Josiah Fox (1763–1847) was a British naval architect noted for his involvement in the design and construction of the first significant warships of the United States Navy.
Fox was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, Kingdom of Great Britain 9 October 1763, and completed the apprenticeship at the Royal Dockyard, Plymouth, where he later served as a shipwright. In 1793 he traveled to the United States to survey timber resources and was there engaged to teach drafting to the sons of Jonathan Penrose, an American shipwright.
On 17 July 1794 Fox signed and as a Quaker "affirmed" his support of the Constitution of the United States. Fox was initially employed at 500.00peryearbytheUSNavyasaclerkdraftsmanworkingunderNavalConstructorJoshuaHumphreysatPhiladelphiaNavalShipyard.HumphreyswasthedesignerofthefirstNavyfrigates.FoxandHumphreysdisagreedoverdesignissues,theformerbelievingthatthedesignsweretoolongandhadtoosharpabow,amongotherproblems.Thisdisagreementcausedsignificantanimositybetweenthetwo,withargumentsovercreditforthedesigncontinuinginthepressaslateas1827.OnarrivalatGosportNavyYard,FoxwrotetotheSecretaryofWarTimothyPickering,24September1795andstated:"ThepublicServiceRequiringtheutmostHarmonyshouldtakeplaceintheNavalYardatGosport(Virginia)"andwentontoproposethefirstregulationsforthegovernanceoftheNavyYard.Fox′sregulationswerewrittentocorrectwhatheperceivedasseriousdeficiencies.Inhisletter,Foxproposedimmediatechangestotheshipyardandanewemphasison"publicserviceandeconomy"(seethumbnail).On1August1798,FoxwasappointedNavyConstructortosuperintendthebuildingofthefrigateChesapeake,38,whichwastobebuiltinNorfolk.Fox′ssalarywassetat2 000 per annum. Fox apparently altered Humphreys’ design to his own liking, though this may have been partially the result of a timber shortage.
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