Henry Grace à Dieu ("Henry Grace of God"), popularly known as the
Great Harry, was an
English carrack or "
great ship" of the 16th century. Contemporary with
Mary Rose,
Henry Grace à Dieu was even larger. She had a large
forecastle four decks high, and a stern castle two decks high. She was 165 feet (50 m) long, weighing 1,000–1,500
tons and having a complement of 700–1,000. It is said that she was ordered by
Henry VIII in response to the
Scottish ship
Michael, launched in 1511.
She was originally built at
Woolwich Dockyard from 1512 to 1514 and was one of the first vessels to feature
gunports and had twenty of the new heavy bronze cannon, allowing for a
broadside. In all she mounted 43 heavy guns and 141 light guns. She was the first English
two-decker and when launched she was the largest and most powerful warship in Europe.
She was substantially remodelled and rebuilt around the same time as
Mary Rose to increase the firepower and improve maneuverability.
The tradition maintained by the
Royal Navy of "showing the flag" at seaside towns to uphold the morale of the Navy is said to have its origins in a service held at the
Bradstowe Chapel (
Broadstairs,
Kent) in 1514 with the crew of
Henry Grâce à Dieu in attendance, whilst the largest and latest addition to the King's Fleet was moored nearby.
Henry Grace à Dieu saw little action. She was present at the
Battle of the Solent against French forces in 1545 in which the
Mary Rose sank, but appears to have been more of a diplomatic vessel, sailing on occasion with sails of gold cloth.
After the accession of
Edward VI in 1547 she was renamed for him. Her fate is uncertain; she may have been destroyed by fire at
Woolwich in 1553 or ended up as a discarded hulk on the bank of the
River Thames.