John Williams (Surveyor of the Navy)
Sir John Williams was a British shipbuilder and designer who rose to be Surveyor of the Navy, the highest position in British naval architecture.
Life
He was born in 1700 the grandson of a John Williams who designed HMS Crescent in 1642.In 1762 he was a Master Shipwright in Sheerness Dockyard. His only named ship construction is.
In June 1765 he was appointed Surveyor to the Navy, working alongside Thomas Slade. This role was based in the Admiralty and involved the master planning of the British fleet and strategic planning of harbour improvements.
In April 1778, he was joined at the Admiralty by Edward Hunt. He left in December 1784 his position being filled by John Henslow.
Ships designed
- Portland-class ship 50-gun ships
- Swan-class ship-sloop 14-gun sloops of which at least 25 were built
- Amazon-class frigate thirty-three 32-gun frigates launched from 1773
- Enterprise-class frigate twenty-seven 28-gun frigates launched from 1773
- HMS Vengeance 74-gun ship of the line launched in 1774
- Experiment-class ship a series of 50-gun ships
- Sphinx-class post ship a series of ten 20-gun post ships
- HMS Royal Sovereign 100-gun ship of the line not launched until 1786 and Collingwood's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar
- HMS Montagu 74-gun ship of the line launched in 1779
- Porcupine-class post ship ten 24-gun post ships
- HMS Jupiter 50-gun ship launched in 1778.
- Alert-class cutter a series of 14-gun cutters
- Sprightly-class cutter a series of 10-gun cutters
- HMS Childers (1778) a 10-gun sloop
- Flora-class frigate a series of four 36-gun frigates
- L'Experiment 50-gun ship of the line
- HMS Latona 38-gun frigate launched in 1781
- HMS Unicorn 20-gun ship
- HMS Raven 18-gun sloop
- HMS Pigmy 14-gun cutter
- HMS Blonde 32-gun frigate launched in 1787