Pepys's Navy: Ships, Men and Warfare 1649-89

Davies, J. D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848320140 ISBN 13: 9781848320147

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing, 2008

This new reference book describes every aspect the English navy in the second half of the seventeenth century, from the time when the Fleet Royal was taken into Parliamentary control after the defeat of Charles I, until the accession of William and Mary in 1689 when the long period of war with the Dutch came to an end. This is a crucial era which witnessed the creation of a permanent naval service, in essence the birth of the Royal Navy.Every aspect of the navy is covered - naval administration, ship types and shipbuilding, naval recruitment and crews, seamanship and gunnery, shipboard life, dockyards and bases, the foreign navies of the period, and the three major wars which were fought against the Dutch in the Channel and the North Sea. Samuel Pepys, whose thirty years of service did so much to replace the ad hoc processes of the past with systems for construction and administration, is one of the most significant players, and the navy which was, by 1690, ready for the 100 years of global struggle with the French owed much to his tireless work.This book is destined to become a major work for historians, naval enthusiasts and, indeed, anyone with an interest in this colourful era of the seventeenth century. JD Davies's authoritative study of the fledgling Royal Navy - PEPYS'S NAVY: Ships, Men and Warfare 1649-1689 - has won the fourth Samuel Pepys Award. In PEPYS'S NAVY, David Davies examines every aspect of the English navy in the second half of the seventeenth century, from the time when the Fleet was taken into Parliamentary control after the defeat of Charles I, until the accession of William and Mary in 1689 when the long period of struggle with the Dutch came to an end. This crucial era witnessed the creation of a permanent naval service, in essence the birth of the Royal Navy.Samuel Pepys played a pivotal role in the creation of a professional navy, first as a member of the Navy Board and later as Secretary to the Admiralty. His thirty years' service did much to replace the ad hoc processes of the past with systems for construction and administration. That, by 1690, the navy was ready for a century of struggle against the French owed much to Pepys's tireless work.The judges, who included the inaugural winner of the Award, Claire Tomalin, were unanimous in their decision to award the prize to David Davies.Speaking on behalf of the judges, Ann Sweeney (Chairman), commented, We expect PEPYS'S NAVY to become an enduring work of reference. Very comprehensive and written with great authority

About the Author:

J. D. Davies is the author of the critically acclaimed Gentlemen and Tarpaulins and chairman of the Naval Dockyards Society in Great Britain.