Sir Henry Peake (1753–1825) was a shipbuilder and designer to the Royal Navy who rose to be Surveyor of the Navy.
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Life
Peake 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. There is "Henry Peake" who was noted as Master Boat Builder at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1762, who is likely his father. The Royal Navy list his works from 1779 when he became Master Shipwright at Sheerness Dockyard.
In June 1806, Peake 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.
Peake was knighted by George IV on 25 June 1814. Peake died in 1825.
Family
He was married to Sarah Ladd. They had several sons who became eminent Royal Navy officers:
Admiral Thomas Ladd Peake (1782–1865)
Commander William Peake (1780–1813) killed on HMS Peacock
James Peake
Commander Henry Frederick Peake
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) Vesuvius class bomb ship
HMS Erebus 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