An earlier patronage practice tested a craftsman on an official's own cabinets or house before giving him naval work. Growing naval demand made that kind of personal assessment harder to sustain. Common ship designs allowed administrators to compare the timber, workers, construction time, and money used by royal and civilian yards. An unusually expensive or unusually cheap result prompted questions about efficiency, contract padding, or excessive patronage. The work delivered by other yards became a practical reference for judging performance.
Notable Point · 1:07:13-1:09:19
Common ship plans made dockyard performance comparable
Standard designs let administrators compare yards as naval demand outgrew personal ways of judging craftsmen.