October 20, 1608, Mr. Phineas Pette commenced the "Prince Royal," which was
launched in 1610. The keel of this "most goodly shippe for warre" was 114
feet long, and the cross-beam 44 feet in length, and she carried three
score and four pieces of great ordnance, and was of the burden of 1400
tons. On the 8th of May, 1609, the king presided at the trial of Pette at
Woolwich for insufficiency, during which Pette sat on his knees, "baited by
the great lord (Northampton) and his bandogs;" and after the ship had been
inspected by the king and his party, Mr. Pette was acquitted of the charges
brought against him. The prince visited the ship on the 30th of January,
1609, 25th of April, 18th of June, and again the following day, with the
king, and on the 24th of September it was launched. It is stated that the
garnishing of the ship began between Easter and Michaelmas, and that the
number of nobles, gentry, and citizens, resorting continually to Woolwich
to see it, was incredible. On the 9th of September, divers London maids,
with a little boy with them, visited the ship; the boy fell down into the
hold, and died the same night from the effects of his fall, being the first
accident during the building. About the middle of the month, the ship being
ready to be placed on the ways, twelve choice master carpenters of his
Majesty's navy were sent for from Chatham to assist in "her striking and
launching;" on the 18th she was safely set upon her ways, and on the 26th
was visited by the French ambassador. Preparations were made in the yard
for the reception of the king, queen, royal children, ladies, and the
council; and on the evening of the 23rd, a messenger was sent from
Theobalds, desiring the ship to be searched, lest any disaffected persons
might have bored holes privily in her bottom. On Monday 24th, the dock
gates were opened; but the wind blowing hard from the south-west, it proved
a very bad tide. The king came from Theobalds, though he had been very
little at ease with a scouring, taken with surfeiting by eating grapes, the
prince and most of the lords of the council attending him. The queen
arrived after dinner, and the lord admiral gave commandment to heave taught
the crabs and screws, though Pette says he had little hope to launch by
reason the wind overblew the tide; "yet the ship started and had launched,
but the dock gates pent her in so straight, that she stuck fast between
them, by reason the ship was nothing lifted by the tide, as we expected she
would; and the great lighter, by unadvised counsel, being cut off the
stern, the ship settled so hard upon the ground, that there was no
possibility of launching that tide; besides which there was such a
multitude of people got into the ship, that one could scarce stir by
another."
"The king was much grieved at the frustrate of his expectation," and
returned to Greenwich at five o'clock with the queen and her train; the
prince staid a good while after conferring with the lord admiral and Mr.
Pette, and then rode off to Greenwich, with a promise to return shortly
after midnight. The night was moonlight, but shortly after midnight became
very stormy, which Mr. Pette says made him "doubt that there were {465}
some indirect working among our enemies to dash our launching."
The prince however arrived at the yard, went on board a little before two
a. m., when the word being given to get all taught, the ship went away
without any straining of screws or tackles, till she came clear afloat in
the middle of the channel. He then describes the christening of her by the
prince, by the name of the "Prince Royal"; and while warping to her
mooring, his royal highness went down to the platform of the cock-room,
where the ship's beer stood for ordinary company, and there finding an old
can without a lid, drew it full of beer himself, and drank it off to the
lord admiral, and caused him with the rest of the attendants to do the
like. The hawsers laid ashore for landfasts had been treacherously cut, but
without doing any injury to the ship. The prince left for Greenwich at nine
a. m.