The Autobiography of Phineas Pett
strengthened her in all suspected places, new made and repaired all
her masts, and launched her again within fourteen days, and have
in all points been so careful to prepare all rooms for state, ease,
convenience, and ornament, as I hope will give your lordship as much
content as can be in any ship contrived.
The cook room is by a powerful command (against my consent) removed
from the old place in hold into the forecastle, in which I was much
overborne, having had the experience of the conveniency thereof, in
my personal service in former transportation.
The Prince is at present in such forwardness as if there be no other
wants she may be at sea in fourteen days, and is now taking in her
beer and other provisions.
All the fleet are in the same readiness, the George and the Antelope
making all possible haste to get to sea, and this is the account of
the business here under my charge, which in all humbleness I held my
duty to present your lordship.
Were it not that I intend to wait upon your lordship in the great
ship, I would have procured his Majesty's leave to have come with Sir
Francis Steward. I hold myself very unhappy to be from attending your
lordship in any sea service.
Thus humbly craving your lordship's honourable construction of this
my presumption, and pardon for my boldness, which I cannot but do in
zeal of my service, praying God to send your lordship increase of
honour, health, happiness, and a prosperous return, in all humbleness
I kiss your lordship's hand and ever remain,
Your lordship's creature,
PHINEAS PETT.
_Chatham, 10th April 1623._
To the Right Hon. Lord Marquis of Buckingham, Lord High Admiral of
England, give these.
VIII
Protest of Trinity House against the Building of the Sovereign
[=S.P. Dom. Chas I. cclxxiii. 25=]
RIGHT HONOURABLE,--Being informed that his Majesty is minded to build
a great ship of these dimensions (namely) 124 foot by the keel, in
breadth 46 and for draught in water 22 foot, these strange and large
dimensions gave us cause to fall into discourse, and in our discourse
fell on these particulars following, namely:
That a ship of this proportion cannot be of use, nor fit for service
in any part of the King's Dominions; and as unfit for remote service:
our reasons--
First, there is no port within this kingdom (the Isle of Wight only)
that can in safety harbour this ship, then it followeth, if she be
not in port then is she in continual danger, exposed to all tempests,
to all storms, that time shall bring. In a desperate estate she rides
in every storm: in peril she must ride, when all the rest of her
companions (his Majesty's ships) enjoys peace, rides quiet and safe
in port: for example, we have the Prince in her voyage to Spain for
his Majesty in foul weather, when all the fleet harboured in the Port
of Plymouth, the Prince she only might not, for she could not, she
too big, her draught too much, the wild sea must be her port; in the
Sound of Plymouth must she ride, her anchors and cables her safety.
If either of them fail, the ship must perish, 4 or 500 men must die,
and the King must lose his Jewel; and this will be the state of this
ship.
That she cannot harbour is her great draught in water, and less in
draught she will not be, but could she be made to draw less water,
yet anchors and cables must hold proportion, and being made, they
will not be manageable, the strength of man cannot wield nor work
them, but could they do it, yet the ship little bettered in point
of safety, for we are doubtful whether cables and anchors can hold
a ship of this bulk in a great storm, for we have more in our seas
to add stress to cables and anchors than the wind and foaming sea.
We have strong tides which strains both cables and anchors equal to
wind and sea, besides the particulars there are many things which
must concur; for if either fail, the rest hold not, for example if
the cables fail, the anchors are of no use, if the anchors fail, then
neither cable nor anchor is serviceable, nay if the ground be not
good then is all the rest to no purpose, so that if either of these
fail all is lost, the ship lost with all her provisions, the men
lost, and it may be some great and noble Peer in her.
Thus far so much as may concern the safety of this ship being built.
Now for the force of this ship; it will not any way hold proportion
with her bulk or burden, for the aim must be for three tier of
ordnance, the lower tier which must carry the greatest ordnance and
be of greatest force must lie of necessity so low that in every gale
of wind the ports must be shut in, or else the ship will be in great
danger, or sink as did the Mary Rose in King Henry the VIII's time at
Portsmouth.
Or if you will lay them at 5 or 5½ foot, then must the third tier lie
at that height as not to be serviceable, nay this third tier will
rather endanger the quality of the ship (as the too high building
hath in some of the king's ships lately built, made them unfit for
any good service). Therefore three tier of ordnance must not be,
neither can the art or wit of man build a ship well conditioned and
fit for service with three tier of ordnance.
But if it be force that his Majesty desireth, then shall he do well
to forbear the building of this ship, and with the same cost or
charge to build two ships of 5 or 600 ton a piece, either ship to
have 40 pieces of good ordnance, and these two ships will be of more
force and for better service and will beat the great ship back and
side.
These particulars, Right Honourable, falling within the compass
of our discourse we held it our duty to his Majesty to impart the
particulars unto you, and with your wisdom to leave them either to
impart them unto the king, or otherwise as it shall seem best unto
your wisdom. And so we rest,
Your honour's ever at command,
T. BEST.
WALTER COKE.
RO. SALMON.
_From Ratcliff,
9th of August 1634._
To the Right Honourable Sir John Coke, principal Secretary to His
Majesty.
[_Note._--This protest should be compared with the memorandum,
attributed to Ralegh, in which Prince Henry is advised against
the building of the Prince Royal. See E. Edwards, _Life of Sir
Walter Ralegh_, Vol. II, p. 330.]
