Patrick Barry published in 1863 his book titled Dockyard economy and
naval power. One of the topics he described were the several British navy
dockyards and the ships at that moment on the building slips. His description
is far from positive, especially when we regards the original footnote which
gave for each yard an extensive description. Lacking shipwrights or rotten
ships are often mentioned. I added to the original text some details dealing
with individual ships.
p. 3: “Their present state. The present state of the dockyards is in a
certain sense implied in the appearance, but the distinction is apparent when
appearance is supposed to mean no more than the outward aspect, while state is
regarded as the uses to which the dockyards are applied. In the state of the
dockyards there is the same identity as in the outward aspect. Deptford,
Woolwich, Chatham, Sheerness, Portsmouth, Devonport and Keyham, and
Pembroke are alike internally, unless have one or two respects of no
importance. Keyham and Devonport,
p.4: although joined by a short tunnel, are each possessed of dockyard
and factory shops, in which skilled and unskilled men and boys are employed.
Each of the other dockyards is similarly provided. In one and all of the seven,
men and boys are at work from week to week and year to year storing masts and
repairing masts, storing boats and repairing boats, making capstans and storing
capstans, making sails and storing sails, making rope and rigging and storing
rope and rigging, making oars, trenails, blocks, and storing them, mixing
paints, repairing locks, hose, pumps, and other things; but Chatham Dockyard is
alone graced with a leadmill, a paint-mill, and a cement-mill. Pembroke, too,
differs from all the others in being regarded as a mere building dockyard; and
Sheerness also differs in being regarded as a mere fitting and repairing
dockyard. Differences such as these are immaterial, but they deserve notice,
inasmuch as they show the tendency to change that has from time to time
agitated the official mind. When Sheerness was designated a mere fitting
dockyard, and only provided with the means of building one ship at a time, it
may be presumed that the thought of permanent ship-of-war construction in the
private shipyards was seriously in contemplation; and on the other hand, when
Pembroke was designated a mere building dockyard, it may be presumed that in
the councils of the nation the reactionary party were again in power. The
building slips (1). Step into one of the building slips in
p. 5: any of the seven dockyards, whether or no there are men at work,
and a fair sample of the dockyard system in that one particular is obtained.
The slip is covered.”
Notes
1. In the original text
was in a footnote the next text published. “The following is the summary of the
entire dockyard work in progress in the under mentioned dockyards at the time
of my visit some months ago; reprinted from my reports in the Morning Herald
and the Standard:
Deptford is constructing the Enterprise
(2), iron-cased sloop of 990 tons. On the adjoining slip there is the
Favourite, iron-cased corvette of 2,186 tons. In dock there is the Salamander,
paddle sloop of 818 tons. On the Enterprise there are a few gangs of
shipwrights; on the Favourite there is not a single shipwright; and the
Salamander, an effete and rotten tub, has so many shipwrights at work that,
even were they willing, they could not perform a fair day’s work. Such is the
whole present utility of Deptford Dockyard to the public, and the extent of the
supervision of the officials.
2. The ex-Circassian renamed 22 July 1862, launched 9 February 1864 and
sold in November 1886.
3. Launched 5 July 1864 and sold30 March 1886.
4. Launched at the Sheerness dockyard 16 May 1842 and sold to be broken
up in December 1883.
"Woolwich is constructing the Caledonia
(5), iron-cased ship of 4,125 tons. That is all the new work going on. In the
docks there are the Archer (6), screw corvette of 973 tons, undergoing thorough
repair; the Alecto (7), paddle sloop of 800 tons, undergoing thorough repair;
the Caradoc (8), paddle vessel of 676 tons, undergoing thorough repair; and
last of all the Dee (9), paddle store vessel of 704 tons, undergoing thorough
repair. On No. 1 slip there is the Dartmouth (10), 36 guns, screw frigate of
2,478 tons, in frame; on No. 2 slip there is the Sylvia (11) screw gun vessel
of 695 tons, planked; No. 3 slip is full of timber; No. 4 slip is empty; on No.
5 slip there is the Repulse (12), 89 guns, screw ship of 3,716 tons, with the
outer skin; on No. 6 slip there is the Wolverine (13), 21 guns, screw corvette
of 1,702 tons. On not one of these slips is there a single shipwright at work,
so that the extent of the ship construction and repairing of Woolwich Dockyard
is the construction of the Caledonia and the
repair of four small wooden craft, which it would have been wise economy to
burn."
