Adam Hayes (1710–1785) was an 18th century shipbuilder to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. A great number of his models survive. He was responsible for the selection of the ship the "Earl of Pembroke" and was the wright who converted it into

HMS Endeavour HMS ''Endeavour'' was a British Royal Navy research vessel that Lieutenant James Cook commanded to Australia and New Zealand on his First voyage of James Cook, first voyage of discovery from 1768 to 1771. She was launched in 1764 as the Coll ...

in 1768 for use by Captain Cook.

Life

He was born in the parish of St Botolph's, Aldgate in east London the eldest son of Adam Hayes and his wife, Sarah Urmstone. His father was possibly a carpenter. He joined the

as a boy, around 1722, and became ship's carpenter. In 1740 he was part of the crew on

HMS Centurion Eight ships and a shore establishment of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Centurion'', after the centurions of ancient Rome. A ninth ship was planned but never built. Ships * was a 34-gun ship launched in 1650 and wrecked in 1689. * was a ...

under Captain George Anson as flagship of a part of a special fleet heading first to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

then around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

in March 1741 and into the Pacific. The overall objective was then to attack the Spanish colony at

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on the far side of the ocean. The Spanish got wind of this and sent their own fleet to intercept. As part of the actions the Centurion captured and plundered the Spanish galleon "Nuestra Senora de Covadonga" in 1743. By tradition, the crew all shared part of the treasure gained. They returned to England in June 1744. Hayes transferred to work on HMS Kent: it is unclear if this was to break the old HMS Kent at Chatham (the ship was over 60 years old) or to build the new HMS Kent at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

, but it appears to have been a dock-based employment either way. The latter is more likely, and appears to have led both to recognition of his skills and permanent shore-based employment. He was therefore in Deptford 1744 to 1746 - until the launch of HMS Kent. The process of shipbuilding in those days (and still) involves first making a scale model of the ship and this would be part of the Master Shipwright's duties: a great number of Hayes' models survive. From 1746 to 1748 he was Assistant Master Shipwright at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

Docks and in 1748 returned to England as Master Mastmaker at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

from April 1748 tp=o May 1749. From May 1749 to November 1750 he was Assistant Master Shipwright at

Plymouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Ro ...

. He was then at

Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 1 ...

for 8 months before being promoted to Master Shipwright at

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard also known as the Sheerness Station was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the R ...

, where he spent 11 months before returning the Woolwich as Master Shipwright in June 1752, from which point the Royal Navy lists his projects. From March 1753 to August 1755 he was Master Shipwright at Chatham before moving permanently to a settled position at

. In Deptford, over the next 30 years, he produced a very large number of ships including a dozen

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...

. He died in Deptford on 20 December 1785. He is buried in St Mary's Church in Deptford.

Captain Cook connection

In 1768 it was Hayes who was chosen by the Admiralty and

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

to select a vessel suitable for exploration of the southern hemisphere and to convert said ship (before Cook was chosen as Captain). For various reasons it was not possible to select an existing Royal Navy vessel nor to commission on that basis. Hayes selected the "Earl of Pembroke", privately owned and moored at

Shadwell Shadwell is a district of East London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , east of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the Thames between Wapping (to the west) and Ratcliff (to the east). This riverside location has meant ...

. She had been built at

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...

in 1764. Hayes oversaw the refitting at Deptford and relaunched the ship under the name

. The refit took only around three months. She was delivered to him on 5 April and relaunched on 21 July 1768. As the ship was designed originally to carry coal a large amount of ballast had to be added to get the ship to handle as intended. She was registered as a Royal Navy ship as a "bark" (

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...

) of 368 tons under the name

. The choice of name appears to derive from the

Middlesex election affair The Middlesex election affair was a political controversy in Great Britain concerning the election of a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Middlesex in 1769. After being expelled from Parliament in February 1769 following his election as ...

of 1768 where

John Wilkes John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fo ...

repeatedly used the term "endeavour".Endeavour by Peter Moore

Ships Built

HMS Ranger (1752) Fifteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Ranger'' * was a 24-gun sixth rate, previously the French privateer ''Deux Couronnes''. She was captured in 1747 by . * was an 8-gun sloop launched in 1752 and sold in 1783. * was a cu ...

an 8 gun sloop at Woolwich *

HMS Wolf (1754) Sixteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Wolf'' or HMS ''Woolf'', after the mammal the wolf: * was a 16-gun ship, previously the Spanish ''Lobos''. She was captured in 1656 and sold in 1663. * was an 8-gun fireship launched in 16 ...

an 8 gun sloop at Chatham * HMS Cambridge (1755) an 80-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

* HMS Deal Castle (1756) 20-gun * HMS Bideford (1756) 20-gun * HMS Preston (1757) 50-gun ship of the line * HMS Dublin (1757) 74-gun ship of the line * HMS Shannon (1757) 28-gun frigate * HMS Norfolk (1757) 74-gun ship of the line * HMS Sapphire (1758) 32-gun frigate *

HMS Hercules (1759) HMS ''Hercules'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed by Sir Thomas Slade and built at Deptford Dockyard by Adam Hayes and launched on 15 March 1759. Service history On 20 November 1759 she took part in the hu ...