IX
Ships Built or Rebuilt by Phineas Pett.
[TABLE: PART 1 of 2]
+-------------------------+---------+------+-------+---------+---------+
| | | | Length| | |
| Ship. | Year. | Tons.| of | Breadth.| Depth. |
| | | | Keel. | | |
+-------------------------+---------+------+-------+---------+---------+
| | | | Ft. | Ft. Ins.| Ft. Ins.|
| | | | | | |
|R _Moon_ | 1602 | 74 | 50 | 17 0 | 7 0 |
|R _Answer_ | 1603-4 | 274 | 65 | 26 0 | 13 0 |
| _Disdain_ | 1604 | .. | 25 | 12 0 | .. |
| _Resistance_ | 1604 | 140 | .. | .. | .. |
|R _Ark (Anne) Royal_ | 1607-8 | 828 | 107 | 37 10 | 15 4 |
| _Prince Royal_ | 1608-10 | 1187 | 115 | 43 0 | 18 0 |
| _Phœnix_ | 1612-13 | 250 | 72 | 24 0 | 11 0 |
|R _Merhonour_ | 1613-14 | 946 | 112 | 38 7 | 16 5 |
|R _Defiance_ | 1613-14 | 700 | 97 | 37 0 | 15 0 |
| _Pinnace_ | 1616 | .. | 40 | .. | .. |
| _Destiny (Convertive)_ | 1616 | 621 | 96 | 32 4 | 15 0 |
| _Mercury_ | 1620 | 300 | .. | .. | .. |
| _Spy_ | 1620 | 200 | .. | .. | .. |
| _Henrietta_ | 1627 | 68 | 52 | 15 0 | 6 6 |
| _Maria_ | 1627 | 68 | 52 | 15 0 | 6 6 |
| _Charles_ | 1632-3 | 810 | 105 | 33 7 | 16 3 |
| _Greyhound_ | 1636 | 126 | 60 | 20 3 | 7 8 |
| _Roebuck_ | 1636 | 90 | 57 | 18 1 | 6 8 |
| _Sovereign of the Seas_| 1635-7 | 1522 | 127 | 46 6 | 19 4 |
+-------------------------+---------+------+-------+---------+---------+
[TABLE: PART 2 of 2]
+-------------------------+---------+-----+----------------------------+
| | | No. | |
| Ship. | Year. | of | Remarks. |
| | |Guns.| |
+-------------------------+---------+-----+----------------------------+
| | | | |
| | | | |
|R _Moon_ | 1602 | 13 | |
|R _Answer_ | 1603-4 | 19 | |
| _Disdain_ | 1604 | .. | |
| _Resistance_ | 1604 | .. | Merchant. |
|R _Ark (Anne) Royal_ | 1607-8 | 44 | |
| _Prince Royal_ | 1608-10 | 55 | Rebuilt by Peter Pett |
| | | | in 1641. |
| _Phœnix_ | 1612-13 | 20 | |
|R _Merhonour_ | 1613-14 | 40 | |
|R _Defiance_ | 1613-14 | 40 | |
| _Pinnace_ | 1616 | .. | For Lord Zouch. |
| _Destiny (Convertive)_ | 1616 | 34 | |
| _Mercury_ | 1620 | ..}| For the Merchant Committee |
| _Spy_ | 1620 | ..}| of the Algiers Expedition.|
| _Henrietta_ | 1627 | 6 | |
| _Maria_ | 1627 | 6 | |
| _Charles_ | 1632-3 | 44 | With Peter Pett. |
| _Greyhound_ | 1636 | 12 | " " |
| _Roebuck_ | 1636 | 10 | " " |
| _Sovereign of the Seas_| 1635-7 | 102 | " " |
+-------------------------+---------+-----+----------------------------+
R = Rebuilt.
X
The Arms of Pett
The arms granted to Peter Pett in 1583 were:--
Or, on a fesse gules between three roundels sable, a lion passant of
the field.
And for a crest: Out of a ducal coronet, or, a demi-pelican wings
expanded argent.
Several impressions of Phineas Pett's seal displaying these arms,
without the crest, are preserved on his letters in the State Papers.
INDEX
Abington, Mr., 23
Adams, Mr., 2
Adams, William, 56 _n._, 57 _n._
Addey, John, master shipwright, xxiii, 11, 173, 174, 178
Admiral, Lord High, xxvii, xxxv-xxxvii, 205
Admiralty, Committee of, xxxvii, xxxix
-- Court of, xxxvi
-- judge of, xxxv, xxxix, lxxxix, 205
-- Lords Commissioners, xxxv, lxxxvi, xcix, 155, 211
-- officers of, 205
Adye. _See_ Addey
Alabaster, Mr., lix
Alexander, Mr., 23, 97, 98
Algiers, expedition against, lxxxiii, 122, 124, 139, 211
Alice Holt, 30
Allison, Sir William, 161
Andrews, Lawrence, 57
Anne of Denmark (Queen), visit to ships at Chatham, 29;
launch of _Prince Royal_, 80-81;
mentioned, 76
Antwerp, 72
Apsley, Sir Allen, victualler of the navy, 104
Apslyn, John, 178, 183
Apslyn, Nathaniel, assistant master shipwright, 150