5. Originally a 2nd rate, rebuilt as an ironclad in June 1861 and sold
30 September 1886 and broken up.
6. Launched at the Deptford dockyard 27 March 1849 and sold 15 March
1866 to be broken up.
7. Launched at the Chatham
dockyard 7 September 1839 and broken up in November 1865.
8. Launched at Mare&Ditchburn, Blackwall in July 1847 and sold 12
May 1870.
9. Launched at the Woolwich dockyard 5 April 1832 and broken up in 1871.
10. Laid down at the Woolwich dockyard 6 November 1860 but cancelled 16
December 1864.
11. Launched at the Woolwich dockyard 20 March 1866 and sold to be
broken up in August 1889.
12. Launched at Pembroke Dock 27 September 1855, renamed in July 1855
Victor Emmanuel, sold 1899.
13. Launched at the Woolwich dockyard 29 August 1863 and hulked after 21
March 1895.
"Chatham is constructing the
Achilles (14), 30 guns, iron screw vessel of 6,079 tons, and the Royal Oak (15), 34 guns,
iron cased-ship of 4,056 tons. This is all the new work going on, and there is
no old work in progress. On No. 1 slip there is the Salamis (16), paddle
despatch vessel of 835 tons; on No. 2 slip there is the Reindeer (17), 6 guns,
screw sloop of 950 tons, no deck; on No. 3 slip there is the Myrmidon (18), 4
guns, screw gun vessel of 695 tons, advanced; on No. 4 slip there is the
Belvidera (19), 51 guns, screw frigate of 3,027 tons, in frame; on No. 5 slip
there is the Bulwark (20), 89 guns, screw ship of 3,716 tons, four-eighths; and
on No. 6 slip there is the Menai (21), 21 guns, screw corvette of 1,857 tons,
in frame. On not one of these slips is there a single shipwright at work, so
that the extent of the ship construction in Chatham Dockyard is the Achilles
and the Royal Oak;
the repairing nil."
14. Launched at the Chatham dockyard 23 December 1863, renamed Hibernia
1902, renamed Egmont March 1904, renamed Egremont June 1916, renamed Pembroke
June 1919 and sold 26 January 1923.
15. Undocked at the Chatham
dockyard 10 September 1862 and sold 30 September 1885.
16. Launched at the Chatham
dockyard 19 May 1863 and broken up in 1883.
17. Launched at the Chatham
dockyard 29 March 1866 and broken up in December 1876.
18. Launched at the Chatham
dockyard 5 June 1867 and sold in April 1889.
19. Laid down at the Chatham
dockyard 30 April 1860 and cancelled 16 December 1864.
20. Laid down at the Chatham
dockyard 8 January 1859, building
stopped 7 March 1861 and cancelled and broken up in March 1873.
21. Laid down at the Chatham
dockyard 5 January 1861, but cancelled 16 December 1864 and her frames destined
for the Blanche.
"Sheerness is not constructing a single ship; and has one ship, the
North Star (22), 22 guns, screw corvette of 1,857 tons, in frame, with no work
doing. In No. 1 dock, there is the rotten Cossack (23), 20 guns, screw corvette
of 1,296 tons, undergoing thorough repair; in No. 2, there is the rotten
Terrible (24), 21 guns, paddle frigate, undergoing thorough repair; in No. 4
dock, the gunboat Cochin (25), from the first division of the steam reserve, is
undergoing examination; and in No. 5 dock, the rotten Locust, (26) 1 gun,
paddle tug, is undergoing thorough repair. In No. 1 basin, the rotten Erne
(27), gunboat, is undergoing thorough repair; in No. 2 basin, the rotten Scylla
(28), 21 guns, screw corvette, is undergoing thorough repair; and in No. 3
dock, the rotten Vigilant (29), 4 guns, gun vessel, is undergoing thorough
repair."
22. Laid down at the Sheerness dockyard 13 July 1860 and cancelled 22
May 1865.
23. The former Russian Witjas which was seized 5 April 1854 due to the
outbreak of the Crimean War, when Great Britain and Russia were each other
opponents. Launched at Pitcher, Northfleet 15 May 1854 and sold 19 May 1875.
24. Launched at the Deptford dockyard 6 February 1845 and sold to be
broken up 7 July 1879.
25. Launched at Green, Blackwall 8 April 1856 and broken up at Sheerness
March 1863.
