SHIP 
greatest and goodliest ship that was ever built in England.” 
He adds, “the great work-master in building this ship was 
■Mr. Phineas Pett, gentleman, sometime Master of Arts, of 
Emanuel College, in Cambridge.” 
This excellent man, as appears from a manuscript account 
of his life in the British Museum, written by himself, was 
regarded by the shipwrights of the dock-yards, who had no 
science themselves, with an eye of jealousy, and a com¬ 
plaint was laid against him before the King, of ignorance 
in laying off a ship, and of a wasteful expenditure of timber 
and other matters. The king attended at Woolwich with his 
court, to inquire in person into the charges brought forward, 
and, after a painful investigation, pronounced in favour of 
Mr. Pett. One of the charges was, that he had caused the 
wood to be cut across the grain ; but the king observed, that, 
as it appeared to him, “ it was not the wood, but those who 
had preferred the charges, that were cross-grained.” 
The state of the navy at the King’s death is variously 
given, by different writers, but on this subject the memo¬ 
randa left by Mr. Secretary Pepys are most likely to be 
correct. From them it appears, that, in 1618, certain 
commissioners were appointed to examine into the state of 
the navy; and, by their report, it appears there were then 
only 39 ships and vessels, whose tonnage amounted to 
14,700 tons; but in 1624, on the same authority, the num¬ 
bers had decreased to 32 or 33 ships and vessels, but the 
tonnage increased to about 19,400 tons. The commissioners 
had, in fact, recommended many of the small craft to be 
broken up or sold, and more ships of the higher rates to be 
kept up. 
The navy was not neglected in the troublesome reign of 
Charles I. This unfortunate monarch added upwards of 
20 sail to the list, generally of the smaller kind; but one of 
them, built by Pett, of a description, both as to form and 
dimensions, far superior to any that had yet been launched. 
This ship was the celebrated “ Sovereign of the seas,” 
which was launched at Woolwich in 1637. The length of 
her keel was 128 feet, and main breadth 48 feet, and from 
stem to stern 232 feet. In the description of this ship by 
Thomas Hey wood, she is said to have “ bore five lanthorns, 
the biggest of which would hold ten persons upright; had 
three-flush decks, a forecastle, half-deck, quarter-deck, and 
round-house. Her lower tier had 30 ports for cannon and 
demi-cannon; middle tier, 30 for culverines and demi-cul- 
verines; third tier, 26 for other ordnance; forecastle, 12; 
and two half decks, 13 or 14 ports more within board, for 
murthering pieces, besides 10 pieces of chace ordnance, 
forward, and 10 right aft, and many loop-holes in the 
cabins for musquet-shot. She had 11 anchors, one of 4400 
pounds weight. She was of the burthen of 1637 tons.” 
It appears, however, that she was found, on trial, to be too 
high for a good serviceable ship in all weathers, and was, 
therefore, cut down to a deck less. After this she became 
an excellent ship, was in almost all the great actions with the 
Dutch; was rebuilt in 1684, and the name changed to that 
of “ Royal. Sovereign;” was about to be rebuilt a second 
time at Chatham in 1696, when she accidentally took fire, 
and was totally consumed. In this reign the ships of the 
navy were first classed, or divided into six rates; the first 
being from 100 to 60 guns ; the second from 54 to 36, &c. 
In 1642 the management of the navy was taken out of 
the King’s hands, and in 1648 Prince Rupert carried away 
25 ships, none of which ever returned; and such, indeed, 
was the reduced state of the navy, that at the beginning of 
Cromwell’s usurped government, he had only 14 ships of 
war of two decks, and some of these carried only 40 guns; 
but under the careful management of very able men, in 
different commissions which he appointed, such vigorous 
measures were pursued, that in five years, though engaged 
within that time in war with the greatest naval power in 
Europe, the fleet was increased to 150 sail, of which more 
than a third part had two decks ; and many of which were 
captured from the Dutch ; and upwards of 20,000 seamen 
were employed in the navy. Our military marine was, in¬ 
deed, raised by Cromwell to a height which it had never 
PING. 147 
before reached; but from which it soon declined under the 
short and feeble administration of his son. 
