The ''Vanguard''The 'HMS' prefix was not used until the middle of the 18th century, but is sometimes applied retrospectively was a 32-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

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

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 Master Shipwright Matthew Baker and launched in 1586 from

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 - originally in north-west Kent, now in southeast London - whe ...

. She was the first ship of the navy to bear the name. She played a key part in the action against 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.

George Beeston Sir George Beeston or Beston (circa 1520 - 13 September 1601 Forth Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotl ...

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

on 1 June 1589. One of his crew, the trumpeter, was killed ashore in Edinburgh in a fight with Spanish sailors.''Papers of the Master of Gray'' (Edinburgh, 1835), p. 163. She was commanded by

Martin Frobisher Sir Martin Frobisher (; – 22 November 1594) was an English sailor and privateer who made three voyages to the New World looking for the North-west Passage. He probably sighted Resolution Island near Labrador in north-eastern Canada, before ...

in 1594 and by Sir

Robert Mansell Sir Robert Mansell (1573–1656) was an admiral of the English Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament (MP), mostly for Wales, Welsh constituencies. His name was sometimes given as Mansfield and Maunsell. Early life Mansel was a Welshman, the so ...

in 1596. She was taken to pieces in 1599 and rebuilt for the first time. In 1615 she was rebuilt for a second time, by

Phineas Pett Phineas Pett (1 November 1570 – August 1647) was a shipwright and First Resident Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard and a member of the Pett dynasty. Phineas left a memoir of his activities which is preserved in the British Library and was pub ...

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

, as a

great ship The rating system of the Royal Navy and its predecessors was used by the Royal Navy between the beginning of the 17th century and the middle of the 19th century to categorise sailing warships, initially classing them according to their assi ...

. During actions against

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

n pirates in 1620, ''Vanguard'' flew the flag of Sir

Richard Hawkins Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins (or Hawkyns) (c. 1562 – 17 April 1622) was a 17th-century English seaman, explorer and privateer. He was the son of Admiral Sir John Hawkins. Biography He was from his earlier days familiar with ships and the ...

. ''Vanguard'' was broken up in 1630. Some of her timbers were used in the construction of the next , launched the following year, and officially recorded as a rebuild of the first ''Vanguard''.

Notes

Citations

References

*Lavery, Brian (1983), ''The Ship of the Line – Volume 1: The Development of the Battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. . *Winfield, Rif (2009), ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603-1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates'' Seaforth Publishing. . Ships of the English navy 16th-century ships Ships built in Woolwich {{UK-line-ship-stub