Anexo (55) «SIR, »The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have, sometime since, taken into consideration the methods now in use for building and re-building the ships of the royal navy, and find that there has been no regular establishment made therein (p.123) since that dated the 18th of November, 1719, which has been for several years discontinued. They observe that in the year 1732 there was an attempt towards making a new establishment; and, in order thereunto, the master shipwrights of all his majesty’ yards, were directed to consider and propose their several opinions in relation to the building ships, and to the dimensions for a ship of each class; which they accordingly did, but no determination was made thereupon: from whence it has proceeded, that the ships of the royal navy are not new-built according to any certain uniform standard or establishment; but every particular ship has been built, or re-built, according to different proposed dimensions. Those of the same class or denomination have been built of unequal sizes and proportions: so that the furniture and stores for any one ship have not fitted another of the same rank; which has been the cause of infinite inconveniences to the service, as well as of great increase in the expense of the navy. It has likewise observed, that the scantling of his majesty’s ships, in general, are not as large and strong as they should be, and it is also a general complaint, that the ships are crank, and heel so much in blowing weather, that they cannot open their lee-ports; at the same time that the ships of some other nations go upright, with all their batteries open, and ready for action. Their lordships esteem it, therefore a matter of the highest importance, that the great inconvenience rising from the present loose and irregular manner of building his majesty’s ships, and the complaints made of their bad qualities, should be rectified and amended; that the dimensions of the ships in the navy should be brought to a certain size and standard, according to their several classes; that in doing so the opinion and advice of the master shipwrights of his majesty’s several yards, and of such others as their lordships judged qualified, should be taken, in order to come at a general fixed establishment. They conceive the same should be such as would not only enable his majesty’s ships to carry the number and nature of guns, according to the present establishment; but that their lower tier should be six feet above water, with four months provisions on board, and stores for foreign service; they wish also all other considerations should be comprehended, which, it may be hoped, will give them the proper qualities of good ships of war; its point of sailing, fighting the enemy, durableness, and all other respects whatsoever. »Their lordships accordingly sent directions to sir jacob Acworth, surveyor of the navy; to the several master shipwrights of his majesty’s yards, and to several other eminent shipbuilders, to take the present establishment of the (55) Transcrito de CHARNOCk, pp. 124-125 AñO 2015, SUPLEMENTO N.º 21 A LA REVISTA DE HISTORIA NAVAL. Núm. 128 47
REVISTA DE HISTORIA NAVAL SUP 21
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