The King’s Pinnace, The Swan 1642-1645

Abstract

On 8 July 1641 a warrant to the Lord High Admiral stated: ‘The King is pleased that his new pinnace, the Swan, Captain Bartlett, now in Ireland shall be employed this year for the guard of the Irish Seas. Correspondence relating to the King’s pinnace the Swan provides an interesting commentary upon the Royalist failure to appreciate the vital importance of supremacy at sea in Liverpool Bay and the St. George’s Channel. On 6 November 1645 the Swan was stolen surreptitiously out of harbour, whilst the captain and some of his crew were ashore. Had the Swan remained in Bartlett’s hands it might well have changed the course of Welsh history during the closing stages of the Civil War.

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Filed under: English Civil War | Irish Sea | Pirates
Subjects include: Logistics | Navies | Shipbuilding & Design | Weapons