Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I’m your host, Colin MacDonald, and today we set sail back to October 12th, 1511, to witness the launch of a truly remarkable vessel – the Great Michael. This was no ordinary ship. She was the largest ship afloat at the time, a testament to the ambition and maritime prowess of James IV, King of Scotland. Built as part of his strategy to fortify Scotland’s navy, the Great Michael symbolized the king’s bold vision of establishing Scotland as a significant maritime power in Europe.

The story of the Great Michael began around 1505 when James IV, realizing the need for a strong naval fleet, ordered the construction of what would become a true marvel of its time. She was a carrack – one of the "great ships" of the Royal Scottish Navy – designed to be imposing both in size and firepower. Her construction began in 1507 under the supervision of Captain Sir Andrew Wood of Largo and master shipwright Jacques Terrell. The ship was launched on October 12, 1511, at the brand-new dockyard in Newhaven, just outside Edinburgh.

When she was completed in early 1512, the Great Michael was an awe-inspiring sight. At 240 feet long and 35 feet wide, she displaced around 1,000 tons, making her twice the size of England’s famous warship, the Mary Rose. Her massive wooden hull, built from the oak forests of Fife and beyond, was said to have walls 10 feet thick. The chronicler Lindsay of Pitscottie famously wrote that all the forests of Fife, save for Falkland wood, were used in her construction, and timber was imported from as far afield as Norway, France, and the Baltic.

But it wasn’t just her size that made the Great Michael so formidable; she was armed to the teeth. She boasted 24 broadside guns, alongside one enormous basilisk at the front and two at the rear. In addition, she carried 30 smaller guns, later increased to 36. Her crew included 300 sailors, 120 gunners, and space for up to 1,000 soldiers. This made her a floating fortress, capable of bringing Scotland’s might to any shore.

The Great Michael was named after the Archangel Michael, a symbol of divine power and protection. She was meant to be the flagship of a fleet that James IV dreamed would lead a crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, this grand vision never came to fruition, but the ship was quickly put to other uses, particularly in the context of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France.

In 1513, with tensions rising between Scotland and England, the Great Michael was part of a fleet that sailed under the command of the 1st Earl of Arran. The fleet’s mission was to harass English territories, though instead of targeting England directly, they ended up raiding Carrickfergus in Ireland. Although they returned with loot, the raid was a mere shadow of the ship’s intended grandeur.

However, maintaining such a massive warship was a heavy financial burden on the Scottish crown, especially after the disastrous Battle of Flodden in September 1513. This battle claimed the life of James IV and many Scottish nobles, leaving the country weakened. With the loss of its king, Scotland could no longer afford to keep the Great Michael in active service. In 1514, she was sold to France for the relatively small sum of 40,000 livres, where she became known as La Grande Nef d’Écosse or "The Big Ship of Scotland."

Under French ownership, the Great Michael continued her journey, albeit in quieter waters. She was too large for many French ports, and for years she lay docked at Honfleur. There are accounts that she might have taken part in the French naval campaign against England, including the Battle of the Solent in 1545, where England’s Mary Rose famously sank. However, most historians believe that her glory days were short-lived, and she was left to rot in Brest.

Despite her brief and costly career, the Great Michael left a lasting legacy. She represented Scotland’s ambitious reach into the realm of European naval power at a time when maritime strength was becoming increasingly crucial to national security and prestige. Her memory still lingers in Newhaven, where several streets, including Great Michael Rise, Great Michael Square, and Great Michael Close, commemorate her name and the shipbuilding marvel she once was.

Today, we can reflect on the Great Michael not just as a ship, but as a symbol of the vision and ambition of James IV’s Scotland. Though her fate was tied to the political turbulence of the time, her story remains an extraordinary chapter in Scottish maritime history.

Thank you for joining us on this voyage through history. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another fascinating episode of This Day in Scottish History. I’m Colin MacDonald, and until next time, Haste ye back!

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