Phineas Pett: The Man Who Made the Stuart Navy

The late Tudor and Stuart era was a transformative period for the Royal Navy, which evolved from an ad hoc maritime force into a permanent, professional navy. The organization, strategy, and equipment underwent drastic changes. Several individuals played significant roles in this naval revolution, among whom Phineas Pett deserves special mention. As the foremost shipwright of the early Stuart period, his career spanned the reigns of James I and Charles I. Through his numerous warship designs, he profoundly transformed the navy.

Phineas Pett was born on 1 November 1570 into the Pett dynasty, a family of shipwrights from Chatham who were already well-known and respected by the Tudor monarchs. He was born in a place of great significance in British naval history: Deptford. Often referred to as “the Cradle of the Navy,” Deptford was the most important naval base and dockyard during the 16th and 17th centuries. Phineas was the second son of Peter Pett, a renowned naval architect.

Phineas’s education began at the Free School in Rochester, followed by a private school in Greenwich. In 1586, he entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he demonstrated promise and a particular talent for mathematics. After his father’s death in 1589, Phineas found himself in a dire financial situation. Unfortunately, his father had not had the opportunity to teach him the shipwright’s trade. Undeterred, the zealous and industrious young man resolved to uphold the family legacy by becoming a shipwright. He learned the craft through his father’s renowned associates, Mathew Baker and Richard Chapman.

A significant step in his career came in 1597 when he was appointed as a servant to Lord Howard, the Lord High Admiral. Three years later, he was put in charge of the plankyard and timber at Chatham. Another important milestone came in 1601 when he was appointed assistant to the Master Shipwright of Chatham.

However, his relationship with Mathew Baker deteriorated, with Pett accusing him of seizing every opportunity to undermine him. During this time, Pett also began to observe the poor administration of the navy’s dockyards, which were plagued by jealousy, favoritism, and intrigue. Such intrigue would continue to dog him throughout his career.

Phineas Pett’s talent caught royal attention in 1604 when he built a miniature ship, the Disdain, for Prince Henry, King James’s eldest son and heir. His craftsmanship earned him favor at court, leading to a royal grant of a shilling a day and recognition, along with his brother Joseph, in the charter of English shipbuilders in 1605. Later, he built another model for Lord High Admiral William Howard, who was so impressed by its design that he presented it to King James and Prince Henry at Richmond Palace in 1607.

Around the same time, in 1605, Phineas Pett succeeded his brother Joseph as Master Shipwright of Deptford before moving to Woolwich, where he remained for the years to come. He became responsible for the design and construction of nearly all major warships during the reigns of James I and Charles I, as well as many significant merchant ships. His designs set new standards for the English navy, with the overall size of major warships increasing significantly.

One of his revolutionary creations was the Prince Royal, launched in 1610 at Woolwich. This illustrious 55-gun vessel was the first three-decker ship of the line for the Royal Navy and would go on to have a distinguished career, seeing action in several battles during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

In the meantime, Phineas’s wife gave birth to their son Peter, who would later distinguish himself as an important shipwright during the Commonwealth and Restoration periods. In Phineas’s later years, Peter increasingly assisted his father in his design and shipbuilding activities.

After King James’s death in 1625, Phineas Pett came to the attention of King Charles I. Charles sought to expand the navy to support his aggressive foreign policy, and Pett’s shipbuilding expertise played a crucial role in these plans. Shortly after ascending the throne, the new king gifted Pett a golden necklace as a mark of favor.

Phineas Pett also rendered other services to the court. In 1613, he organized a grand naumachia—a mock naval battle—on the Thames for Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince-Elector Friedrich V, a momentous occasion which cemented England’s alliance with the Palatinate. Pett himself commanded a Venetian argosy during the spectacle. Later, in 1625, he escorted the queen from Boulogne to Dover aboard HMS Prince and oversaw the fitting out of the fleet at Portsmouth in 1627. In 1629, he was appointed assistant to the principal officers of the navy and was later made Commissioner of the King in 1631, tasked with conducting a general survey of the fleet at Chatham. For these and other services, he received a royal stipend of approximately £200 per annum. Meanwhile, the talented Phineas continued tirelessly designing various ships.

Phineas Pett’s crowning achievement is considered the massive 90-gun Sovereign of the Seas, intended to be the largest vessel in the fleet. In 1635, he traveled to Newcastle to procure the necessary timber. The keel of this leviathan was laid down on 21 December of the same year, with the actual construction overseen by his son. The Sovereign of the Seas was launched two years later, on 13 October 1637. The ship was renowned for its intricate ornamentation, carved by the brothers John and Mathias Christmas, which showcased the power and wealth of the English monarchy. Ironically, it was the astronomical cost of ships like the Sovereign of the Seas that contributed to King Charles’s eventual downfall. The expenses compelled the unpopular king to raise taxes even further, exacerbating tensions with his subjects. The Sovereign of the Seas was later rebuilt and renamed the Royal Sovereign. However, she failed to meet expectations, as she was slow and poorly maneuverable, making her a liability and a nuisance in the line of battle.

Phineas died in 1647 and was buried in Chatham. He wrote a memoir, an invaluable source of information for naval historians of the Stuart era, which was only published in 1918. 

Olivier Goossens