Versailles Grand Canal as a model testing basin for ships

Britain was dominant maritime power in Europe for much of this period, for the well-known reason that the nation could only be invaded by sea, and most of its military budget went to the navy.  Other nations had the greater priority to defend their land borders, so most of their budget went to their armies.  They could not hope to compete with Britain in the number of ships, so France in particular used naval science as a way to make each ship better.

During the 1600s and 1700s, naval ministers such as Jean-Baptiste Colbert funded scientific research in ship design, using the Grand Canal at the Versailles palace to conduct experiments on new ship models.  They also funded research in navigation, which led to the Geodesic Mission to Peru that helped determine the shape of the Earth.