441:, who also provided the detail for Symonds' over 200 designs for the Navy) allowed Symonds to create larger and larger wooden warships. These were able not only to defeat an enemy by weight of fire (as the Navy had long been able to do) but also to pursue them and force battle. Despite his feeling that steam was only an adjunct to a sailing navy rather than the future of naval propulsion (based on his correct assertion that the a wooden warship's stern would be weakened by adding a steam screw), Symonds did also produce some steam paddle-wheel designs.
460:" in 1844, 1845 and 1846. Outside factors such as individual captains' political bias or stowage's influence on how well a ship sailed were underappreciated in these trials - the success of Symonds' designs depended on the skill of their captains (they handled badly under clumsy ones, or ones opposed to him, but very well under skilled commanders) - whilst his larger ships were fast but unsuited to use as gun platforms due to rolling too rapidly. They did, however, handle well in all but the worst weather. Nevertheless, in the face of the Tory
467:'s institution of a "Committee of Reference" in 1846 to oversee Symonds and modify his designs according to the Board's wishes, a command to make a radical alteration to his design for a new 90 gun ship, and loss of most of his Whig support even on their return to power in July 1846, Symonds resigned his role in October 1847 (despite retaining the Duke of Portland's continued support), and was succeeded by Sir
51:
448:(closed in 1832), and the "traditional" school led by Master Shipwrights from the Royal Dockyards. Autocratic in office, demanding obedience and support from subordinates and superiors alike and taking any criticism or suggested alteration to his designs as a personal slight, he turned on his opponents in the pamphlet
405:
and the weight of guns that could be carried). (However, with the decline in the sailing navy, most of
Symonds' huge wooden sailing designs - larger, heavier-rigged, wider-beamed, more spacious for working their guns and heavier armament than ever before - became obsolete with the decline of sail
400:
Ship-design was no longer the important part of
Surveyor's role that it had been, and so Symonds was its first holder to have been an amateur ship-designer rather than a professional shipwright. Nevertheless, the observations and experience gained in such design allowed him to introduce radical
384:
and the vague wording of the instructions given him) he also began to meddle in ship design, forcing the Navy to adopt his designs despite much opposition to this, to his appointment being a political one rather than one based on aptitude, and to his position as a favourite of the king (who, for
303:(in which experiences of being outsailed by French ships left him with an obsession for speed, wide beams and sharp design in his later designs for sailing ships) and showing fine seamanship, he was promoted no further (though between 1819 and 1825 he was captain of the port at
495:, and was buried at the Protestant Cemetery at the latter. His will required the publication of a biography in his favour – this repeated the arguments over his sailing-ship designs despite the Navy's having long abandoned sail by this date.
421:). In 1840 he privately published a book of sketches of men-of-war and yachts, under the title "Naval Costume". He also travelled much overseas, accurately observing the timber resources and navies of foreign powers such as the Russian
353:, who appointed Symonds to the royal yacht and granted him his captaincy on 5 December the same year. Sailing trials in 1827 and 1831 were won by Symonds' entries, and (with Clarence's accession as William IV, the Whig abolition of the
401:
changes to ship design, such as widening Navy ships' beams and making their bottoms more wedge-shaped (to decrease the amount of ballast needed and to increase stability, speed,
491:
the following year, he and his third wife from then on lived abroad, principally in Malta and Italy, for reasons of his health. He died at sea in 1856, en route from Malta to
891:
444:
However, Symonds' "empirical" school of shipbuilding came into conflict both with the "scientific" school led by the new class of professional naval architects and the first
320:
429:
Fleets (whose inefficiency at a time of increased Anglo-Russian tension proved a useful observation). This informed his reporting of
British oak supplies from the
896:
827:
319:(who left his estate to his best friend's widow, Symonds' sister), in 1821 Symonds built an experimental yacht, which was copied by the rich yachtsman
911:
538:
206:
380:, the Whig First Lord of the Admiralty. He was intended to control the Navy's dockyards and shipbuilding programme, but (thanks to his title of
532:
277:
201:
186:
503:
On 21 April 1808, William married
Elizabeth Saunders Luscombe, daughter of Matthew Luscombe of Plymouth. They had one daughter and four sons:
901:
782:
688:
437:, improved timber supplies and (along with a new means of construction invented by the talented Chief Clerk in the Surveyor's Office,
332:
906:
323:, who aided his publication of a pamphlet on naval architecture. Vernon also convinced the Admiralty to employ Symonds as a
259:
from 9 June 1832 to
October 1847, and took part in the naval reforms instituted by the Whig First Lord of the Admiralty Sir
862:
Book Review: Shipping, Technology, and
Imperialism: Papers Presented to the Third British-Dutch Maritime History Conference
464:
299:
mutiny, he was promoted to lieutenant on 14 October 1801. However, despite service at sea for the whole duration of the
17:
633:
Royal
Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, Massey Library, bound plans relating to system of classifying ships
487:, was convinced by the Duke of Portland to take Symonds back on, as the Queen's naval Aide-de-Camp. Becoming a retired
457:
331:, by standing his surety with a bond of £20,000 should Symonds fail in his designs, and by then introducing him to the
31:
921:
773:
567:. After her death, he married a third and final time, in 1851, to Susan Mary, daughter of the Rev. John Briggs.
