'Tis upon 'ampshire that this country has depended in time of trouble.
Where'd you think they got all that there hoak for to build His Majesty's navy then .... eh?
The Wealds of Sussex, Surrey & Kent - Acts from Elizabeth1 reign said so.
May have escaped your attention but Elizabeth I was a Queen.
I'm talking about the King's Navy ~ Invented by King Alfred ~ built from New Forest Oak .... as indeed almost a thousand years later was much of Nelson's fleet (at Buckler's Hard)
Over fifty wooden warships for the navies of George II and George III were built at Buckler's Hard for the wars against France from the 1740's to the beginning of the 19th century. The Master Builder, Henry Adams and his sons, Balthazar and Edward, constructed the majority.
AGAMEMNON
This 64-gun ship was launched at Buckler's Hard in 1781 and was said to be Nelson's favourite. He was in command when she sailed into Naples on the diplomatic mission that led to his first meeting with Lady Hamilton and when he lost the sight of his right eye at the siege of Calvi in 1794. She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 under the command of Sir Edward Berry, but in 1809 she ran aground on a shoal in the mouth of the River Plate whilst on duty in the South Atlantic. The wreck was recently discovered and some artefacts recovered, including some copper sheathing, which can be seen in The Buckler's Hard Story, together with a model of the ship.
EURYALUS
Nicknamed Nelson's Watchdog, this 36-gun frigate was launched at Buckler's Hard in 1803. She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 under the command of Sir Henry Blackwood and, after his own ship lost her masts, was used by Lord Collingwood as his flagship. He wrote the dispatch containing the news of Nelson's death on board. The Euryalus later saw service in the American War and as a prison ship in Gibraltar. The Navy sold her in 1860. A model of the ship can be seen in The Buckler's Hard Story.
SWIFTSURE
This 74-gun ship was launched at Buckler's Hard in 1804 in front of 3 to 4,000 people. Under the command of William Rutherford, she sank the French ship Achille at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and took the French ship Redoubtable in tow after the battle. It was from this ship that Nelson had received his fatal shot. She later saw service in North America, the Mediterranean and the West Indies, ending up as a gunnery target before being sold in 1845. Today, the modern Swiftsure makes half hourly cruises along the Beaulieu River. A model of Buckler's Hard Village in 1803, showing Swiftsure under construction can be seen in The Buckler's Hard Story.
GLADIATOR
Launched at Buckler's Hard in 1783 just as the American War was ending, this 44-gun ship was probably never at sea. She became well known among the sailors as a location for court martials. In 1802 Thomas Williams alias David Forrester was hanged on board, having been found guilty of the murder of his captain in a mutiny on the Hermione. Others fared better like Andrew Dryden of another Buckler's Hard ship, the Santa Margarita, who was sentenced to receive 50 lashes and forfeit all his pay as punishment for desertion in 1800. Lt Stevenson of the MALABAR who, although found guilty of neglect of duty, was punished by dismissal from the Navy in 1807. Gladiator was broken up in 1817, surplus to requirements. This reconstruction of her figurehead, together with the original drawing on which it is based, can be seen in The Buckler's Hard Story.
ILLUSTRIOUS
This 74-gun ship was launched at Buckler's Hard in 1789, a week before the fall of the Bastille in Paris heralded the beginning of the French Revolution. She was wrecked off Italy in 1795 after being damaged in action against the forces of Revolutionary France, abandoned by her crew and then set alight. Some pieces were saved and fitted to other ships. A surviving Captain's Log for 1793 to her end in 1795 reveals details about life aboard. The ½ model, illustrating some of these aspects, and a full model of the ship can be seen in The Buckler's Hard Story. See if you can spot the anchor cable entering the ship and the 'seats of ease' or sailors' lavatories when you visit.
BEAULIEU
Begun by Henry Adams as a speculative venture, this 40-gun ship was bought, as he had hoped, by the Navy in 1790 and was launched at Buckler’s Hard in 1791. He was given the honour of naming her, in recognition of the work he had done for the Navy Board over the years. She saw service in the West Indies and the Mediterranean before being broken up in 1809. This recruiting poster and a model of the ship can be seen in The Buckler's Hard Story.
http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/bucklershard/base2.cfm?ID=11Honestly ~ education today
