Mathew Baker (shipwright) facts for kids
Mathew Baker (born 1530, died 1613) was a very famous Tudor shipwright, which is someone who designs and builds ships. He was the first person to write down how to build ships.
Mathew's father, James Baker, was also a master shipwright. He was one of the first 'Master Shipwrights' chosen by King Henry VIII of England in 1537. James Baker helped design and build many ships for the King's fleet. He even came up with a clever way to put cannons lower down in a ship, instead of on the top deck. This made the ships more stable.
Mathew learned shipbuilding from his father. He grew up around the busy dockyards. In 1572, Mathew became a 'Master Shipwright' himself. During this time, John Hawkins was making big changes to the navy. Mathew Baker became one of the best ship designers of the Tudor era. He designed many famous ships, including the Dreadnought, the Vanguard, the Merhonour, and the Repulse.
New Ways to Design Ships
Mathew Baker wanted to be the main ship engineer for Queen Elizabeth I. He didn't get along with another famous ship designer, Phineas Pett. Mathew became very successful because he was the first shipwright to draw ship designs on paper. Before him, shipbuilders usually made small models or just built ships directly.
Drawing plans on paper was a huge step forward. It meant people could talk about and change ship designs before building them. This made shipbuilding much more organized. There are only a few old shipbuilding books from the 1400s, and they are all Italian. Mathew Baker wrote the first detailed English book about ship design.
In 1575, a new type of warship was launched at Deptford. It was called Revenge. This ship was very different from older designs. Revenge helped create the idea of the 'Sailing Ship of the Line'. This design was key to Britain becoming a powerful naval nation. Revenge was not huge, weighing 500 tons, but it was fast and dangerous. It had many weapons and could stay at sea for a long time. It was also easy to move around in battle.
Rivalry with the Pett Family
Mathew Baker and the Pett family, another famous shipbuilding family, often disagreed. It's thought that Mathew Baker might have grown up in the home of Peter Pett. Peter Pett was involved with shipbuilding in Dover from 1570.
Peter Pett's son, Phineas Pett, and his grandson, Peter, faced a lot of jealousy from other shipbuilders. These rivals wanted to see the Pett shipwright dynasty fail. Mathew Baker and Phineas Pett had many arguments. Phineas Pett said that Baker tried to cause him trouble for many years. Baker's own comments seem to agree with this.
Phineas Pett was a bit of a rebel among the older Master Shipwrights. He decided to change Mathew Baker's traditional shipbuilding rules. Other shipwrights thought he was dangerous and tried to stop him. However, Phineas Pett eventually faced a serious investigation in 1621. King James had to step in.
Members of the Navy Commission, led by Burrell, strongly criticized Pett. At Mathew Baker's urging, several 'Master Shipwrights' from the Thames complained about Pett. They said he was using a method called 'furring' to make the Prince Royal wider. They claimed he had miscalculated the width using Baker's system. In reality, Pett had made his own changes to Baker's methods. He adjusted the width of the ship's bottom and the shape of its front (bows).
An expert named Perrin explained that these accusations were serious. Mathew Baker was the most important shipbuilder of his time. Other experienced government and private shipbuilders supported Baker. They all agreed with Baker that Pett was not good enough to fix the Prince Royal. King James himself said that the problem was with the men, not the ship!
Even though they had complained, the same surveyors were sent back to check the ship. They then said the ship could be fixed for a trip to Spain for about £300. The Prince Royal was brought to the docks and relaunched just two weeks later.
