Jorge Juan’s British-style Navy: An 18th Century experiment

In the mid-eighteenth century, a Spanish naval officer’s visit to London led to the recruitment of a large British workforce to implement British naval shipbuilding techniques in Spain. Forming part of a broader naval regeneration project, this resulted in the construction of over fifty ships of the lines and frigates for the Spanish navy between 1750 and 1770 along ‘British lines’. It provides an example of an ambitious experiment in technology transfer that illustrates many of the characteristics that often accompany attempting modernisation in this manner and, like many such experiments, the results were decidedly mixed so that the overall value of the project has often been called into question. This paper will explore Jorge Juan y Santacilia’s mission to implement British naval shipbuilding in Spain and analyse the project from its origins and execution to its immediate and long-term outcomes.

Dr Catherine Scheybeler is a Lecturer at King’s College London, Chair of the Maritime Heritage Committee of the SNR, Reviews Editor of The Mariner’s Mirror (from January 2026) and historian specialising in the Spanish eighteenth-century navy. 

This event is open to the public and free to attend both in-person and online (via Zoom). In-person spaces are limited, so register now to secure your spot!

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