Woolwich Dockyard
Encyclopedia
Woolwich Dockyard was an English
naval dockyard
founded by King Henry VIII
in 1512 to build his flagship
Henri Grâce à Dieu (Great Harry), the largest ship of its day.
Like its counterpart Deptford Dockyard, it was probably chosen for its position - on the south bank of the tidal River Thames
conveniently close to Henry's palace at Greenwich.
Its facilities ultimately included two large dry dock
s, a substantial basin (now used by local anglers), masting sheer
s, numerous storehouses, a gatehouse and clockhouse, gun bastions, and, in later years, a large metal-working factory used to produce anchors and other iron items used in shipbuilding.
Engineer
Samuel Bentham
was an apprentice shipwright at the dockyard during the 1770s.
As ships grew bigger and the Thames began to silt up, the dockyard eventually closed in 1869. These days all that remains are a couple of closed off docks. Less than half a mile
to the south there is a train station called Woolwich Dockyard
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
naval dockyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
founded by King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1512 to build his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
Henri Grâce à Dieu (Great Harry), the largest ship of its day.
Like its counterpart Deptford Dockyard, it was probably chosen for its position - on the south bank of the tidal River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
conveniently close to Henry's palace at Greenwich.
Its facilities ultimately included two large dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
s, a substantial basin (now used by local anglers), masting sheer
Masting sheer
A masting sheer, sheers, shears or masting crane is a specialised shipyard crane, intended for placing tall masts onto large sailing ships...
s, numerous storehouses, a gatehouse and clockhouse, gun bastions, and, in later years, a large metal-working factory used to produce anchors and other iron items used in shipbuilding.
Engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Samuel Bentham
Samuel Bentham
Sir Samuel Bentham was a noted English mechanical engineer and naval architect credited with numerous innovations, particularly related to naval architecture, including weapons...
was an apprentice shipwright at the dockyard during the 1770s.
As ships grew bigger and the Thames began to silt up, the dockyard eventually closed in 1869. These days all that remains are a couple of closed off docks. Less than half a mile
Mile
A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...
to the south there is a train station called Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard railway station
Woolwich Dockyard railway station is in Woolwich in the London Borough of Greenwich. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern. It is in Travelcard Zone 3...
.
Notable ships launched at the dockyard
- 1512-14— Henri Grâce à Dieu (Great Harry); flagship of Henry VIII.
- 1608- HMS Anne Royal - a rebuilding
- 1610— HMS Prince RoyalHMS Prince Royal (1610)HMS Prince Royal was a 55-gun royal ship of the English Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett I at Woolwich and launched in 1610. She was the first ship of the line with three complete gun decks, although when first completed the upper deck carried no guns in the waist, and was stepped down aft because...
- 1613— HMS DefianceHMS Defiance (1590)DefianceThe 'HMS' prefix was not used until the middle of the 18th century, but is sometimes applied retrospectively was a 46-gun galleon of the English Royal Navy, launched in 1590....
- a rebuilding - 1615— HMS MerhonourHMS Merhonour (1615)MerhonourThe 'HMS' prefix was not used until the middle of the Eighteenth Century, but is sometimes applied retrospectively was a ship of the Navy Royal of England. She was built in 1590 by Mathew Baker at Woolwich Dockyard, and was rebuilt by Phineas Pett I at Woolwich between 1612 and 1615, being...
- a rebuilding - 1616- HMS Convertine - originally begun as the private warship Destiny for Sir Walter Raleigh
- 1617- HMS RainbowHMS Rainbow (1586)RainbowThe 'HMS' prefix was not used until the middle of the 18th century, but is sometimes applied retrospectively was a galleon of the English Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard by Peter Pett , and launched in 1586...
- a rebuilding - 1631- HMS VanguardHMS Vanguard (1631)HMS Vanguard was a 40-gun ship of the English Royal Navy, launched in 1631 at Woolwich, and was the second vessel to bear the name. Officially she was rebuilt from the first Vanguard, but likely only shared some of the timber and fittings from the previous ship. By 1660, her armament had been...
- a rebuilding - 1637— HMS Sovereign of the SeasHMS Sovereign of the SeasSovereign 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 of the English Royal Navy, but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns, at the insistence of the king...
; first-rateFirst-rateFirst rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for its largest ships of the line. While the size and establishment of guns and men changed over the 250 years that the rating system held sway, from the early years of the eighteenth century the first rates comprised those ships mounting 100...
ship of the lineShip of the lineA ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
, ordered by Charles ICharles I of EnglandCharles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles... - 1670— HMS Saint AndrewHMS St Andrew (1670)HMS St Andrew was a 96-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Woolwich Dockyard by Christopher Pett until his death in March 1668, and then completed by Jonas Shish, and launched in 1670....
; first-rateFirst-rateFirst rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for its largest ships of the line. While the size and establishment of guns and men changed over the 250 years that the rating system held sway, from the early years of the eighteenth century the first rates comprised those ships mounting 100...
ship of the lineShip of the lineA ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear... - 1751— HMS DolphinHMS Dolphin (1751)HMS Dolphin was a 24-gun sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1751, she was used as a survey ship from 1764 and made two circumnavigations of the world under the successive commands of John Byron and Samuel Wallis. She was the first ship to circumnavigate the world twice...
; circumnavigated the globe twice. - 1756— HMS Royal GeorgeHMS Royal George (1756)HMS Royal George was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Woolwich Dockyard and launched on 18 February 1756...
; first-rateFirst-rateFirst rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for its largest ships of the line. While the size and establishment of guns and men changed over the 250 years that the rating system held sway, from the early years of the eighteenth century the first rates comprised those ships mounting 100...
ship of the lineShip of the lineA ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
; her sinking in 1782 was one of the worst disasters in Royal Navy history - around 800 lives were lost. - 1805— HMS OceanHMS Ocean (1805)HMS Ocean was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched from Woolwich Dockyard on 24 October 1805. She was the only ship built to her draught, and designed by Sir John Henslow....
; second-rateSecond-rateIn the British Royal Navy, a second rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th century second rates had fewer guns and were originally two-deckers or had only partially armed third gun decks. The term in no way implied...
ship of the lineShip of the lineA ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
, flagship of Lord CollingwoodCuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron CollingwoodVice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as Nelson's successor in commands.-Early years:Collingwood was born in Newcastle upon Tyne...
. - 1809— HMS MacedonianHMS MacedonianHMS Macedonian was a 38-gun fifth rate in the Royal Navy, later captured by the during the War of 1812. She was built at Woolwich Dockyard, England in 1809, launched 2 June 1810 and commissioned the same month. She was commanded by Captain Lord William Fitzroy...
; frigateFrigateA frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
captured by USS United StatesUSS United States (1797)USS United States was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy and the first of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794...
during the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. - 1820— HMS BeagleHMS BeagleHMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, at a cost of £7,803. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in which...
; ship used on naturalist Charles DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's famous voyage.