Elizabethan Ships

 

An Elizabethan galleon with a beak head closely resembling the galley, forecastle, and high poop. The amusing little turrets, and the ornament, show how closely related the architecture of the sea was to that of the land. The open stem galley is a new feature. So far as rig is concerned, we now have a spritsail on the bowsprit. The foremast and mainmast were square rigged, and the principal interest is in the lateen sails on the mizzen and Bonaventure mizzen. Nettings were used over the waist of the ship as a defence against boarders. Sometimes the ends of the bowsprit, and yards, were provided with hooks to catch in and cut the enemy's rigging when at close quarters. The sails are shown with detachable bonnets laced on, which could be removed instead of reefing. It was at this period that topmasts were ranged so that they could be lowered.

The Ark Royal, drawn from a print at the British Museum. This fine boat was built for Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587, but was sold to Queen Elizabeth for 5000 pounds. She was the flagship of the fleet which defeated the Armada, and as such, entitled to our respectful consideration. Her tonnage was 800, and crew 400; in 1608 she was rebuilt and named the Anne Royal. Froude gives us a picture of the memorable council of war which was held in the main cabin of the Ark on Sunday afternoon, August 8, I588. The Armada had been chased up Channel, and if left undisturbed would have covered and been ready for Parma and his troops at Dunkirk, so "Howard, Drake, Seymour, Hawkins, Martin Frobisher, and two or three others met to consult, knowing that on them at that moment were depending the liberties of England." How they decided on fire ships, and the effect of these on the Spaniards' nerves, is matter for abler pens than we possess; our main concern is to show something of the appearance of the Ark. Her hull was still on galley lines, and here it can be noted how the term quarterdeck came about. There is, starting from the bows, first the forecastle, then the waist of the ship; of the remaining part, the first half was called the half-deck, the next portion the quarter-deck, because it occupied roughly one-quarter of the space, the remaining portion aft was the poop. The rig is the same as that described for the galleon, only the mizzens are more liberally provided with lateen sails.

Information and illustrations from A History of Everyday Things in England 1500-1799, by Marjorie & C. H. B. Quennell