74-gun ship of the line * HMS Dragon (1760) 74-gun ship of the line * HMS Superb (1760) 74-gun ship of the line *

HMS Kent (1762) HMS ''Kent'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed by Sir Thomas Slade and built by Adam Hayes at Deptford Dockyard and launched on 23 March 1762 . Service History She was launched at a cost of £40,000. In ...

74-gun ship of the line *

HMS Albion (1763) HMS ''Albion'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built by Adam Hayes at Deptford Dockyard and launched on 16 May 1763, having been adapted from a design of the old 90-gun ship which had been built in 1730. S ...

74-gun ship of the line * HMS Lurcher (1763) 6 gun cutter * HMS Kite (1764) 4 gun cutter *

HMS Monarch (1765) HMS ''Monarch'' was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Adam Hayes and launched on 20 July 1765 at Deptford Dockyard. Service History This huge ship had a complement of 550 men as crew, and had many distinguish ...

74-gun ship of the line * HMS Magnificent (1766) 74-gun ship of the line *

HMS Marlborough (1767) HMS ''Marlborough'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 26 August 1767 at Deptford and built by the master shipwright Adam Hayes, at a cost of £33,319.British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792 R Winfie ...

74-gun ship of the line * HMS Otter (1767) 14-gun sloop *

HMS Egmont (1768) HMS ''Egmont'' was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 29 August 1768 at Deptford. She was designed by Sir Thomas Slade, and was the only ship built to her draught. ''Egmont'' was part of the squadron command ...

74-gun ship of the line * HMS Swallow (1769) 14-gun sloop *Royal Navy launch "Close" (1770) *

HMS Resolution (1770) HMS ''Resolution'' was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed by Sir Thomas Slade and built by Adam Hayes at Deptford Dockyard and launched on 12 April 1770. The ship had a huge crew of 600 men. As one of the Roya ...

74-gun ship of the line *

HMS Grafton (1771) HMS ''Grafton'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by Adam Hayes launched on 26 September 1771 at Deptford Dockyard. One of the largest ships in the navy she had a crew of 550 men. Service history May, 1778 und ...

74-gun ship of the line *Armed Yacht "Princess Augusta" (1773) 6-gun *Longboat "Storehouse" (1774) * HMS Cumberland (1774) 74-gun ship of the line *

HMS Enterprise (1774) HMS ''Enterprise'' (sometimes erroneously spelled ''Enterprize'') was a 28-gun sixth-rate ''Enterprise''-class frigate of the Royal Navy. She was the name ship of her class of twenty-seven ships. Construction ''Enterprise'' was built at Dep ...

28-gun frigate *

HMS Galatea (1776) HMS ''Galatea'' was a 20-gun ''Sphinx''-class sixth-rate post-ship of the Royal Navy. She was designed by John Williams and built by Adam Hayes in Deptford Dockyard being launched on 21 March 1776. She served during the American War of Ind ...

20-gun ship *

HMS Culloden (1776) HMS ''Culloden'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Deptford Dockyard, England, and launched on 18 May 1776. She was the fourth warship to be named after the Battle of Culloden, which took place in Scotland i ...

74-gun ship of the line *

HMS America (1777) HMS ''America'' was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed by John williams and built by Adam Hayes at Deptford Dockyard and was launched on 5 August 1777. The name was a traditional name in the Royal Navy and continu ...

64-gun ship of the line *

HMS Alexander (1778) HMS ''Alexander'' was a 74-gun third-rate of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Deptford Dockyard on 8 October 1778. During her career she was captured by the French, and later recaptured by the British. She fought at the Nile in 1798, and w ...

74-gun ship of the line * HMS Pegasus (1779) 28-gun frigate * HMS Alcide (1779) 74-gun ship of the line * HMS Myrmidon (1779) 22 gun post ship *

HMS Flora (1780) Five ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Flora'': * HMS ''Flora'' was a sloop ordered in 1755 but later cancelled. * HMS ''Flora'' was a 32-gun fifth rate, previously the French ship ''Vestale''. captured her in 1761 but the Roya ...

36-gun frigate *

HMS Magnanime (1780) HMS ''Magnanime'' was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 October 1780 at Deptford Dockyard. She belonged to the designed by Sir John Williams and later was razeed into a 44 gun frigate. Career Commissi ...

64-gun ship of the line * HMS Myrmidon (1781) 22 gun post ship *

HMS Goliath (1781) HMS ''Goliath'' was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line in the Royal Navy. She was built by Adam Hayes at Deptford Dockyard and launched on 19 October 1781. She was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, Battle of the Nile, and Battle o ...

74-gun ship of the line * HMS Standard (1782) 64-gun ship of the line

Family

He was married to Elizabeth Hayes (1714–1758). Their only son predeceased them but leaving a daughter-in-law Elizabeth Hayes (1743–1792). Through this connection Hayes was great uncle to Admiral James Hayes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Adam 1710 births 1785 deaths People from Deptford English shipbuilders