Robert Seppings
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Sir Robert Seppings, FRS (11 December 1767 – 25 April 1840) was an English naval architect. His experiments with diagonal trusses in the construction of ships led to his appointment as Surveyor of the Navy in 1813, a position he held until 1835.[1]
Biography
Seppings was born to Robert Seppings (1734–1781) and his wife Lydia Milligen (1740–1821), at
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At Chatham, in spite of the repugnance to innovation displayed by the naval authorities of that period, he was able to introduce important innovations in the methods of ship-construction. Seppings innovations were probably influenced by the work of William May, shipbuilder for the Dutch Navy in Amsterdam and son of John May (shipwright).[4] Quoted as saying "partial strength produces general weakness", Seppings significantly improved the strength and seaworthiness of the Navy's fleet. He improved the design of the bow and the stern, but his greatest influence on ship design was in the introduction of 'diagonal bracing' into the construction of the hull. He first experimented with the idea in 1800 when he retrofitted the frigate HMS Glenmore with the trusses.[5] The method was first introduced to a ship of the line in 1805 with the refitting of the 74-gun HMS Kent.[6]
The use of the diagonal trusses greatly increased the
Seppings was also instrumental, along with other innovators, in the introduction of iron elements into ship construction, reducing the need for 'grown timbers', which were in increasingly short supply (grown timbers were structural elements, such as 'knees', that needed timber grown to shape in the living tree, in order to give the required strength).[8]
These stronger designs offered better protection than the old forms to the crews against the enemy's fire, permitted a powerful armament to be fitted, and better allowed the ships to be kept on-station during bad weather, since the vessel would be more able to resist the stresses consequently reducing wear on the hull and subsequent leaks and salt water damage (especially insidious and dangerous to a ship where wood and iron were in contact).[9]
Seppings was appointed joint Surveyor of the Navy alongside Joseph Tucker in 1813, and held that office till his retirement in 1832.
Seppings received a knighthood in 1819. He died at Taunton on 25 April 1840.[10]
Family
In June 1795 he married Charlotte Milligen (1770–1834). They had six daughters and four sons.
References
- ^ "Sir Robert Seppings, 1767-1840". Royal Museums Greenwich. National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Norfolk, England, Church of England Baptism, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812
- ^ Lavery, Brian (ed.) (1992) The Line of Battle: The Sailing Warship 1650-1840, Conway Maritime Press, London, p. 23
- ^ Lemmers, Alan (2013) "Shipworm, Hogbacks and Duck's Arses: The influence of William May on Sir Robert Seppings," The Mariner's Mirror, 99:4, 410-428. DOI:10.1080/00253359.2013.844537
- ^ Stephen, Leslie (1897) Dictionary of National Biography. (Smith, Elder, & Company), pp.249–250.
- ^ Seppings, R. (1818) On The Great Strength Given To Ships of War by the Application of Diagonal Braces, From The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Bulmer, p. 1
- ^ Seppings, R. (1818) On The Great Strength Given To Ships of War by the Application of Diagonal Braces, From The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Bulmer, pp. 6-8
- ^ Nautical Research Journal, Volume 49 (2004), p. 87
- J.E. Gordon
- ^ "Death of Sir Robert Steppings". The Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser. Taunton, Somerset. 29 April 1840. p. 7. Retrieved 11 September 2014 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
It is with sincere regret we have to announce the death of [...] Sir Robert Seppings, F.R.S., M.R.I., &c., for so many years Surveyor of the British Navy. [...] He died in this town, on Saturday, the 25th instant, aged 72 years.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Seppings, Sir Robert". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 652. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
- Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .