DOCKYARDS, ROYAL. The beginnings of the present royal dockyards of Great Britain may be found in the establishment of the Portsmouth clock by order of Henry VIL in 1495. Before that time docks were mere temporary arrangements by which a ship was laid ashore at a suitable place. In line with his war and naval policy, Henry VIII. founded several others—Deptford, in 1513, which, by the end of the reign, became the most important of all: Woolwich. perhaps as early as 1512; and Erith, of which we hear in January, 1514. Before this tinny, the kings had possessed a variable number of ships, relying in emergencies on the Cinque Ports, which had to supply vessels in return for their privileges; now it was proposed to keep the navy on a permanent footing. During the sixteenth century the dock yard at Deptford continued to be the most im portant, hut under Charles 1. and the Common wealth Portsmouth surpassed it. Under James I. there was gm-eat corruption in the management of the dockyards. which was not remedied until 1618, when a commission showed that the total expenditures. .£53.000, might well be reduced to 00,000 (S. It Gardiner, History of Enylaml, 103-'12, London, 1883, ii., 203-0fi). They flour ished under The Commonwealth, but declined tinder the Stuarts. Time Duke of Vork (after wards James II.) was an excellent naval min ister. In his management of the dockyards he w-cc greatly aided by the efficient Samuel Pepys. Secretary of the Admiralty. In 1S05-15. as a result of a commission appointed by time House of Commons, the yards were again sweepingly reformed. A uniform system of management WAS which afterwards senior hat Modified. the docklards are controlled by the
the t olnPlrollci of tit,• Natty hating p•nct a ni-ion. Each 3ard is under a super int, cdent mho is an Dt /Huy.
[he .1,3,ird- contain all the neee-sary appli .utc, ler the building and equipment of ships.
Until recently they constructed nearly all vc-,eIs of the Blitish Navy, hut the use of -team and armor-plate has greatly increased the num ber e f contract, with private lirtn-t. In the naval estimates of 19(10, expenditures lif tto3t;.0(10 mere made for the royal dockyards, of mhich -Inn f:2.,51•2,000 mere for The same 3, at tt,.:3•9.0(10 were expended with private arms.
.11nomt the royal that 14 Pembroke i- best adapted for building purposes: Ports mouth i- most important of all, and t'hathatit i- hut little inferior. Others exist at Sheerness, Devimport, and Keyham, while l'Iymouth.
rt, and Deptford are now u-ed for victualing purposes only. There am also the following in Ireland and the colonies: Ilaulbowline (cove of Cork). :\lalta. Esquinialt (Vancouver Island, 13. ('.). Colombo (C'eylonl. Bermuda. Gib raltar, Dania x, Bombay. Simon': Bay (near Cape '1•omni. Kingston .1 ama tea ) . Hong Kong. Tri eolna 1 i, and Dotage, Bay. For early history. .011-1111 Al. Oppenheim, The Administration of the leolysl Vary. 1.;o9-161;0 (London. 1896), an excellent work; also W. L. Clowes. The Royal Vary, Q 'History (Boston and Tampion, 1s97 1900). There is a good report on the national dockyards in Europe in tion.ce 11 iserlianeous Doctor:tabs. 1-4 ser., 49th Congress ( xiii., No. 237.