// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did HMY Charlotte say to its sail? You're always a-mast me.
| History | |
|---|---|
 England | |
| Name | HMY Charlotte |
| Owner | Royal Navy |
| Builder | (Woolwich) |
| Laid down | built 1677 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 61 feet |
| Beam | 21 feet |
| Draught | 8 feet |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Complement | 20 to 30 men |
HMY Charlotte was an English royal yacht built for the Royal Navy.[1] It was named Charlotte by Charles II in honour of his illegitimate daughter Charlotte Fitzroy.[2]
Construction
[edit]Charlotte was built by Phineas Pett in Woolwich Dockyard in 1677[1] at an estimated cost of £2973 12d, of which £500 was paid directly by Charles II. The figurehead depicted a female figure crowned by angels, presumably a depiction of the ship's namesake.[2]
Carving work was carried out by Joseph Leadman and Joseph Helby, and valued at £507 8s 6d. Gilding, painting, and upholstery also came at a significant expense. Paintings were commissioned for a sum total of £77 from Willem van de Velde the Elder and Willem van de Velde the Younger, both of whom were kept on retainer by Charles II for annual pensions of £100.[2]
The expenses incurred on Charlotte were a source of tension between Charles II and the Admiralty.[2]
Career
[edit]Charlotte was seaworthy by 4 November 1677, on which date she took Princess Mary and her new husband William of Orange across the English Channel.[2]
Charlotte was listed for sale in 1710, but no buyer was found. Instead she was rebuilt by Joseph Allin at Deptford Dockyard, and renamed Princess Charlotte. She was renamed twice more – as Augusta in 1761, and as Princess Augusta (for Princess Augusta Sophia)[3] in 1773. She was eventually sold in 1818.[4]
| Date(s) | Captain | Station | Actions/Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1677 | Ralph Saunderson | - | - |
| 1682–1686 | J. Clements | - | - |
| 1689 | Andrew Cotton | Guernsey | - |
| 1690–1703 | J. Robinson | - | - |
| 1694–1701 | Thomas Marks | - | - |
| 1702–1709 | G. Breholt | Ireland | - |
| 1710 | - | - | Rebuilt at Deptford |
| 1715–1725 | Joseph Banaster | In the Baltic 1720 | - |
| 1726 | H. Holmes | - | - |
| 1727–1736 | William Bridges | - | - |
| 1737–1738 | W. Parry | - | - |
| 1739–1740 | C.W. Purvis | - | - |
| 1741 | J. Willyams | - | - |
| 1742–1743 | Robert Allen | - | - |
| 1746–1750 | Richard Edwards | - | - |
| 1752–1754 | E. Pratten | - | - |
| 1755 | J. Bentley | - | - |
| 1756 | J. Lendrick; Robert Mann (November) | - | - |
| 1757–1761 | C. Wray | - | - |
| 1751 | J. Campbell | - | - |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Warship Histories Vessels, vessel ID 382213" (PDF). Warship Histories, vol. v. National Maritime Museum (NMM). p. 2169. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Endsor, Richard (2008). "THE VAN DE VELDE PAINTINGS FOR THE ROYAL YACHT CHARLOTTE, 1677". The Mariner's Mirror. 94 (3): 264–275.
- ↑ "Francis Holman (Ramsgate 1729-1790 London): The Royal Yacht Princess Augusta with His Majesty King George III on board, reviewing his fleet at Spithead on 25 June 1773". Christie's. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Winfield, Rif (2009). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1603–1714: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates (Epub ed.). Seaforth Publishing. p. 781. ISBN 978-1-78346-924-6.
This article includes data released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported UK: England & Wales Licence, by the National Maritime Museum, as part of the Warship Histories project.
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