Sovereign of the Seas (1637) | Timeline

Sovereign of the Seas was a 17th-century warship of the English Navy. She was ordered as a 90-gun first-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns at the insistence of the king. It was later renamed HMS Sovereign, and then HMS Royal Sovereign at the Restoration of Charles II. The elaborately gilded stern ordered by Charles I of England meant enemy ships knew it as the "Golden Devil". (Intro from Wikipedia)

June 24, 1634 - Woolwich, England - King Charles I visits Woolwich and asks Phineas Pett to commence planning a new First Rate Ship. Phineas entrusts the leading role to his son Peter Pett

October 29, 1634 - Woolwich - Phineas and Peter offer the model ship on wheels to Prince Charles, and the ship that would become the "Sovereign of the Seas" is ordered

April 7, 1635 - Woolwich - The keel of the "Sovereign of the Seas" is laid at Woolwich Dockyard. Peter Pett starts the building the ship, supervised by his father, Phineas Pett

September 25, 1637 - Woolwich - The launching of the "Sovereign of the Seas" fails before the King and his entourage, when the ship jams on the ways

October 13, 1637 - Woolwich - Launching of the "Sovereign of the Seas" during the night, using bonfires =(START)

May 1(?), 1638 - Erith, SE of London - The ship is moved to Erith to be masted and rigged

June 1(?), 1638 - Greenhithe, Kent - The ship is sailed to Greenhithe to be armed and provisioned

June 6, 1638 - Greenhithe - Charles I visits the "Sovereign of the Seas" and dines aboard with the queen and members of the Court

July 12, 1638 - Greenhithe - Sea trials begin

July 21, 1638 - Off Gravesend - Charles I visits the "Sovereign of the Seas" and is delighted by the ship

August 18, 1638 - The Downs - The "Sovereign of the Seas" arrives off the Downs after Sea trials

July(?) 1(?), 1639 - Greenhithe, Kent(?) - King Charles I insists that the complement of the "Sovereign of the Seas" be increased to 100. Another 12 guns are added to bring the total to 102

January(?) 1(?), 1642 - Greenhithe(?) - Her armament is reduced to 90 guns. Remains laid up during the Civil War

January(?) 1(?), 1650 - Chatham Dockyard - Renamed "Sovereign" in the time of the Commonwealth of England =(changename)

October 11, 1651 - Chatham Dockyard - Letter from Chatham Dockyard to the Navy Office: "...as to the Soveraigne wee conceive that to make her more serviceable then now she is, the gratings and upper deck in the midshipps be taken downe and the side lowered to the upper edge of the ports in the midshipps, the upper State Room to be taken away, the forecastle to be lowered to six foote high, and the works abaft to bee taken down proportionately to the waist and answerable to the sheere of the work fore and after, the halfe decke to be shortened as shall bee convenient, as alsoe the head to be made shorter and so fitted for the sea. And the galleryes to bee altered as may be comely and most convenient for service"

October 22, 1651 - Chatham Dockyard - It is decided that the ship is crank (top-heavy), and the Navy office reports that they had "seriously debated the manner and way to make the shipp Sovereign a fitter ship for service then she now is, and upon the result doe unanimously concurr that if the alterations bee made in her according to the certificate mentioned on the other side, she will be farr more serviceable both for remote and home employment by reason she will bee lesse draught of water by neare a foote then than now, and thereby carry her lower tyer of gunns neere a foote higher and without any diminution of her strenght or force, or inconvenience in point of state"

December(?) 1(?), 1651 - Chatham Dockyard - Refitted - she was again made more manoeuvrable by reducing upperworks after which she was described as "a delicate frigate (I think the whole world hath not her like)" - Armed with 106 guns

September(?) 1(?), 1652 - Chatham - Becomes the flagship of General-at-Sea Robert Blake

September 28, 1652 - Off Kentish Knock (E of Thames Estuary), England - Battle of Kentish Knock - English victory

