Tudor England possessed royal ships, and merchant vessels operated alongside them. Describing Adams as entering the Royal Navy can obscure the organizational differences between that service and the later institution. Much of the familiar administrative structure developed in the Stuart period, through work associated here with Raleigh and Pepys. Adams served within the mixed world of royal and merchant shipping. Starting his apprenticeship at twelve gave him about twelve years of experience by the Armada campaign, helping explain his ability to command a ship at twenty-four.
Chapter · 18:22-20:16
Tudor royal ships and the later naval institution
Adams's service illustrates the overlap between royal and merchant shipping before the more developed Stuart naval administration.