807:
Memoirs of the Life and
Services of Rear-Admiral Sir William Symonds ...: Surveyor of the Navy from 1832 to 1847
728:
916:
861:
660:
628:
Modern
English Biography: containing many thousand concise memoirs of persons who have died since the year 1850
377:
926:
445:
394:
236:
172:
514:
510:
296:
260:
196:
931:
507:
Theresa
Aubrina Symonds (1808 – 19 January 1872), married Daniel Smith Bockett, and had 18 children
410:
559:
on 10 November 1817, William remarried on 10 March 1818, Elizabeth Mary, daughter of Rear-Admiral
936:
754:
856:
414:
349:'s Cabinet in April 1827, he then promoted Symonds as a designer to the Lord High Admiral, the
328:
58:
866:
700:
646:
50:
805:
547:(1816–1883), who stayed in New Zealand after his brother William's death; Symonds Street in
886:
881:
390:
381:
252:
222:
8:
244:
108:
453:
316:
480:
362:
281:
233:
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832:
191:
844:
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560:
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79:
836:
544:
484:
468:
461:
430:
418:
346:
211:
122:
875:
652:
336:
288:
556:
488:
452:(1844). Determined to prove Symonds' designs to be failures, the new Tory
422:
645:
483:(civil) on 1 May 1848, and in June 1853 James Graham, having again become
402:
518:
851:
385:
example, omitted to inform the Admiralty of his intention to make him a
361:'s ministry) he was taken on to design a 50 gun frigate, which he named
715:
664:
521:, but was drowned in November 1841 when a boat carrying him across the
492:
434:
354:
350:
256:
134:
239:(24 September 1782 – 30 March 1856, aboard the French steamship
513:(1810–1841), eldest son, who became an army captain, a member of the
438:
376:
Symonds was appointed the Surveyor of the Navy on 9 June 1832 by Sir
358:
341:, 1832) was later bought by the Admiralty for adaptation as a 10 gun
548:
526:
324:
248:
112:
578:
The last sailing battlefleet: maintaining naval mastery, 1815–1850
83:
585:
Memoirs of the life and services of Admiral Sir William Symonds
564:
335:
in December 1826. Of his two yacht designs for the Duke, one (
810:. Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts. p. 43.
304:
630:, 6 vols. (privately printed, Truro, 1892–1921); repr.(1965)
342:
280:(1731–1792) and his second wife, and first went to sea on,
417:
in ships (something first suggested for the Royal Navy by
651:
775:
A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : M–Addenda
597:
Cape Town University Library, Walker manuscripts (MSS)
892:
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
310:
727:
389:but still went ahead with it, on 15 June 1836 at
873:
716:ten pound island book company, Maritime List 171
689:Complete List of Royal Society Fellows 1660-2007
479:Despite his fall from grace, he was granted an
804:Symonds, Sir William; Sharp, James A. (1858).
603:University of Nottingham Library, Portland MSS
756:The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society
831:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
803:
276:Symonds was the second son of naval captain
897:Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
768:
643:
409:During his time in office, he also took on
406:and were later converted to steam-screw.)
49:
592:A history of Welbeck Abbey and its owners
30:For other people with the same name, see
758:, Volume XII, 1842, pages xxxvii-xxxviii
606:British Library, Martin MSS and Peel MSS
600:NMM, Minto MSS · TNA: PRO, Admiralty MSS
912:Military personnel from Bury St Edmunds
828:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
55:Sir William Symonds, by Edward Morton,
14:
874:
797:
315:Using a minor legacy from Admiral Sir
852:http://www.pdavis.nl/Experimental.htm
825:Lambert, Andrew. "Symonds, William".
684:
682:
295:on 23 June 1795 and during the 1797
902:Companions of the Order of the Bath
824:
616:National Archives, Ellenborough MSS
24:
679:
533:Sir Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds
25:
948:
644:O'Byrne, William Richard (1849).
371:
311:Experiments in naval architecture
287:, in September 1794. Serving in
539:Julian Frederick Anthony Symonds
32:William Symonds (disambiguation)
654:A Naval Biographical Dictionary
570:
535:(1811–1894), Royal Navy officer
517:and Deputy Surveyor-General of
783:Department of Internal Affairs
762:
748:
720:
709:
705:, Volume 208, June 1860, p838.