Though Cromwell found the navy divided into six rates 
or classes, it was under his government that these ratings 
were defined and established in the manner nearly in which 
they now are ; and it may also be remarked, that, under his 
government, the first frigate, called the Constant Warwick, 
was built in England. “ She was built,” says Mr. Pepys, 
“ in 1649, by Mr. Peter Pett (son of Phineas), for a pri¬ 
vateer for the Earl of Warwick, and was sold by him to the 
state. Mr. Pett took his model of this ship from a French 
frigate, which he had seen in the Thames.” 
During the first period of our naval history, we know 
nothing of the nature of the armament of the ships. From 
the time of Edward III.,, they might have been armed with 
cannon, but no mention is made of this being the case. 
According to' Lord Herbert, brass ordnance were first cast 
in England in the year 1535. They had various names, 
such as cannon, demi cannon, culverins, demi-culverins, 
sakers, mynions, falcons, falconets, &c. What the calibre 
of each of these were is not accurately known, but the 
cannon is supposed to have been about 60 pounders, the 
demi-cannon 32, the culverin 18, falcon 2, mynion 4, saker 
5, &c. Many of these pieces, of different calibres, were 
mounted on the same deck, which must have occasioned 
great confusion in action in finding for each its proper shot. 
On the Restoration of Charles II. the Duke of York was 
immediately appointed Lord High Admiral; and by his 
advice, a committee was named to consider a plan, proposed 
by himself, for the future regulation of the affairs of the 
navy, at which the Duke himself presided. By the advice 
and able assistance of Mr. Pepys, great progress was speedily 
made in the reparation and increase of the fleet. The Duke 
remained Lord High Admiral till 1673, when, in conse¬ 
quence of the test required by Parliament, to which he could 
not submit, he resigned, and that office was in part put in 
commission, and the rest retained by the King. Prince 
Rupert was put at the head of this commission, and Mr. 
Pepys appointed Secretary to the King in all naval affairs, 
and of the admiralty; and by his able and judicious manage¬ 
ment, there were in sea-pay, in the year 1679, and in 
excellent condition, 76 ships of the line, all furnished with 
stores for six months, eight fire-ships, besides a numerous 
train of ketches, smacks, yachts, &c., with more than 12,000 
seamen ; and also 30 new ships building, and a good supply 
of stores in the dock-yards. But this flourishing condition 
of the navy did not last long. In consequence of the dissi¬ 
pation of the King, and his pecuniary difficulties, he ne¬ 
glected the navy on account of the expenses; the Duke was 
sent abroad, and Mr. Pepys to the Tower. A new set of 
commissioners were appointed, without experience, ability, 
or industry; and the consequence was, as stated by the 
commissioners of revision, that “ all the wise regulations, 
formed during the administration of the Duke of York, were 
neglected; and such supineness and waste appear to have 
prevailed, that, at the end of not more than five years, when 
he was recalled to the office of Lord High Admiral, only 
22 ships, none larger than a fourth rate, with two fire ships, 
were at sea ; those in harbour were quite unfit for service; 
even the 30 new ships which he had left building had been 
suffered to fall into a state of great decay, and hardly any 
stores were found to remain in the dock yards.” 
The first act on the Duke’s return was the re-appointment 
of Mr. Pepys as secretary of the admiralty. Finding the 
present commissioners unequal to the duties required of 
them, he recommended others. Sir Anthony Dean, the 
most experienced of the ship-builders then in England, was 
joined with the new commissioners. To him, it has been 
said, we owe the first esseutial improvement in the form and 
qualities of ships of the line, having taken the model of the 
Superbe, a French ship of 74 guns, which anchored at 
Spithead, and from which he built the Harwich in 1664. 
Others, however, are of opinion that no improvement had 
at this time been made on the model of the Sovereign of the 
seas after she was cut down. The new commissioners under¬ 
took. 
