Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/883

 snip 801 Miioe prevailed in ninny F.nropoan ships. Honry VIII. established the dockyards at Dcpt ford and Chatham, ami brought together from ii countries, and especially from Italy, many skilful shipwrights and workmen. in th th F.li/ahct te superor manage- Knglish ships over tho much larger Spaniards, with thoir throo tier- gress a- tho inor the reign o ment i '!' the onos of tho of guns, with thoso vossols; and groat p inado undor tho encouragement o in increasing and perfecting tho inarino. Tho Kast India I'onipany tered in 1 000, and tho increasing traili tho distant countries of Kuropo and A morion rapidly stimulatod tho domniul for tho host vossols and oallod forth tho ingonuiiv of tho ship builders. Sir Walter Raleigh gave much attontioii to tho improvement of shi|)s, and liis publications entitled "Invention of Shipping" and "Concerning tho Royal Navy ami Sea Service" greatly added to tho general interest in the suhjoot. Tho shipwrights' company, ostahlishod in 100f>, was incorporated in 10 12, and general charge was given to the associa- tion over ship building throughout the king- dom. Tho lirst master was Phinoas Pott, of a family distinguished for the principal engi- neers it furnished to the royal navy from about tlio middle of the loth century to the end of the reign of William HI. Ho built tho Itoyal Prince in 1010, a ship of 114 ft. keel, 44 ft. breadth, and 1,400 tons burden, introducing the groat improvement of cutting off the long projection of the prow, hitherto universally adopted, and also much of the cumbersome top hamper of the older ships. Tho first Knglish throo-doekor was built by his son Peter Pett in Iti.'iT. She was called the Sovereign of tho Seas, and had the reputation of being the best man-of-war in tho world until she was acci- dentally burned in 10NO. An account of her armament is given in NAVY. She was 282 ft. in length over all, 12S ft. length of keel, 4H ft. in breadth, and of 1,087 tons. The drawings represent her as a full-rigged ship carrying square sails altogether, topgallant sails, and rovals, but no jibs or staysails. Under the bowsprit was a square sail suspended from a vanl, such as is now called the spritsail. The hull was somewhat, lofty in the bow and stern but still greatly dern ship lder ones. A considerable itional length above water was compared with reduced from t portion of the to that of the kc.-l was from a long triangular beak. Tho Constant Varvvick, also built by- Peter Pett in 1040, and designated a frigate, was specially intended for fast sailing; she was light, iih low docks, of sr, ft. keel, 20 ft. A in. breadth, l.'i ft. '.' in. depth, and !U:> tons Inn-den; she carried .12 guns and a crew of 1 10 men, and soon acquired a high reputation for her conquests among tho I Mitch privateers. Hut the Dutch ships at this time were quite equal to the Knglish, and their navy was alto- get her (lie best in Kuropo, the result of their continual wars wiih Spain. The merchant vessels of Knglaiid wore supori -.:i;.ii.. qualities to thoso of the royal navy, and during the wars with Franco and Spain ihev boldlv continued their trading voyages, two "i iln.. of them usually sailing in conipimy. During the 18th century the French attained n .l.,i,|,,| superiority in tho sl/o ami models of ib. it- ships, and the Spaniards readily adopted the improvements of the French. Tlieir largest vessels wore two-deckers only until after I7HI1, and their largest armaments were of H4 guiiK, In this respect they were inferior to tho Eng- lish three-deckers carrying 100 guns; but in 1708 the French adopted the Knglish *y and built shins of 110 and 120 guns, and of I Ml ft. length bv ftO ft. breadth and 25 ft. depth of hold, while the I'm-li b in HOIIIO In- stances copied the lines of the French ships that fell into their hands. Hut it in admitted even by the Knglish themselves that their ny- loin of ship building received no aid from the applications of science, while the French availed themselves of the highest mathemati- cal talent as well an of practical experience and skill. To the latter and to the Hpaniards also is duo the credit of the important im- provements made in ship building in modern times up to the present century ; and yet in the United States, where the same course has been pursued as in Kngland, of seeking aid only from experience and natural talent, the highest success has since been attained in de- signing the most perfect models for tho n|>o- cial purposes required. The American snip builders were the tirct to entirely abandon the cherished features of the Kuropean models, as the high poop and inflected topside. Thoir frigates proved their superiority to all other vessels of war in actual service, and hofore the introduction of steam their Liverpool packet ships wore the llnost vessels atloat, Their fore-and-aft, rigged vessels, less known abroad than the larger ships, were still more ivnmrK able for originality and perfect success in their designs. The river sloops and coasting schoon- ers were peculiarly American. The schooner* of the Chesapeake were especially famous un- der the name of Haltimoro clippers. Hroad <>f beam before the centre but above the water- line, sharp in the bow, deep aft, long and low. they presented admirable forms for capacity, for 'stability to sustain a largo amount of can- vas, for great speed, and for holding th.ir course on a wind with little drifting to lee- ward. The masts were long and slender, lh. sails unusually large for vessels of their ni/e, and of so true cut and perfect set that no por- tion of the propelling effect of the breeze that reached them was wasted. Close-hauled, 40 Or 45 of Hie wind, while the I,,-! equipped frigate would be sharp sot at o. The W- porior sailing qualities of those schooner* were shown in their success as privateers and free- ,|,,m from capture in the war ,.f 1H12, Olid
 * fully ostahlishod in tho ooittosts
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