De Leybourne's administration sought to replace ad hoc reactions with a repeatable way to obtain enough ships when the Crown needed them. Most were merchant vessels hired for royal service, so the work included commissioning, maintenance, repair, and negotiation when they were returned to their owners. Calling this organisation a staff would import a much later institutional model into the medieval evidence. The arrangement shows how naval power could operate through organised mobilisation without a permanent Crown-owned fleet. Its central work was administrative, including the practical task of ensuring that ships and supplies were available.
Chapter · 8:31-9:18
Commissioning and returning merchant ships for royal service
Medieval naval administration meant assembling hired merchant vessels, arranging repairs and maintenance, and settling their return to private owners.