[15]
The East Indian merchants were the first to increase the size.
In 1609, encouraged by their Charter, they built the Trade's
Increase, of 1100 tons burthen, the largest merchant ship that
had ever been built in England. As it was necessary that, the
crew of the ship should be able to beat off the pirates, she was
fully armed. The additional ships of war were also of heavier
burthen. In the same year, the Prince, of 1400 tons burthen, was
launched; she carried sixty-four cannon, and was superior to any
ship of the kind hitherto seen in England.
And now we arrive at the subject of this memoir. The Petts were
the principal ship-builders of the time. They had long been
known upon the Thames, and had held posts in the Royal Dockyards
since the reign of Henry VII. They were gallant sailors, too;
one of them, as already mentioned, having made an adventurous
voyage to the Arctic Ocean in his little bark, the George, of
only 40 tons burthen. Phineas Pett was the first of the great
ship-builders. His father, Peter Pett, was one of the Queen's
master shipwrights. Besides being a ship-builder, he was also a
poet, being the author of a poetical piece entitled, "Time's
Journey to seek his daughter Truth,"[16] a very respectable
performance. Indeed, poetry is by no means incompatible with
ship-building--the late Chief Constructor of the Navy being,
perhaps, as proud of his poetry as of his ships.
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