|
In 1628, the very wealthy Duke of Buckingham built a private fleet of 10 three-masted, armed full rigged pinnaces, each of which carried the name ''Lion's Whelp''. At least one ''Lion's Whelp'' participated in the English attempt to relieve the Huguenot citadel of La Rochelle during the Anglo-French War. Little information has survived about the careers of the other ''Lion's Whelp''s and they disappear from the historical record in 1654. Important documents about their finance and construction have survived and made a lasting contribution to our understanding of the Navy Royal during the early 17th century. ==Introduction== The 10 ''Lion's Whelp''s built by the 1st Duke of Buckingham in 1628 are exemplars of the 'war' pinnace, a war ship that was built for several European navies for more than two centuries (c.1550-c.1750). The Whelps had sweeps (propelling oars) as well as sails (G R Balleine, All for the King, The Life Story of Sir George Carteret, Societe Jersiase, 1976, p10). England, the Netherlands, Sweden and Poland deployed the war pinnace on a regular basis. The largest war pinnaces, also known as frigates, approximated England's fifth rate and sixth rate small warships. A few war pinnaces were built to fourth-rate hull dimensions. However, these war pinnaces carried fewer cannon and had smaller crews than English fourth, fifth, and sixth rates. Fast and maneuverable when compared to a typical ship of the line, when they were under the command of an experienced captain with a crew that retained discipline during battle, many war pinnaces compiled impressive fighting and espionage records. . Ten ships of the name ''Lyon's Whelp'' were built in 1628 by George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, and each was constructed to the same design. Although masted and armed from the stores of the Royal Navy, the fleet was paid for by the Duke. The entire fleet of ten ''Lion's Whelps'' cost Buckingham about £7,000 and for several years, they were his private fleet. With the exception of the Earl of Pembroke, the Duke of Buckingham was the wealthiest nobleman in England at this time. This ship building program indicates that the Duke of Buckingham could access very significant funds. The Duke spent £7000 in 1628 to build his fleet which in the first quarter of 2011 would be worth £624,120.00.〔( The Lion's Whelps ) – Introduction, History, Construction, What Did They Look Like? by James Wassell, Feb.23, 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2011 “Miscellaneous: costing to Mr. Browne (by Pennington) for a model of a pinnace - £3, 6/- costing to Mr. Maylim for model of 900 tonne ship with 'deck under water and store rooms upon it' - £6, 10/-”〕〔(National Archives ), Currency Converter. Retrieved March 3, 2011. £7,000 1630 pounds are equivalent to £624,120.00 (2011 pounds).〕 Under the Duke's command, the ''Lion's Whelps'' were privateers dedicated to increasing his considerable personal fortune. The fleet of ten ''Lions Whelps'' was not taken over by the Navy until 1632, after Buckingham's assassination in 1628, and compensation of at least £4000 was paid to his estate.〔In 1619, King James I appointed George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham to the Admiralty and he became the Lord Admiral of England. Jovial and good natured to all who supported him, as a typical courtier Villiers was most interested in satisfying his vanity and arranging marriages for friends and those who were politically connected. The Duke had few qualities that would make him an effective admiral of the Royal Fleet. Nearly all of his political and military stratagems proved to be disasters.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lyon's Whelp」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|