Sir Edward Hunt (c.1730–1787) was a British shipbuilder and designer who rose to be Surveyor of the Navy.

Life

He was born around 1730. He is first recorded in the service of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

as a Master Boat Builder in 1757 at

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

. This position was usually preceded by an apprenticeship as a ship's carpenter on a Royal Navy ship, plus a period as ship's carpenter both at sea and on shore. In 1762 he was appointed Assistant Master Shipwright at Sheerness Dockyard then was promoted first to Master Caulker. In 1765 he moved to

Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 1 ...

as Assistant Master Shipwright. In 1767 he was given full charge (as Master Shipwright) at Sheerness Dockyard and from that time the

list his works. In 1772 he moved to the far larger dock at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. In April 1778 he was appointed Surveyor of the Navy to assist Sir John Williams. From December 1784 he was the senior Surveyor and was working with John Henslow. He ceased work in December 1786 and died within a few weeks, his will being probated on 31 January 1787.National Archive, Kew, will of Sir Edward Hunt

Ships Built

HMS Portland (1770) HMS ''Portland'' was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Designed by Sir John Williams, it was first launched on 11 April 1770. Issue with privateers During the American Revolution, the ''Portland'' captured the priva ...

50-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

launched at

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

* HMS Berwick (1775) 74-gun

launched at

HMS Sphinx (1775) Six ships (and one shore establishment) of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Sphinx'' or HMS ''Sphynx'', after the mythical creature, the Sphinx: * was a 24-gun sixth rate launched in 1748 and sold in 1770. * was a 20-gun sixth rate launch ...

20-gun ship *

HMS Cygnet (1776) HMS ''Cygnet'' was a 14-gun ship-sloop of the Royal Navy's , launched on 24 January 1776. She served during both the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolu ...

14-gun

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

* HMS Swift (1777) 14-gun

HMS Lion (1777) HMS ''Lion'' was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, of the , launched on 3 September 1777 at Portsmouth Dockyard. Career American Revolutionary War She fought at the Battle of Grenada under Captain William Cornwallis on 6 ...

64-gun ship of the line launched at

Ships Designed

* Active-class frigate (1778) 32-gun frigates first launched in 1779 *

Minerva-class frigate The ''Minerva''-class sailing frigates were a series of four ships built to a 1778 design by Sir Edward Hunt, which served in the Royal Navy during the latter decades of the eighteenth century. During the early stages of the American Revolution ...

(1778) 32-gun frigates first launched in 1780 * Ganges-class ship of the line (1779) 74-gun ships of the line first launched in 1782 *

Perseverance-class frigate The ''Perseverance''-class frigate was a 36-gun, later 42-gun, 18-pounder long gun, 18-pounder fifth-rate frigate class of twelve ships of the Royal Navy, constructed in two batches. Designed by Surveyor of the Navy Edward Hunt (naval architect ...

(1779) 36-fun frigates first launched in 1781 *

HMS Active Twelve ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Active'' or HMS ''Actif'', with a thirteenth announced: * was a 28-gun sixth rate launched in 1758 and captured in 1778 by two French frigates off San Domingo. * was a 14-gun brig-sloop launch ...

(1779) 36-gun frigate first launched in 1780 * Grampus-class ship (1780) 50-gun ships * Hermione-class frigate (1780) 32-gun frigates first launched in 1782 * Echo-class sloop (1781) 16-gun sloops *

HMS Trusty Five ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Trusty'': * was a 50-gun fourth-rate launched in 1782, used as a troopship from 1799 and a prison ship from 1809, and broken up in 1815. Because ''Trusty'' served in the navy's Egyptian camp ...

(1781) 50-gun ship of the line launched in 1782 *

Adventure-class ship The ''Adventure''-class ship was a class of eight 44-gun sailing two-decker warships of the Royal Navy, classed as a fifth rate like a frigate, but carrying two complete decks of guns, a lower battery of 18-pounders and an upper battery of 12-pou ...

(1782) 44-gun ships first launched in 1785 * HMS Culloden (1782) 74-gun ship of the line launched in 1783 * HMS Melampus (1782) 36-gun

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

launched in 1785 * HMS Squirrel (1783) 20-gun post ship launched in 1785 * HMS Caesar (1786) 80-gun ship of the line launched in 1793 * HMS Retaliation (1799) 32-gun frigate - a remodelling of HMS Hermione *

HMS Queen Charlotte Four ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Queen Charlotte'' after Charlotte, queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom. *The first was a first rate of 100 guns, built at Chatham and launched in 1790. She took part in severa ...

(1805) 100-gun ship of the line launched in 1810

Family

Around 1760 he married Ann(e) Irish (d.1804). The family lived in

Portsea, Portsmouth Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural island in area, just off the southern coast of Hampshire in England. Portsea Island contains the majority of the city of Portsmouth. Portsea Island has the third-largest population of all th ...

and had a London house at

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

. Their first son Joseph Hunt became Director of Greenwich Hospital, London and married Catherine Davie daughter of Sir John Davie, 7th baronet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Edward 1787 deaths British shipbuilders Surveyors of the Navy