How long is the sovereign of the seas

The naval experts of the day were staggered at the suggestion. The Brethren of Trinity House , already hard put to it to maintain the ports and fairways in navigable condition with little money, protested that, even if she could be built with safety, such a ship was far too big to be practical. But the King was adamant; he had made up his mind to have the finest man- of- war in the world.

Having secured the consent of a reluctant Admiralty, he instructed Phineas Pett, the most prominent naval architect of that day, to prepare a full model of the projected ship. The King was graciously pleased to approve, and Pett was ordered to superintend the building of the ship. Immediately the plans were passed Pett went to the north of England to select and prepare the necessary timber, for it was doubtful if the Home Counties could produce what was wanted.

Workmen with all their stores and provisions were sent by water to Newcastle- on- Tyne and the first timbers were shipped to the London River by chartered colliers and by naval storeships. On December 21, , a certain amount of material having arrived, the keel of the ship was laid at Woolwich Dockyard.

She demanded all the resources not only of Woolwich, but also of Deptford. Even so, it took twenty months to bring her to the launching stage, and it was obvious that the estimated cost would be much exceeded.

He paid a number of visits to Woolwich Dockyard to watch the progress. As is usual in a Court, the fashion became general, and the mighty ship was the great topic of conversation. These were subsequently added to the fleet as the Greyhound and the Roebuck. The King himself chose the name of Sovereign of the Seas for the great ship.

These sails were not generally used until later by English men- of- war. The Sovereign of the Seas had a tonnage of 1, 1, by the old measurement.

She originally had a length of feet on the keel, a beam of 48 ft 4- in and a depth of 19ft 3- in in hold. Considerable structural alterations were carried out in and It was planned that she should be launched on September 25, , in the presence of the King and Queen, the whole court and a large party of guests. Then came the fiasco. She stuck fast and nothing could move her.

There was consternation among the dockyard officials, but the King was reasonable and recognized that it could not be helped. He promised to come down on the next favourable opportunity, and the launch was fixed for the spring tide of October On the Saturday night before the date of the launch a heavy gale from the eastward brought an abnormal tide up the river and the ship was in danger of dashing herself to pieces.

So the master builder of Woolwich took on himself the responsibility of launching her and getting her made fast to the wharf. The situation was hurriedly explained and Sir Robert rode back to the dockyard with him to perform the christening ceremony. In those days it was always held after the ship was afloat. The picturesque ceremony was carried out by the flickering light of torches in a full gale and must have been one of the most impressive ever held. I always thought I had more time. I am an old school journalist, the kind who was taught to be neutral when covering a topic even as superfluous as cruising.

But it is hard to be neutral when talking about Sovereign. I will admit to a special fondness for the ship, even though I never sailed on it. You could call it a bias. Related: Surprise! Royal Caribbean just changed its name, without telling anyone.

At around 73, tons, Sovereign is no longer one of the biggest ships at sea. Not by a long shot. But at the time it was built, it was like nothing the world had seen. But it also boasted public areas that wowed cruisers with a wide range of new and larger venues. Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles. Among notable features, Sovereign offered a five-deck Centrum with glass elevators, sweeping staircases and fountains in marble pools — a revolutionary concept at the time.

It also had a theater with more than 1, seats, a separate live music venue, a nightclub, a casino with slot machines plus table games, and multiple restaurants, bars and lounges. It was such a phenomenon that the most recent president and first lady of the United States, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, presided over its christening on Jan. Rosalyn Carter gave the official christening benediction and smashed a record-size bottle of Taittinger Champagne against its hull.

The presidential couple famously sailed on the maiden voyage of the vessel out of Miami, along with their family and a U. Secret Service guard, and could be seen enjoying its venues. Related: 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise. There was no climbing wall or surfing pool or giant waterslide complex on the top deck. Nor was there a mall-like Royal Promenade in the interior loaded with eateries, bars and shops.

There was no tree-lined Central Park. They included a library with 2, books, a large hair salon and a big fitness center — things so commonplace now on cruise ships that lines barely talk about them.

It was a huge success, and it set in motion the development of ever-larger, ever-more-amenity-filled ships. The line has unveiled four classes of giant vessels since with ships that are about two to three times bigger than Sovereign in size. Each of the classes is different in its own way, but what they all have in common is that they stem from the advances that Sovereign set in motion.

Related: These 12 ships will wow you with over-the-top attractions. Finally, in , after Sovereign turned 20 years old, Royal Caribbean transferred the vessel out of its fleet. Sovereign of the Seas was a 17th-century warship of the English Navy.

She was ordered as a gun first-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy , [1] [4] but at launch was armed with bronze guns at the insistence of the king. Sovereign of the Seas was ordered in August on the personal initiative of Charles I of England , who desired a giant Great Ship to be built. The decision provoked much opposition from the Brethren of Trinity House, who pointed out that "There is no port in the Kingdome that can harbour this shipp.

The wild sea must bee her port, her anchors and cables her safety; if either fayle, the shipp must perish, the King lose his jewel, four or five hundred man must die, and perhaps some great and noble peer". As the second three-decked first-rate the first three-decker being Prince Royal of , she was the predecessor of Nelson 's Victory , although Revenge , built in by Mathew Baker , was the inspiration providing the innovation of a single deck devoted entirely to broadside guns.

She was the most extravagantly decorated warship in the Royal Navy, completely adorned from stern to bow with gilded carvings against a black background, made by John Christmas and Mathias Christmas after a design by Anthony van Dyck.

Charles had imposed a special tax, the ' Ship Money ', to make possible such large naval expenditure. She carried bronze cannon King Charles explicitly ordered such a high number [4] and was thereby at the time the most powerfully armed ship in the world.

Some materials on another show that she armed guns as built. The cannon were made by John Browne. The Sovereign of the Seas had gun ports and only guns. The shape of the bow meant that the foremost gun ports on the lower gun deck were blocked by the anchor cable. Consequently, the fore chase — the guns facing forward — occupied the next ports. There were two demi-cannon drakes — one port, one starboard — some They had a bore of 6.

In the third ports from the bow, there were two foot 3. Behind them were twenty cannon drakes, nine feet long, and weighing in all In the third port from the stern were two more foot 3.

The last two ports on either side were occupied by the stern chase — four The middle gun deck had heavy fortified culverins — that is, guns short for their bore — fore and aft. There were two Immediately behind the fore chase were two demi-culverin drakes, eight to nine foot 2.