26. Launched at the Woolwich dockyard 8 April 1840 and sold in 1895.
According to Colledge since 1869
in service as tug.
27. Launched at Smith, North Shields 18 February 1865 and broken up in
1874.
28. Launched at the Sheerness dockyard 19 June 1865 and sold to be
broken up 7 November 1882.
29. Launched at Mare, Blackwall 20 March 1865 and ordered to be sold 25
February 1869.
"Portsmouth
is constructing the Royal Sovereign (30), 3 guns, iron-cased cupola ship, of
3,963 tons; and the Royal Alfred (31), 34 guns, iron-cased ship, of 4,045 tons.
This is the whole new work in progress. On No. 2 slip there is. the Dryad (32),
51 guns, screw frigate; on No. 3 slip, the Harlequin (33), 6 guns, screw sloop
of 950 tons; and on No. 4 slip, the Helicon, paddle despatch vessel; all in
various stage of advancement, but with no work doing. In No. 1 dock there is
the rotten Esk (34), 21 guns, screw corvette, of 1,169 tons, undergoing
thorough repair; and in No. 2 dock, the rotten Curaçoa (35), 31 guns, screw
frigate, of 1,571 tons, undergoing thorough repair."
30. Launched at the Portsmouth
dockyard 25 April 1857 and sold in May 1885.
31. Launched at the Portsmouth
dockyard 15 October 1864 and sold to be broken up in December 1864.
32. Laid down at the Portsmouth
dockyard 2 January 1860 and cancelled 16 December 1864.
33. Laid down at the Portsmouth
dockyard 13 February 1861 and cancelled 16 December 1864.
34. Launched at Scott Russell, Millwall 12 June 1854 and broken up 1870.
35. Launched at Pembroke Dock 13 April 1854 and broken up 1869.
Devonport is converting the Ocean (36), 34 guns, screw, iron-cased ship,
of 4,045 tons; and that is all the new work going forward. On No. 1 slip there
is the Bittern (37), 4 guns, screw sloop, of 669 tons, keel laid; No. 2 slip is
empty; the next slip has been converted into a storehouse; on No. 4 slip there
is the Robust (38), 89 guns, screw ship, of 3,716 tons, partly planked; and on
No. 5 slip there is the Ister (39), 36 guns, screw frigate, of 1,321 tons, in
frame; no work doing on any of the slips. In No. 2 dock, there is the rotten
Alert (40), 17 guns, screw sloop, of 751 tons, undergoing thorough repair; and
in No. 4 dock the Minx (41), water-tank vessel, and the Tortoise (42), lighter,
are repairing.
36. Launched at the Devonport dockyard 19 March 1862 and broken up 1875.
37. Laid down at the Devonport dockyard 17 December 1861 and cancelled
16 December 1864.
38. Laid down at the Devonport dockyard 31 October 1859, but finally
cancelled 1872 after building was stopped.
39. Laid down at the Devonport dockyard 8 November 1860 and cancelled in
December 1864.
40. Launched at Pembroke Dock 20 May 1856 and given away in 1884.
41. Launched at Miller&Ravenhall, Blackwall 5 September 1846 and
sold 15 December 1899.
42. The store lighter launched at Sibrell, Portsmouth
27 April 1789 and broken up at Plymouth
in January 1863?
"Keyham. In the North basin, the Constance
(43), new, 51 guns, screw frigate, is finishing; and the Princess Royal (44)is
changing boilers. In No. 2 dock, the rotten Valorous (45), 16 guns, paddle
frigate of 1,257 tons, is receiving thorough repair; and in No. 1 dock the
rotten Gladiator (46) waits the decision of the Admiralty, the dockyard
officials being of opinion that the ship should be broken up.”
43. Launched at Pembroke Dock 12 March 1846, undocked as a screw frigate
15 April 1862 and sold in 1875.
44. Ex-Prince Albert, renamed 26 March 1842, a 2nd rate screw
steam ship of the line, launched at the Portsmouth
dockyard 23 June 1863 and sold in 1872.
45. Launched at Pembroke Dock 30 April 1851 and sold 27 February 1891.
46. Launched at the Woolwich dockyard 15 October 1844 and broken up in March 1879.
Sources
Patrick Barry. Dockyard economy and naval power. London, 1863, p.3-6.
J.J. Colledge&Ben Warlow. Ships of the Royal Navy. London, 2006.
