Charles I of England gave the order to build her in 1634.
Her completion required the labors of over a thousand craftsmen for three
years. Her elaborate
ornamentation included many heraldic coats of arms, sculptures, and portraits.
Even today, she is renowned as one of the most beautiful vessels ever
to sail the oceans, and, despite her military prowess, she is considered
to have been a true work of art.
Her firepower was extraordinary for that time in history. In 1637, she sailed with a crew of 800 men, and her 104 guns could fire a broadside of almost two tons of metal. In her first naval engagement in 1652, the Sovereign of the Seas sank a Dutch warship with a single broadside. For sixty years, no enemy could match or sink her. She was given the popular name of the "Golden Devil" by the Dutch, as a reflection of both her devastating fighting power and remarkable beauty.
Sadly, the
end of the Sovereign of the Seas, pride of a nation, was not due to war
action or obsolescence. During the night of January 27, 1696, while anchored
in the port of Chatham, the cook forgot to blow out the candle burning
in his quarters. The candle fell over and fire ensued. A short time later,
the Sovereign of the Seas was engulfed in flame from stem to stern. Fire
raged for hours until the hull had burned down to the water line and the
dying ship finally sunk to the harbor floor.