Great Henry Gun Arrangement
King Henry introduced heavy bronze cannon into the hold, or waist (or the center), of the ship on the main and lower second deck for stability. Two heavy cannon (60-pounders) used 60lb solid iron shot with each cannon weighing upwards of 8,000lbs. One was mounted along the portside and the other along starboard. Six Demi-cannons (32-pounders) were added with these barrels typically 11 feet (3.4 meters) long and having a caliber of 6 inches (15.4cm). Each cannon could weigh up to 5,600lbs (2540kg). Twelve bronze Patronal cannons were also installed, these having a 6 inch bore firing a 24lb (24-pounder) iron ball. The largest number of cannon at the second deck were thirty Culverin (18-pounder) guns taking a 18lb cannon ball. The cannon's bore was 5in (130mm) and weighed about 4,500 lb (2,000kg) each.
On the main, or quarterdeck, and the poop deck (as well as at the stern-castle) were located some 100 smaller cannon mounted on skids or wheels or grooved blocks. 5 x Iron Demi-Culverins (9-pounders) medium sized cannon fired solid round shot projectiles with a high muzzle velocity. 10 x Sakers (5-pounders) were also in play, these barrel approximately 9.5 feet (2.9 meters) long and weighing 1,900 lbs (860 kg) firing a five pound ball. The Minion was a (4-pounder) gun of small bore, typically 3 inches (76.2mm), and fired a 4-pound cannonball while requiring fewer gunners to manage. 20 of these were carried. The smallest wheeled carriage gun were the Falcons (2-pounder). Their barrels were approximately 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and weighed 176 lbs each. 65 were mounted and able to be fired through port holes in the ship sides as well as many were situated at the stern-castle. The Falcons (2-pounders), called "man-killers", were designed to fire down onto enemy ships when they finally came alongside each other for boarding. The onboard marines would fire at the enemy crews, hopefully wounding or killing as many of the enemy as possible before the formal boarding action took place.
Great Henry Sail Arrangement
The Henry Grace a Dieua was designed as four-masted carrack-type ocean-going vessel. Some feel the horizontal large bow-sprite rigged with a square spritsail could be considered a fifth mast. As the carracks became the "big ships" of their era, they required large sails in respect to their rigging. The Foremast, or the first vertical mast, in the Great Henry was located forward, passing through the forecastle near the bow peak closest to the bow-sprite. The foremast had a large square main sail, a topsail and a topgallant sail. The tallest vertical mast, the mainmast, was placed amidships, the part of a ship midway between bow and stern, and supported the largest square main sail, a larger topsail and a larger topgallant sail than found on the foremast. The third vertical mast was named the mizzenmast and was aft of the mainmast. On the Great Harry, it was located half the distance from the mainmast to the stern.
The three sails on the mizzen were triangular-shaped, lateen-rigged sails. Lowest was the largest sail, the mizzen-main while next was the mizzen topmast on top a smaller mizzen topgallant sail. The forth vertical mast on the ship was placed very close to the stern of the ship and named Bonaventure-mast that, by eye, looked as high as the bow-sprite was long. Some refer to this smallest mast as the jigger-mast and was more for display than for speed on the Great Ship. The two sails on the jigger-mast were also triangular-shaped, lateen-rigged sails with the lowest being the main sail and the smaller topgallant sail on top.
Operational History
Great Harry was the pride of the English Fleet and used by King Henry VIII as his own personal yacht. In 1520, she carried the King and his court across the English Channel for a conference between Francis I of France, bringing together the two great naval powers of the world. Before the Great Henry departed, King Henry ordered her sails painted the color of gold. Francis I of France entertained King Henry and his court for some three weeks south of Calais with banquets of such grandeur that the event became known as "The Field of the Cloth of Gold" in honor of the Great Ship present.
The Great Harry was rebuilt during the years spanning 1536 to 1539. It was estimated that her displacement was reduced to decrease her top heaviness. This is when she had the Bonaventure-mast added, plus her masts were extended, so the topgallant sails could be added. This allowed for the ship to be handled much easier with the additional sails spreading the force of the wind out more equally over the ship. The changes made for better headway speed and maneuverability and allowed better use of the heavy cannon during a broadside. The six decks of the stern castle had guns added, bringing the total of smaller caliber guns upwards of 150. King Henry not only spent a lot of treasure on Great Harry but increased the overall number of ships in the Royal Navy during this period. When Henry became King, his Royal Navy numbered just six warships. At the time of his death, he left his heir with 57 warships, 15 galleys and lesser smaller vessels. When Spain sent its Armada against England and Queen Elizabeth, the ships and coastal defenses provided by King Henry played a major part of in their defeat.
Great Harry's primary combat service occurred in 1545 at the Battle of the Solent against the French Navy from the span of July 18th to 19th. French King Francis I launched an invasion of England to expand the reach and regional power of France. The invading armada numbered 200 ships and came loaded with 30,000 infantry. Comparatively, the English Fleet numbered 80 ships with 12,000 soldiers. The French faced bad luck at sea when the admiral's flagship, Carraquon, caught fire and forced his transfer to the warship La Maitresse. La Maitresse thne ran aground. The French Fleet landed troops on the Isle of Wight and at the Sussex coast but failed to overcome the defending British militia.
On July 18th, English ships sailed out of Portsmouth and engaged French ships without a decisive outcome. Due to the rushed repairs after she ran aground, La Maitresse was sinking. This proved a major loss to the French Fleet. That night, King Henry dined aboard Great Harry, then serving as the flagship of Admiral John Dudley, Viscount Lisle while celebrating the loss of the La Maitresse. However fortune was to turn when, the next evening during a storm, the Great Ship Mary Rose capsized, taking 400 of crew with her. Reports indicate that her gun ports had been left open due to the fear of attack from the French. The French made no advantage on sea or ashore and returned to France in August of 1545.
Two years later in 1547, King Henry VIII died and his son, Edward VI, at 9 years old, was crowned King. As was the tradition, the Great Harry was renamed for King Edward VI. The Great Edward's fate is not documented though the likely outcome was that she was consumed by fire while docked at Woolwich in 1553. After 38 years of showing the English flag at home and abroad, she ended up as a castoff hulk on the River Thames.
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