October 21, 1652 - While at Chatham - The States General of the Netherlands in a secret session determined the reward money for the crews of fireships that succeeded in destroying an enemy vessel, with an extra prize of 3000 guilders "in case they should ruin the ship named the Sovereign"

July 11, 1659 - Chatham Dockyard - Captain John Taylor, the master shipwright at Chatham Dockyard, supervises the rebuild of the "Sovereign"

May 23, 1660 - Chatham Dockyard - After the English Restoration she is renamed "Royal Sovereign" =(changename)

August 26, 1660 - Chatham Dockyard - Relaunched as a first-rate ship of the line with flatter gundecks. Her armament is changed to 100 guns and most of the carvings are removed

June 13, 1665 - Chatham Dockyard - Misses the Battle of Lowestoft

September 1(?), 1665 - Chatham - Recommissioned

June 1, 1666 - Chatham - The Four Days' Battle begins

June 4, 1666 - ENE of North Foreland, England - Sails from the Thames but too late to join the Four Day's Battle

July 25, 1666 - near North Foreland, England - St. James's Day Battle - English victory

June 19, 1667 - Portsmouth - At Portsmouth while the dutch attack the english fleet on the River Medway

January 19, 1672 - Portsmouth(?) - Recommissioned

June 7, 1672 - Solebay, England - Battle of Solebay - Strategic Dutch Victory

June 7, 1673 - Off the coast of Netherlands - First Battle of Schooneveld

June 14, 1673 - Off the coast of Netherlands - Second Battle of Schooneveld - Dutch victory

June 15, 1673 - River Thames - The damaged english fleet sails into the Thames

August 11, 1673 - Off Kijkduin, North Sea - Battle of Texel - Strategic Dutch Victory

March 5, 1674 - Chatham Dockyard - Laid up at Chatham Dockyards following the end of the war

August 1(?), 1675 - Chatham Dockyard - Due to her poor state of repair, it is decided to rebuild the "Royal Sovereign" again

January(?) 1(?), 1679 - Chatham Dockyard - Broken up to rebuilt

January(?) 1(?), 1685 - Chatham Dockyard - Rebuilt at Chatham Dockyard

July 10, 1690 - Off Beachy Head, English Channel, England - Battle of Beachy Head/Bévéziers - French victory

September 21, 1690 - Cork, Ireland - The Earl of Marlborough reaches Cork with 5,000 men and blockades the port of Cork with his fleet

June 18, 1691 - The Downs - The Anglo-Dutch fleet is anchored at the Downs

September 7, 1691 - Torbay - The anglo-dutch fleet sets sail to the Scilly Islands area

September 9, 1691 - Plymouth - The fleet passes Plymouth sailing to the west

September 10, 1691 - Off Ouessant/Ushant - The fleet comes in sight of Ouessant/Ushant

September 11, 1691 - 50km WSW of Cape Lizard - The fleet sails to a patrol point WSW of Cape Lizard

September 12, 1691 - 50km WSW of Cape Lizard - The fleet runs into a violent storm. The "Royal Sovereign" looses contact with the rest of the ships

September 13, 1691 - The Anglo-Dutch fleet returns to Torbay. It is feared that the "Royal Sovereign" may have sunk in the storm

September 14, 1691 - Plymouth - The "Royal Sovereign" comes into Plymouth

May 29, 1692 - Off Contentin Peninsula, France - Battle of Barfleur - Inconclusive

June 4, 1692 - Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, France - Battle of La Hogue - Anglo-Dutch victory

June(?) 15(?), 1692 - Portsmouth(?) - The fleet returns to England. The "Royal Sovereign" probably stays with the Channel Force while the Naval War with France is going on

December(?) 1(?), 1695 - Chatham Dockyard - Laid up at Chatham Dockyard for repairs

January 29, 1696 - Chatham Dockyard - A bosun on night watch leaves a candle unattended and the "Royal Sovereign" is set on fire by accident, burning to the water line =(END)