Sovereign of the Seas was a 17th-century warship of the English Navy. She was ordered as a 90-gun first-rate ship of the line, but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns at the insistence of the king. She was launched on 13 October 1637, and served from 1638 until 1697, when a fire burnt the ship to the waterline at Chatham.

History

thumb|left|The Morgan-Drawing by [[Willem van de Velde the Younger]]

The planning of a new First Rate was asked for in June 1634 on the personal initiative of Charles I of England, as a prestige project.

Rear-Admiral Sir William Symonds noted that after the ship's launch she was "cut down" and made a safe and fast ship. In the time of the Commonwealth of England all ships named after royalty were renamed; it was first decided to change the name of the ship into Commonwealth, but in 1650 it became a simple Sovereign. In 1651 she was again made more manoeuvrable by reducing upperworks after which she was described as "a delicate frigate (I think the whole world hath not her like)". She served throughout the wars of the Commonwealth and became the flagship of General at Sea Robert Blake. She was involved in all of the great English naval conflicts fought against the United Provinces and France and was referred to as 'The Golden Devil' (den Gulden Duvel) by the Dutch.

thumb|left|Medal on Sovereign of the Seas

When, during the First Anglo-Dutch War, on 21 October 1652 the States General of the Netherlands in a secret session determined the reward money for the crews of fire ships that succeeded in destroying an enemy vessel, Sovereign was singled out: an extra prize of 3,000 guilders was promised 'in case they should ruin the ship named the Sovereign'. The ship had not seen action during the Civil War, remaining laid up. After being refitted in 1651, she had her first fight in the Battle of the Kentish Knock, armed with 106 guns. In this battle she ran aground on the Kentish Knock itself. She remained in service for nearly sixty years as the best ship in the English navy. By 1660 her armament had been changed to 100 guns. She underwent a second rebuild from 1680 to 1685 at Chatham Dockyard, relaunching as a first rate of 100 guns, and later participated in the Battle of Beachy Head (1690) and the Battle of La Hougue (1692), when she was more than fifty years old. In that period she was the first ship in history that flew royals above her topgallant sails and a topgallant sail on the jigger-mast.

Destruction

Sovereign became leaky and defective with age during the reign of William III, and was laid up at Chatham Dockyards for repairs late in 1695.

She ignominiously ended her days, in mid January 1696, and not only publicly flogged but also imprisoned at Marshalsea for the rest of his life.

In her honour, naval tradition has kept the name of this ship afloat, and several subsequent ships have been named HMS Royal Sovereign.

Thomas Carew's poem "Upon the Royal Ship called the 'Sovereign of the Seas', built by Peter Pett, Master Builder; His Father, Captain Phineas Pett, Supervisor: 1637" is a paean to the vessel, calling it the eighth wonder of the world:

See also

  • List of world's largest wooden ships

References

Sources

  • Sovereign of the Seas. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  • Lavery, Brian (1983) The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. .
  • .
  • Comprehensive guide and pictures for making a model of the ship.