will be irregular. Even the navy of Great Britain that grew so 

 great and worked so hard to maintain its leadership at sea was not 

 created overnight and was in fact very irregular in growth. While a 

 Henry VIII or a Queen Elizabeth might nourish it, other monarchs 

 might neglect and starve it, while the people always tend to regard 

 it as a burden in time of peace. Pepys, who shows us so many fasci- 



