''Dreadnought''The 'HMS' prefix was not used until the middle of the 18th century, but is sometimes applied retrospectively was a 41-gun

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

of the

Tudor navy The Tudor navy was the navy of the Kingdom of England under the ruling Tudor dynasty (1485–1603). The period involved important and critical changes that led to the establishment of a permanent navy and laid the foundations for the future Roy ...

, built by

Mathew Baker Matthew or Matt Baker may refer to: Entertainment * Matt Baker (artist) (1921–1959), American comic book artist * Matt Baker (born 1977), British television presenter * Matthew Baker (bass-baritone), Australian bass-baritone opera singer * S ...

and launched in 1573. Like HMS ''Dreadnought'' of 1906, she was a radical innovation over contemporary ships. When John Hawkins became

Treasurer of the Navy The Treasurer of the Navy, originally called Treasurer of Marine Causes or Paymaster of the Navy, was a civilian officer of the Royal Navy, one of the principal commissioners of the Navy Board responsible for naval finance from 1524 to 1832. T ...

in 1577, he had sailed all over the world, and his ideas contributed to the production of a new race-built series of galleons—of which ''Dreadnought'' was the second, following ''Foresight'' of 1570—without the high

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck (ship), deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is t ...

and

aftcastle The aftercastle (or sterncastle, sometimes aftcastle) is the stern structure behind the mizzenmast and above the transom on large sailing ships, such as carracks, caravels, galleons and galleasses. It usually houses the captain's cabin and per ...

prevalent in earlier galleons. These "marvels of marine design" could reputedly "run circles around the clumsier Spanish competition." ''Dreadnought'' took part in many of the naval engagements between Britain and Spain in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Under Captain Thomas Fenner, she was part of Drake's fleet which "singed the King of Spain's Beard" with the raid on Cadiz in Spring 1587. Under George Beeston she was part of the English fleet which harassed most of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

in 1588. She was rebuilt for the first time in 1592. In 1596, with Sir Alexander Clifford as her captain, she was part of the Anglo-Dutch fleet which captured Cadiz. In 1599 she was in the Western Channel under George Fenner, while in 1601 under Sir Henry Palmer she was on the Thames. On 2 June 1602, captained by Edward Manwaring, ''Dreadnought'' was part of Ricard Leveson's fleet which succeeded in capturing the Portuguese carrack '' Sao Valentinho'' at Cezimbra RoadsN.A.M. Rodger, ''The Safeguard of the Sea'', p. 292. In 1603, as hostilities with Spain concluded, she was in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

under captain Hamphrey Reynolds. ''Dreadnought'' was rebuilt again at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

in 1614 as a middling ship of 32 guns. In 1625, with renewed hostilities against Spain, ''Dreadnought'' took part in yet another expedition to Cadiz, this time under a captain named Plumleigh, as part of a fleet commanded by

Viscount Wimbledon A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

. In 1628 she took part in the unsuccessful attempt to relieve the

Siege of La Rochelle The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–1628. The siege marked the height of Huguenot rebellions, the struggle between ...

by sea. In 1637, she was part of the Earl of Northumberland's fleet in the North Sea, commanded by Captain Henry Stradling and then by Thomas Kirke. ''Dreadnought'' was broken up in 1648.

Notes

Citations

References

*Lavery, Brian (1983) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. . *Rodger, N.A.M (2004) ''The Safeguard of the Sea'' Penguin History. *Winfield, Rif (2009) ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates.'' Seaforth Publishing. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Dreadnought (1573) Ships of the English navy 16th-century ships Ships built in Deptford