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| City of Westminster Archive Centre, London, UK/Bridgeman Art Library |
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Samuel Pepys and the building of the British navy
Samuel Pepys is perhaps best known for his vivid diaries of events in the mid to late 1600s, particularly the Great Fire of London in 1666. However, he was also a great naval administrator and his single-minded crusade to reform and update the navy paved the way for its later dominance of the seas. He was also an advocate for the safety and hygiene of the sailors.
In the 17th century, the English relied on their navy to protect the trade interests that were vital to the wealth and prosperity of the island. However, this economic security was under threat from the rival fleets of two neighbouring powers. The Dutch prowess as shipbuilders, navigators and traders had already sparked a series of Anglo-Dutch wars in 1652-54, 1665-67 and 1672-74. The battles had taken a heavy toll on the navy and its strength was greatly reduced. At the same time, the French were building up their naval strength and becoming a major challenge on the Atlantic seaboard. By the late 1670s, the English navy lagged both the Dutch and French in the number of ships, and it was clear to Pepys that England had to build up its navy in order to compete for sea supremacy.
In 1675 he presented the stark figures to the House of Commons. The navy, he said, had 92 ships; 44 fewer than the Dutch, and four fewer than the French. The difference in strength was clear. In February 1677, Pepys followed this paper with a proposal for the building of 'Thirty Great Ships'. In an impassioned speech he said: 'Our neighbour's force is now greater than ours, and they will still be building more, so that we are as well to overtake them for the time past as to keep pace with them in the present building.'
The cost of such a shipbuilding programme was considerable, and Parliament did not have a lot of confidence in Charles II's financial sense. However after heated discussion, they agreed and granted a sum of £60,000, broadly equivalent to £600 million today. There was a condition though; all ships must be completed in two years.
The shipbuilding programme was one of the most important in the history of the British navy; the first time a group of ships were built to the same design and specification. The 30 ships were larger than anything built before, at the request of the king, and were at the cutting edge of modern design. This creation of a 'class' of ship was to become commonplace.
For the shipbuilders, the tight schedule meant a desperate search for sufficient timber; and carpenters and labourers were press-ganged into helping at the dockyards. However, by 1679, all 30 ships were complete and moored off Kent, prompting an observer to note that 'the navy now spreads from Rochester to Gillingham.'
The 30 ships inspired the 100, 90 and 70 gunships that formed the backbone of the later 18th century Royal Navy.
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