John Tippetts facts for kids

John Tippetts (born 1622, died 1692) was a very important British shipbuilder. He designed and built many ships for the Royal Navy. He even became the Surveyor of the Navy. This was the top job for designing ships in Britain's navy.

John Tippetts' Life Story

HMS Constant Warwick, a ship Tippetts helped design.

John Tippetts was born in 1622 in a town called Dursley in Gloucestershire, England. His father was Richard Tippetts. John probably learned how to build ships in Bristol as a young apprentice.

In April 1650, he started working for the Royal Navy. He became a Master Shipwright at Portsmouth Dockyard. A Master Shipwright was like the head builder in a naval shipyard. They were in charge of designing and building new ships. They also oversaw repairs.

In 1668, John Tippetts became the Resident Commissioner at Portsmouth Dockyard. This job meant he supervised improvements and repairs at the dockyard. He also helped communicate between the Admiralty (the navy's leaders) and the shipbuilders.

In 1672, he was given the highest position in naval architecture: Surveyor of the Navy. This important appointment was even mentioned in the diary of Samuel Pepys, a famous writer of that time.

John Tippetts passed away in 1692. His will, which is a legal document about his belongings, was officially processed on July 28, 1692. After his death, his job at the Admiralty was filled by Edmund Dummer. Edmund Dummer had actually learned shipbuilding as an apprentice under John Tippetts at Portsmouth.

His Family

Around 1656, John Tippetts married Margaret Stephens. Margaret was the sister of Anthony Stephens, who managed money for the Navy Treasurer. John and Margaret had five daughters and one son together.

Ships He Designed

HMS St Michael, a powerful ship of the line.

John Tippetts designed many different types of ships for the Royal Navy. Here are some of them:

• HMS Martin (1652) – a 14-gun ship
• HMS Sussex (1652) – a 40-gun ship of the line (a large, powerful warship)
• HMS Bristol (1653) – a 48-gun ship of the line
• "Marigold" (1653) – a Hoy (a small, flat-bottomed boat)
• HMS Lyme (1654) – a 52-gun ship of the line
• HMS Dartmouth (1655) – a 22-gun ship
• HMS Chestnut (1656) – an 8-gun ketch (a small, two-masted boat)
• HMS Wakefield (1656) – a 20-gun ship
• HMS Monck (1659) – a 52-gun ship of the line
• HMS Royal Oak (1664) – a 76-gun ship of the line
• HMS Portsmouth (1665) – a 10-gun ketch
• HMS Constant Warwick (1666) – a 34-gun frigate (a fast warship)
• HMS Portsmouth (1667) – a 4-gun ketch
• HMS St Michael (1669) – a 90-gun ship of the line (later renamed "Marlborough")
• Design of HMS Chichester – this ship was completed by Edmund Dummer and launched in 1695.