Captain Sir William Symonds and the Ship of the Line: 1832–1847

Abstract

Symonds built a series of smaller warships with exceptional sailing qualities, highly appreciated by yachtsmen whose patronage ensured his appointment as Surveyor of the Navy in 1832, a time of administrative upheaval at the Admiralty; consequently he enjoyed greater freedom and influence than his predecessors. When other navies were making design changes to accommodate larger guns the Royal Navy complacently used the ships and guns from Trafalgar. The opposition to Symonds’s appointment acted as a catalyst for the changes needed, as Andrew Lambert explains in some detail, for Britain to retain its position as the foremost naval power.

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Filed under: Other (Nineteenth C) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Administration | Navies | Shipbuilding & Design | Weapons