King Edward's realm: Story of the making of the Empire

by C. S. Dawe

3. A great change took place in Henry's reign in the kind of warship chiefly built. Before his time the warship was usually a kind of long boat, called a galley, propelled by oars. But when cannon came into use, it was found advisable to build larger vessels, and substitute sails for oars, just as in the reign of Queen Victoria sails had to give place to steam. The change, however, was gradually wrought, and oared galleys held their ground, as a secondary force, to the end of Henry's reign.

4. The early Tudor ships were, of course, far from perfect. They had towering castles both at bow and stern which made them top-heavy. Their rigging also was too unwieldy for stormy weather, and made it unsafe to keep the sea in winter. The fate of that "flower of ships," the Mary Rose, shows how easily vessels of the time were upset. Coming out of Portsmouth Harbour, on her way to join in battle with the French, her crew were tacking her, when she heeled over and rapidly sank, carrying with her some 400 soldiers and 200 sailors.

5. Some of Henry's ships were evidently of large dimensions. The Great Harry, for instance, was of 1000 tons, and carried twenty-three great guns, some of which were loaded with shot weighing at least thirty pounds. Besides his great ships, Henry built smaller ones, called pinnaces; and fast, handy sailing ships they proved. Guns also of all sizes and patterns, bronze and iron, were cast in his reign, many of them little inferior to those in Nelson's time.

6. In the early years of Henry's reign, his ships were armed principally with small guns for use as mankillers, rather than for damaging the hull or rigging of the enemy's ships. The aim in a sea-fight, at that time, was for each ship to get on the windward side of the enemy, and then sail down with the wind to ram its adversary and board her, if she did not sink with the collision. Only on getting quite close were the guns discharged, and at the moment of boarding the stones, lances, and other implements of war in the castles, "fore and aft," were brought into play. A sharp fight then ensued on the enemy's deck, the boarders being either driven back into their own ship, or left in possession of their prize.

7. The whole object in this mode of fighting was to close with the enemy as quickly as possible. But before the end of Henry's reign a great change of tactics had taken place. Henry was one of the first to perceive that a great advantage would be gained by the introduction of heavy guns. Larger ships were, accordingly, built and the lower decks furnished with port-holes, thus enabling them to carry two tiers of guns.

8. This change in the structure of the ships and the weight of the guns brought about a change in the mode of attack. The aim now was for each big ship by clever seamanship to place itself so as to deliver a "broadside," while avoiding one of the enemy, and thus to disable or sink its adversary while pounding away at a distance. Thus a complete revolution in naval warfare was made in the course of Henry's reign. That revolution was not confined to England, but the English king took the foremost place in carrying it out. While other nations on the continent were intent on establishing standing armies, Henry devoted himself to the creation of a standing navy that should be able to compete with the best on the sea.

9. At the close of his reign the navy belonging to the Crown consisted of 53 vessels, carrying 250 guns of bronze and 1850 of iron, the crews numbering about 7000 men. Henry VIII., therefore, has a good right to be considered the founder of the English navy. He had the satisfaction of knowing that some of the finest ships that sailed the seas flew the flag of St. George. We say the flag of St. George because at that time there was no union of England and Scotland, and consequently no Union Jack. It was Henry VIII. who first ordered that every king's ship should fly at the masthead and at the bowsprit, the flag of St. George, with its red cross on a white ground. This flag is still carried by every ship in the British navy when an Admiral is on board and in command.

(6) QUEEN ELIZABETH AT THE HELM.

1. Elizabeth, who came to the throne in 1558, did much for the making of England. To her reign we can trace the beginning of much that constitutes the glory and greatness of the England of to-day. Her reign, indeed, may be considered the seed-time of England's greatness. When the crown passed from the head of Queen Mary to that of her sister Elizabeth the fortunes of England were at a very low ebb. The kingdom had just been worsted in a war with France, and felt a rankling sore at the loss of Calais.

2. The one hope of England centred in Elizabeth, whose coming to the throne was as the rising of the sun. In addressing her first Parliament she struck the keynote of her reign, and thrilled the hearts of her hearers with joy. "Nothing, no worldly thing under the sun, is so dear to me as the love and goodwill of my subjects.... My greatest desire is to be the mother of my people." And so well did she study the interests of her people that they learned to call her "Good Queen Bess."