694:
13:
1:
555:After Elizabeth's death from
474:
271:
907:Fellows of the Royal Society
845:UK public library membership
781:. Vol. II. Wellington:
736:. 26 January 1872. p. 8
672:
525:capsized. Symonds Street in
446:School of Naval Architecture
327:designer, with promotion to
154:(rank granted on retirement)
103:Aboard the French steamship
7:
637:
621:Great Britain and sea power
395:Fellow of the Royal Society
10:
953:
818:
701:Obituary George Rennie in
594:, 2 vols. (1938–9), vol. 2
541:(1813–1852), Army surveyor
515:Royal Geographical Society
511:William Cornwallis Symonds
413:'s suggestion of creating
261:James Robert George Graham
197:William Cornwallis Symonds
29:
498:
345:. When Portland entered
218:
182:
168:
158:
148:
140:
128:
118:
89:
66:
48:
41:
703:The Gentleman's magazine
647:"Symonds, William"
857:Falmouth Packet archive
415:watertight compartments
266:
922:People who died at sea
837:10.1093/ref:odnb/26893
458:Experimental Squadrons
59:Henry Wyndham Phillips
917:Surveyors of the Navy
456:sent out successive "
393:). He also became a
177:Companion of the Bath
141:Years of service
27:British Navy surveyor
563:, of Trinity Manor,
450:Facts versus Fiction
382:Surveyor of the Navy
253:Surveyor of the Navy
223:Surveyor of the Navy
175:, knighthood, civil
927:Royal Navy admirals
611:Before the ironclad
590:A. S. Turberville,
551:is named after him.
545:John Jermyn Symonds
529:is named after him.
245:Strait of Bonifacio
231:Sir William Symonds
109:Strait of Bonifacio
43:Sir William Symonds
18:Sir William Symonds
734:Morning Advertiser
623:, 1815–1853 (1963)
454:Board of Admiralty
368:after his patron.
317:William Cornwallis
843:(Subscription or
481:Order of the Bath
465:Lord Ellenborough
391:St James's Palace
228:
227:
70:24 September 1782
16:(Redirected from
944:
932:Knights Bachelor
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840:
812:
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801:
795:
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792:
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770:Scholefield, Guy
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707:
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619:C. J. Bartlett,
351:Duke of Clarence
333:Duke of Portland
291:'s fleet at the
192:Mary Anne Whitby
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100:
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53:
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38:
21:
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867:Portrait of him
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785:. pp. 355f
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523:Manukau Harbour
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477:
387:Knight Bachelor
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301:Napoleonic Wars
293:Battle of Groix
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219:Other work
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772:, ed. (1940).
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530:
508:
500:
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485:First Sea Lord
476:
473:
469:Baldwin Walker
462:First Sea Lord
431:forest of Dean
419:Samuel Bentham
397:in June 1835.
373:
372:Naval surveyor
370:
347:George Canning
312:
309:
278:Thomas Symonds
273:
270:
268:
265:
226:
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207:Julian Symonds
202:Thomas Symonds
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101:(aged 73)
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583:J. A. Sharp,
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321:George Vernon
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289:Lord Bridport
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93:30 March 1856
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40:
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19:
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806:
799:
787:. Retrieved
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764:
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750:
738:. Retrieved
733:
722:
711:
702:
696:
663:– via
653:
627:
620:
610:
591:
584:
577:
571:Bibliography
557:tuberculosis
554:
502:
489:rear admiral
478:
449:
443:
408:
399:
378:James Graham
375:
364:
337:
314:
283:
275:
240:
230:
229:
159:Battles/wars
104:
57:1850 (after
36:
887:1856 deaths
882:1782 births
740:14 February
691:, page 345.
661:John Murray
519:New Zealand
876:Categories
847:required.)
789:21 January
665:Wikisource
626:F. Boase,
493:Marseilles
475:Retirement
435:New Forest
355:Navy Board
272:Early life
257:Royal Navy
135:Royal Navy
119:Allegiance
97:1856-03-31
74:1782-09-24
673:Footnotes
439:John Edye
427:Black Sea
363:HMS
359:Earl Grey
338:Pantaloon
329:commander
282:HMS
263:in 1832.
183:Relations
144:1794–1856
729:"Deaths"
638:See also
549:Onehunga
527:Auckland
433:and the
325:corvette
297:Spithead
249:Sardinia
194:(sister)
189:(father)
129:Service/
113:Sardinia
819:Sources
403:stowage
255:in the
107:in the
95: (
84:Suffolk
72: (
841:
656:
613:(1990)
587:(1858)
580:(1991)
565:Jersey
499:Family
423:Baltic
365:Vernon
284:London
251:) was
169:Awards
131:branch
111:, off
779:(PDF)
305:Malta
214:(son)
209:(son)
204:(son)
199:(son)
163:Groix
791:2014
742:2019
425:and
357:and
343:brig
267:Life
149:Rank
90:Died
67:Born
833:doi
307:).
241:Nil
237:FRS
173:FRS
105:Nil
878::
732:.
681:^
659:.
650:.
471:.
247:,
243:,
234:CB
82:,
839:.
835::
793:.
744:.
667:.
99:)
76:)
61:)
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
