1706 Establishment

The 1706 Establishment was the first formal establishment of dimensions for ships built for the Royal Navy. Two previous sets of dimensions had been established, though only for particular shipbuilding programmes; the 1706 Establishment was intended to be permanent.Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p68.]

Origins

Dimensions for ships had been established for the building programme of 1677, and though they were used for ships as late as 1695, this was merely because the ships built to them were regarded as successful, so there was no perceived need to change them. An additional establishment of dimensions was laid down for the 1691 shipbuilding programme of 80-gun ships, though it was abandoned before the programme had completed, with the final four ships being constructed with three instead of two gundecks.

The origins of the formalised 1706 Establishment can be traced to February 1705, when Prince George, the Lord High Admiral at the time, ordered the Navy Board to determine a set of dimensions to be established for second rate ships, several of which were in need of rebuilding. Though the second rates appear to have been the central focus of the order, the Board was also directed to consider dimensions for ships of the third (80 and 70 guns), fourth (60 and 50 guns), and fifth rates (40 and 30 guns). First rates were not included as their rarity was considered to warrant individual attention, whilst smaller vessels were felt to be cheap enough to allow experimentation. The Navy Board used existing ships considered to be the best in their respective classes for these dimensions.Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p68-69.]

Implementation

The "Navy Board" produced sets of dimensions for ships from 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 guns (they decided against doing so for 30-gun ships). After a last-minute adjustment brought about by Admiral George Churchill, the dimensions were sent out to the dockyards together with an order that they should be properly adhered to, and that they should apply to rebuilds as well as new ships. The implementation of the Establishment - the first of many - essentially declared the Navy's intention to not develop the sailing warship any further, and so brought about an era of notorious conservatism in naval administration. Though there would be no significant technological changes until the following century, naval architecture had clearly not reached its apogee in the early 18th century.Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p69.]

Notes

References

*Fincham. John (1851) "A History of Naval Architecture." Whittaker & Co, London.
*Lavery, Brian (2003) "The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850." Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.