William Henry White

Sir William Henry White (2 February 1845 – 27 February 1913) was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty. He was born in Plymouth and became an apprentice at the naval dockyard there in 1859. In 1863 he obtained a scholarship to enter the newly formed Royal School of Naval Architecture in South Kensington, in London. After his apprenticeship he worked for the Admiralty on specifications and calculations for new ... more

Sir William Henry White (2 February 1845 – 27 February 1913) was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty. He was born in Plymouth and became an apprentice at the naval dockyard there in 1859. In 1863 he obtained a scholarship to enter the newly formed Royal School of Naval Architecture in South Kensington, in London. After his apprenticeship he worked for the Admiralty on specifications and calculations for new ships, and became secretary to the then Chief Constructor of the Admiralty, Edward Reed, until the latter's resignation on 9 July 1870. He was then appointed instructor on naval design at the Royal School of Naval Architecture, and in 1872 became secretary of the Council of Construction which oversaw all Royal Navy ship construction. From 1872–1873 he worked at Pembroke and Portsmouth Dockyards. In March 1875 he was promoted to Assistant Constructor and married later in that year. He also published his A Manual of Naval Architecture. For the... less