Sir Jacob Ackworth or Acworth (1668–1749) was an English shipwright and ship designer employed by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. As a designer he adopted Newtonian theories to create lighter and faster ships but this approach marginalised him with the very traditional dockyards and he spent his final years on the Navy Board as an advisor.

Life

He was born in 1668 in

Chatham, Kent Chatham ( ) is a town within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. In 2020 it had a population of 80,596. Th ...

the son of John Ackworth (1641-1690) and his wife Sarah Boyce (1643-1717).ODNB: Sir Jacob Ackworth He was probably apprenticed as a ship surveyor in the

in 1682 aged 14. He served time on HMS Hope probably as apprentice ship's carpenter under Captain John Moore. He quickly showed a flair for design. He was possibly still on the ship during the

Battle of Beachy Head (1690) The Battle of Beachy Head, also known as the Battle of Bévéziers, was a fleet action fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the most significant French naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the ...

. In July 1690 (two weeks after the battle) he transferred to the much smaller HMS Salamander (1687). As part of the crew of only 35 he was certainly the only Ship's Carpenter on board. He then moved successively to larger and larger ships as Ship's Carpenter: HMS Play Prize, 30-gun, 130 crew under Captain James Buck, 1691 to 1693; HMS Bonaventure, 52-gun crew around 300, from 1693 to 1696; HMS Swiftsure mainly involved in its break up 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-o ...

1696 to 1698. In December 1698 he moved wholly to land-based roles, becoming Master Mastmaker at

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 ...

. In February 1705 he became Master Shipwright at

Harwich Dockyard Harwich Dockyard (also known as The King's Yard, Harwich) was a Royal Navy Dockyard at Harwich in Essex, active in the 17th and early 18th century (after which it continued to operate under private ownership). Owing to its position on the East ...

and in November 1705 became Master Shipwright at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

. From this date the

lists ships launched in his name. In August 1709 he became Master of

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 ...

. From 1711 he became involved in ship design, beginning with the sloops HMS Happy and HMS Hazard. In 1715 he was appointed Surveyor of the Royal Navy, a post which he held until his death in 1749 (although from 1745 his colleague Joseph Allin was appointed to share the post). From this point he appears involved in both design and build, beginning with the redesign of HMS Cambridge (1715). For the next 30 years he remained as sole Surveyor responsible for overseeing all of the designs produced by the Master Shipwrights in the individual Royal Dockyards, and for the following four years (until his death) shared that responsibility with Allin. Among other ships, he designed the sloops ''Hound'' and ''Trial'' in 1732, the Drake-class sloop in 1740; in 1741 he designed the standard 20-gun frigate for the 1741 Establishment (later modified in 1745); the yacht HMS Portsmouth designed 1740/41; the Merlin-class sloop in 1743 (to which design 21 sloops were built between 1743 and 1748); and the 24-gun frigate HMS Seahorse designed 1748. Ackworth was knighted in 1722 by King George I. Non-naval works as Surveyor included the design of

Putney Bridge Putney Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge over the River Thames in west London, linking Putney on the south side with Fulham to the north. Before the first bridge was built in 1729, a ferry had shuttled between the two banks. The current for ...

Ships built

* HMS Sorlings (1706) 42-gun ship at

* HMS Ludlow Castle (1707) 42-gun

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

* HMS Adventure (1709) 42-gun

* HMS Delight (1709) 14-gun ship at

* HMS Devonshire (1710) his first major commission: an 80-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 tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

launched at Woolwich with a crew of 520 * HMS Happy (1711) 6 gun sloop at Woolwich * HMS Hazard (1711) 6 gun sloop at Woolwich * HMS Ormonde (1711) 54 gun

at Woolwich * HMS Hind (1711) 24 gun ship at Woolwich * HMS Greyhound (1712) 42 gun ship at Woolwich * HMS Royal Oak (1713) rebuilding of the 70-gun

at Woolwich * HMS Cambridge (1715) rebuilding of 80-gun ship of the line at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

Family

He was married twice: in 1696 at

he married Elizabeth Slater; following her death (c.1709) he married Esther Loton (1682-1752). He had six children by his first marriage and two by his second, including the unusually named Avice Ackworth who married a Mr Wheate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackworth, Jacob 1668 births 1748 deaths English shipbuilders