Henry Peake

Not to be confused with Henry Peek.

Sir Henry Peake (1753–1825) was a shipbuilder and designer to the Royal Navy who rose to be Surveyor of the Navy.

Life

He was born in 1753 in (or close to) Portsmouth. He joined the Royal Navy in May 1762 aged only 9, as an apprentice ship's carpenter. "Henry Peake" who is noted as Master Boat Builder at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1762 clearly cannot be the same person and this is probably his father. The Royal Navy list his works from 1779 when he became Master Shipwright at Sheerness Dockyard.[1]

In June 1806 he replaced Sir John Henslow as Surveyor of the Navy, working alongside Sir William Rule. Hos position as Surveyor of the Navy was filled by Ropert Seppings in 1813 but he did not officially retire until 1822.[1][2]

He was knighted by the Prince Regent on 25 June 1814. Peake died in 1825.[1]

Family

He was married to Sarah Ladd. They had several sons who became eminent Royal Navy officers:[3]

• Admiral Thomas Ladd Peake (1782-1865)
• Commander William Peake (1780-1813) killed on HMS Peacock
• James Peake
• Commander Henry Frederick Peake[4]

Ships built

• HMS Polyphemus (1782) 64-gun ship of the line launched at Sheerness
• HMS Europa (1783) 50-gun ship of the line launched at Woolwich
• HMS Vanguard (1787) 74-gun ship of the line launched at Deptford
• HMS Grampus (1802) 50-gun ship of the line launched at Portsmouth
• HMS Colossus (1803) 74-gun ship of the line launched at Deptford
• Royal Sovereign (1804) unarmed yacht launched at Deptford
• HMS Hebe (1804) 32-gun frigate launched at Deptford
• HMS Arrow (1805) 14-gun schooner launched at Deptford
• HMS Minerva (1805) 32-gun frigate launched at Deptford

Ships designed

Note: dates in brackets represent date of design not launch)

• HMS Brunswick (1786) 74-gun ship of the line launched in 1790
• HMS Bermuda (1806) 10-gun sloop
• Cherokee-class brig-sloop (1807) a series of over one hundred 10-gun sloop
• HMS Rapid (1808) 16-gun sloop
• Pygmy-class schooner (1809) 10-gun schooner
• Vesuvius-class sloop (1812) 10-gun sloop equipped as a bomb vessel
• HMS Terror (1812)[5] Vesuvius class bomb ship
• HMS Erebus[6] 10 gun Hecla-class bomb vessel launched in 1826
• Fury-class sloop (1813) 12-gun sloop equipped as a bomb vessel
• HMS Waterloo (1813) 80-gun ship of the line launched in 1818

References

1. "Sir Henry Peake (1753-1825)". threedecks.org.
2. A Naval Biographical Dictionary: Thomas Ladd Peake
3. Burke's Peerage: Henry Peake
4. Dictionary of Naval Biography: Henry Peake
5. Betts, Matthew (2022). HMS Terror: The Design Fitting and Voyages of a Polar Discovery Ship. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1526783134.
6. Palin, Michael (2019). Erebus: The story of a ship (1st ed.). Hutchinson London. ISBN 978-1784758578.