The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-03-22
Naval Architecture A. d. .1G5O-175O.

Toward the close of the seven
teenth century all the great naval
powers had so confOrmed to Eng
lish models in the construction Of
their vessels that the illustration of
an English vessel of 1878 would do
equally well as a representation of a
Dutch, French, or Spanish craft.
By this time ships were built of such
a size as to be able to carry their
own provisions, which had hereto
fore been borne in vessels designed
especially for that purpose. These
tenders accompanied the squadrons
to sea, and were guarded with great
care they carried but few men, and
were occupied in distributing the
provisions to the fleet as required,
and they bore the same relation to
the men-of-war that supply vessels
do in our own day. In the early
part of the eighteenth century the
French made many improvements
in naval construction, but the En-
glish, always slow to follow, were
still welded to the building of ships
which are described by one of their
authors as being " destitute Of al
most every principle that could con-
stitute ship Of war; crank, heavy
sailors, of i'll stowage, confined and
convenient in the hour of battle !;
the larger ships frequently incapa-
bic Of employing their lower deck
guns except in the moderate wealth
er, and the smaller absolutely dan
gerous. And ye' in such ships as
these and even in worse than these,
were won glorious triumphs of the
English navy.
At length the spirit of advance
ment was aroused and about 1850
was built the Royal George, a YES
sci which was regarded at that time
as a paragon of beauty, and the
ne Plus ultra in the science Of marine
architecture. Her length was one
hundred and seventy eight feet, less
than that of modern gunboat, and
yet she carried one hundred guns.
This vessel during her existance
was the pride of the English navy
she carried more guns, had
seen more actions, borne more
admirals' flags, and done more ser
vice to that country than any other
vessel in the navy. She was lost by
melancholy accident, which has
no parallel in history. Lying at
anchor off Spithead, she was heeIed
over by the guns being run to one
side, when q sudden squall from off
the land caused her lower tier of
ports to go under water, when she
Immediately filed and went down,
carrying with her the Admiral
(Kempenfeldt) aud nearly nine
hundred others. At the time of the
disaster there were on board not on
ly the crew of the Inflated vessel,
but many of their wives and chill
dren. Attempts were made some
years after to raise her, but they
were not successful. A number of
bronze guns were obtained from the
wreck, and then large charges of
gunpowder, were exploded within
her, and the hull broken up.
The French were at this time the
best ship-builders in the world, at
least their models were the best
and this remark applies to the mer-
chant marine also, for their vessels
were of comparatively large size, and
were heavily armed, carrying some
times as many as sixty guns. It is
due entirely to the great exertions
of the French that Improvements
were continually being made, the
other powers following her but slow
~. 1t is but just to say, however,
that their vessels did not possess
the durability of those of other ma
tions, owing to their being built of |
fir; so that there was more scope J