Wooden Walls 1600 - 1805 During the 17th century, the Royal Navy's war efforts were aided immeasurably by Samuel Pepys' visionary reforms of the Admiralty and the codification of naval tactics in The Fighting Instructions which transformed naval battles from uncontrollable melees into linear chess games on water. Led by Admirals Robert Blake, George Monck and others the Royal Navy's MIGHTY WOODEN WALLS confronted the great Dutch Admirals, such as Maarten Tromp, in decisive battles that sustained Britain's naval might. However, reforms initiated by France's brilliant Minister of Marine, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, begin to bear fruit. The French built better designed, faster ships and trained their sailors more effectively than the British.