The Spanish Regulations for Shipbuilding (Ordenanzas) of the Seventeenth Century

Abstract

Spanish shipbuilding and navigation reached a peak during the 17th century. The need to communicate the ports of the Empire, to convey goods across the Atlantic and the Pacific added to the need to defend the atlantic and mediterranean fronts in Europe and North Africa. Private, merchant ships were strategically important and they were frequently armed by the Crown to join the few ships built at its expense. Philip II had started the technical approach to shipbuilding with the galeons that joined the Armada in 1588. The Ordenanzas of 1607 were a consequence of that approach and represent a pioneer effort to define forms and dimensions. The lessons learned from its application were incorporated in the Ordenanzas of 1618 that remained as the official regulation for all Spanish shipbuilding in all the Empire. The development of the navies in France, Holland and England, the behavior of their ships in combat and their presence in the West Indies influenced the modifications of the Ordenanzas in the last quarter of the century and opened the way for the construction of the largest ships in the 17th century. The technical content and the meaning of the Ordenanzas along the century will be analyzed with reference to contemporary developments in other European navies.