Text 8b

CREATION OF THE ROYAL NAVY

“AD896. The same year, the forces in East Anglia and Northumbria greatly harassed Wessex along the south coast with raiding bands, most of all with the ash-ships they had built many years before. Then King Alfred commanded longships to be built against the ash-ships. They were twice as long as the others, some had sixty oars, some more. They were both swifter and steadier, also higher than the others, nor were they in the Frisian manner or the Danish, but as he himself thought might be most useful.”

In those few lines, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles record the beginning of English sea power. Although every monarch who succeeded Alfred of Wessex throughout medieval times had fighting ships of some sort at his disposal, it was to be more than 500 years before a regular English fleet – a ‘Navy Royal’ – came into being.

Its architect was Henry VIII, and his naval planning was spurred by the activities of James IV of Scotland, who already had several powerful warships at his disposal when Henry succeeded to the throne in 1509. From his father, Henry inherited a small fleet and ordered it to be rebuilt and provided with strengthened hulls, presumably to carry new and heavier guns.

Over the next few years other large ships were built, the foremost of which were the carracks Mary Rose and Great Harry, the latter was the mightiest warship afloat. Displacing 1,000 t, she was launched in 1514. Then other large vessels, all converted merchantmen and built in foreign shipyards, were added to Henry’s growing fleet.

One thing that Henry did inherit from his father was a sound base of naval gunnery. From the start of his reign, Henry VII had employed French and Spanish gun-founders, and by 1496 they were producing wrought iron guns and iron shot. The first attempts to cast Pic. 25. The “Great Harry” iron guns in England was made in 1508, and by 1510 breech-loaders with separate chambers were being successfully cast. A year later, Henry VIII established a foundry in London, one of its principle task being to produce guns to arm his fleet.

The first ship known to have been designed to carry guns on a gun deck above the orlop was the Mary Rose, and the idea of firing guns through ports cut in the side of the ship was developed sometimes between 1505 and 1509. The Mary Rose almost certainly had lidded gun ports from the beginning, and so marked a revolution in warship design.

It should be noted that in 1545 she sank with the loss of her captain and about 500 soldiers and seamen. The French claimed to have sunk her, which was not true; the real reason was overloading, which had brought her gun deck too close to the waterline. A strong gust of wind caused her to heel over and water gushed in through her gun ports, which were open ready for action.

In 1512, England joined Spain in an alliance against France, which was intent on conquering Italy, and Henry was able to muster a fleet of 25 warships to attack French shipping and harbours and to land troops on French soil. The conflict lasted for almost 35 years with break periods and more and more new warships joined the growing navy.

At the end of the hostilities, Henry had a fleet of 30 ships. Significantly, the navy was now operating independently of the army, and was supported by new dockyards and storehouses. For the first time, an efficient naval logistics system was maintained in fighting trim, the larger ships being repaired and renovated.

In October 1515, another formidable fighting ship joined the fleet. It was a galleasse known officially as the Princess Mary, or sometimes the Mary Imperial. She was popularly called the Great Galley, and according to contemporary accounts she carried over 200 guns, 70 of which were brass. Main propulsion was provided by 120 oars, but she also had four masts.

Henry VIII died on 28 January 1547, six months after peace was finally concluded with France. One of his greatest deeds was that he left behind him a fleet in existence, and the means to sustain it.

Ex. 13. Answer the questions:

1. What British king can be considered to put the beginning of English sea power? 2. What was the reason for the longships’ being built? 3. How many years did the creation of the ‘Navy Royal’ take? 4. What spurred the naval planning of Henry VIII? 5. What was the most important thing that Henry VIII did inherit from his father? 6. What is the Mary Rose famous for? 7. What was the real reason for her going down? 8. What, to your mind, strongly promoted the development of the British Navy? 9. What were the structural differences between the Princess Mary and other Henry’s ships? 10. Can we compare the structural design of the Princess Mary, the Mary Imperial and the Great Galley? Why? 11. Who can be considered the actual creator of the British Navy?

Ex. 14. Explain why:

1. King Alfred commanded longships to be built;

2. Henry ordered the small fleet, inherited from his father, to be rebuilt;

3. the Mary Rose marked a revolution in warship design;

4. gun ports could be dangerous for the ships;

5. kings Alfred of Wessex and Henry VIII should be mentioned first of all when speaking about the British Navy.

Ex. 15. Develop the idea:

1. Alfred of Wessex was the first designer of British warships;

2. The creation of the ‘Navy Royal’ took a long time;

3. British naval architects paid much attention to the gun power of their ships;

4. The war conflict with France promoted the creation of the British Navy;

5. The Mary Rose represented an advanced type of a ship.

Ex. 16. Abstract the text.

Ex. 17. Skim the text, answer the questions below and speak on the main stages of the British marine history: