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Henry Grace a Dieu (1514)

Henry Grace a Dieu (1514) History

In 1514, King Henry VIII of England built "Henry Grace a Dieu" ("Henry, the grace of God"), and the man who sailed her was nicknamed "The Great Harry". The Great Harry was laid and built at Woolwich Dockyard on the Thames in London, where King Henry could observe the progress of shipbuilding. She would be a large Karak-type battleship - also known as "The Big Ship" at the time. The Great Harry was built to fight the 'Michael' truck built by King James IV of Scotland in 1511.

The great Harry displaces 1,000 tons, has a crew of 1,420, and is armed with 69 guns of various calibers. She has a length of 190 feet, a beam of 50 feet, and a draft of 20 feet.

The Henry was built using the carved hull method, in which the planks were lined up without overlapping. However, her rudder eventually proved too small for the size of the boat. The boat features a large, imposing four-deck foredeck that runs along the bow that juts out from the boat. Across the forecastle is a long bowsprit, which competes with the height of a fourth mast, called the Wende mast, which is located closest to the stern.

Henry Grace a Dieu is essentially a floating castle with the stern as its stronghold. Four decks high, Bailey was a quarters for sailors and soldiers, and a downward firing platform for archers and light gunners. The stern is six decks high, covering a larger area above the officers' quarters. The officers at the stern and the sailors at the front became the naval standard for future charges.

She was lavishly outfitted as a royal display, with ensigns dangling from the top of each mast, and intricately embroidered pennants of 50 to 80 feet fluttered from the mast between the bowsprit and sail.

In this era, the principles of shipbuilding were traditional and passed from each shipbuilder to the next apprentice. The ship's proportions and main dimensions have not traditionally changed or improved much. Like an old-fashioned kitchen, the caravan was long, narrow, and top-heavy, making it less stable in bad weather and rough seas.

The recurring number of capsized ships and the frequency of accidents resulting in loss of life, property and royal prestige limit the time they can leave the port. If they sail, usually in summer, the winds favor the intended destination.

Shift

The displacement of the Big Harry varies according to some texts - it is listed as 1,000 tons, while others show 1,500 tons. At this point in naval history, a ship's tonnage is not based on knowledge of the combined weight of lumber, guns, reserves, and masts. The displacement becomes the actual weight of the boat because when a boat floats, it moves its own weight in the water.

The method used to calculate a ship's displacement is based on the number of tons (or "tons"), barrels, or casks that the ship can carry. The tonnage or displacement of a warship is estimated by the shipbuilder when comparing the capacity of the warship with the storage capacity of the well-known large merchant ships, i.e. the maximum number of barrels she can hold.

King Henry VIII sponsored a new weapon upgrade innovation for Henry Grace a Dieu. The king ordered the shipyard to cut gun muzzles on the sides of the main and lower decks. Builders objected to the idea of ??digging holes in the deck, as seawater would seep in during stormy weather and cause the boat to float.

The king saw the porthole as the next logical step in naval military development, as the ship could be kept at a distance from enemy ships by striking its hull and mast with a solid iron ball from a distance. Some naval historians consider King Henry the father of the British navy as this new "broadside" military strategy officially came into play.

King Henry purchased fifty large and medium bronze and iron cannons from the Hans Propenruit Cannon Foundry in Flanders. The king also purchased at least 100 lighter iron cannons for Harry from a local British arms manufacturer. The type and caliber of guns give the captain some tactical flexibility - he is able to strike at long, medium and short distances with weapons suitable for different roles and ranges.

At the time of her completion, the Henry Grace Goddess was the most advanced and well-equipped warship in the world.

The Great Henry Gun Arrangement

King Henry introduced heavy bronze cannons for stability in the hold or waist (or midsection) of the main deck and the lower deck of the second deck. The two heavy guns (60 lb) use 60 lb solid iron rounds, each weighing over 8,000 lbs. One is mounted on the port side and the other is mounted on the starboard side. Six and a half guns (32 lbs) were added to these barrels, which were typically 11 feet (3.4 m) long and had a caliber of 6 inches (15.4 cm). Each cannon can weigh up to 2540 kg.

Twelve bronze shells were also installed, 6 inches in caliber, firing 24-pound iron balls. The most numerous guns on the second deck were 30 Calflin (18 lb) guns that could carry 18 lb shells. The guns were chambered in 5 inches (130 mm) and weighed approximately 4,500 lbs (2,000 kg) each.

There are about 100 smaller guns on the main deck or aft deck and aft deck (and aft castle), mounted on slides or wheels or grooved blocks. 5 x Iron Demi-Culverins (9 lbs) medium guns fire solid high muzzle velocity bullets. 10 x Sakers (5lbs) are also in the game, these guns have a barrel about 9ft long, weigh 860kg and fire a 5lb ball.

The Minion is a small caliber (4 pound) gun, typically 3 inches (76.2 mm), that fires 4 pound rounds while having fewer gunners. 20 of them were carried. The smallest wheeled barrel is the Falcon (2 lbs). Their barrels are about 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and weigh 176 pounds each.

65 are mounted and can be launched through portholes on the side of the ship, many on the castle aft. The Falcon (2lb), nicknamed "The Human Killer," was designed to fire on enemy ships when they finally boarded side by side.

Marines on board fire at the enemy crew, hoping to injure or kill as many enemies as possible before the official boarding action takes place.

The great Henry sailing arrangement

Henry Grace a Dieua was designed as a four-masted ocean-going vessel. Some believe that the large horizontal bowmast with square helix sails can be thought of as the fifth mast. As caravans became the "big ships" of their time, they needed big sails associated with rigging. The Big Henry's foremast, or first vertical mast, went forward and across the foredeck near the fore tip near the bow.

The foremast has a large square mainsail, a topsail and a topsail. The tallest vertical mast, the main mast, is located amidships, the mid-section between the bow and stern, and carries the largest square mainsail, larger topsail, and larger topsail than the foremast . The third vertical mast, called the mizzen mast, is located behind the main mast.

On the Big Harry it is halfway from the main mast to the stern.

The three sails on the Mizzen are post-assembled jibs. The lowest is the largest sail, the aft mainsail, followed by the mizzen topmast on the smaller aft. The ship's fourth vertical mast is placed very close to the stern, called the Bonaventure mast, and appears to the eye to be as long as the bow mast. Known by some as a jig mast, this smallest mast is used for display of larger ships rather than speed.

The two sails on the rocker masts are also triangular evening sails, the lowest being the mainsail and the top being the smaller top gallant sail.

History

The great Harry was the pride of the British fleet and was used by King Henry VIII as his personal yacht. In 1520, she transported the king and his court to the English Channel to attend the meeting of Francis I of France, which brought together the world's two greatest maritime powers. Before the Great Henry left, King Henry ordered her sails to be painted gold.

Francis I of France received King Henry and his court south of Calais for about three weeks with a grand banquet in honor of the great ships present, an event known as the "Field of the Golden Cloth".

The Great Harry was rebuilt in 1536-1539. It is estimated that she reduced displacement to reduce her top-heavyness. At this point, the Bonaventure mast is added to her, and her mast is lengthened to allow for the addition of Topgallant sails. This makes the boat easier to maneuver because the extra sails spread the wind more evenly across the boat. These changes provided better forward speed and maneuverability, and allowed for better use of heavy artillery on the broadside.

Guns were added to the six decks of the aft castle, bringing the total number of small-caliber guns to over 150. Not only did King Henry spend huge sums on the Big Harry, he also increased the total number of ships in the Royal Navy during this period.

When Henry became king, his Royal Navy consisted of only six battleships. At the time of his death, he left his heirs 57 battleships, 15 galleys and smaller ships.

When Spain sent fleets against England and Queen Elizabeth, ships and coastal defenses provided by King Henry played a large role in their defeat.

Grand Harry's main combat service was at the Battle of the Solent with the French Navy on 18-19 July 1545. King Francis I of France launched an invasion of England to expand France's sphere of influence and regional power. The invasion fleet consisted of 200 ships carrying 30,000 infantry.

By comparison, the British fleet has 80 ships and 12,000 soldiers. The French were out of luck at sea when the Admiral's flagship Carraquon caught fire and forced her to be transferred to the warship La Maitresse. La Maitresse ran aground.

The French fleet landed on the Isle of Wight and the Sussex coast, but failed to overcome the defending British militia.

On 18 July, British ships left Portsmouth and attacked French ships, but without conclusive results. La Maitresse sank due to hasty repairs after running aground. This was a huge loss for the French fleet. That night King Henry dined aboard the great HMS Harry before serving as Admiral John Dudley, the flagship of Viscount Lyle, while celebrating the loss of Rametrez. However, luck took a turn when the large ship Mary Rose capsized in a storm the next night, taking 400 of its crew with it.

Reports suggest her gun was kept open for fear of an attack by the French. In August 1545, the French achieved no advantage at sea or on land and returned to France.

Two years later, in 1547, King Henry VIII and his nine-year-old son Edward VI died. was crowned king. Traditionally, the Big Harry was named after King Edward VI.

The fate of Edward the Great is not recorded, although the likely outcome is that she was destroyed by fire while docked at Woolwich in 1553. After flying the Union Jack at home and abroad for 38 years, she ended up in an abandoned shipwreck on the Thames.