British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650-1859 PDF Download

Author: David J. Hepper
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Author: David Hepper
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1399031031
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 692

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Book Description
This significant new reference book provides a complete list of the ships of the Royal Navy which were lost at sea in the age of sail. Arranged in chronological order, it includes outline details of each vessel lost and the circumstances of her loss. 1649 is the start date, which coincides with the execution of Charles I and that time when the Royal Navy entered a new phase as an instrument of state: the launch of the steam-powered and iron-hulled Warrior in 1860 effectively marks the end of the great era of the wooden-hulled sailing warship. Life at sea in the age of sail was a hazardous pursuit, and there were many reasons for a ship being lost. A correspondent to the Nautical Magazine in 1841 detailed some fifty reasons and causes, from being short of crew, abandonment without sufficient cause, the poor condition of a ship, incorrectness of charts, poor dead-reckoning as well as less obvious reasons such as ‘the presence of captains’ wives and other women.’ Navigational error, particularly before the chronometer allowed for the accurate calculation of longitude, was a common reason, while poor weather in the form of fog or gales was an obvious peril. So many ships suffered the melancholy fate of lonely disappearance – overwhelmed by storm and sea, and witnessed by none. Collisions and fire feature regularly as does, of course, loss to the enemy. Each entry includes details of the ship, its name and type, tonnage and dimensions, origin and place of build, the circumstances of the loss, the date and a list of the main references used. All this material is presented here in a single and highly accessible volume, and represents a major milestone both in naval research and publishing; it offers too a fund of fascinating and compelling stories of maritime misadventure. Praise for the author's previous work: ‘This volume is an amazing encyclopaedic, catalogue of British warships lost between 1920 and 1982 It is strongly recommended to historians, authors, researchers and all those with an interest in the history of the Royal Navy and the Second World War.’ -Scuttlebut Magazine

Author: Rif Winfield
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 147383743X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1164

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The publication of this book sees the completion of a monumental work listing the technical details and career histories of every significant British warship between 1603 and 1863. Following three earlier volumes, this one carries forward the story from the post-Napoleonic War reorganisation of the Royal Navy's rating system to the end of sail as the principal mode of propulsion. Although apparently well documented, this is a period of great complexity in the procurement and naval architecture of ships. The introduction of steam radically altered the design of vessels under construction and was later retro-fitted to others, while many 'names' lived a ghostly existence on the Navy List: ships ordered but not started, and in some cases having their intended draughts altered more than once before being cancelled entirely.This book meticulously sorts out and clarifies these confusions a major contribution in itself but for the first time it also provides outline service histories for an era that is largely neglected. Like its companion volumes, the book is organised by Rate, classification and class, with significant technical and building data, followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era and the formative years of the steam navy that supplanted it.

Author: Rif Winfield
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783469269
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 614

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The revised edition of this authoritative naval history provides a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the Royal Navy of the Napoleonic Era. A major contribution to naval history, this third volume in Rif Winfield’s British Warships in the Age of Sail covers every vessel that served in the Royal Navy between the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Battle of Waterloo. Revised to incorporate new research, it details more than 2000 ships—whether purpose-built, captured, purchased or merely hired. Providing comprehensive technical data on the ships, this volume also includes commissioning dates, refit periods, changes of captain, their stations of service, as well as notes on any actions in which they took part. The book is well illustrated with contemporary prints and drawings that show the wide variety of service required of naval vessels in late 18th and early 19th centuries. Specially commissioned general arrangement drawings also depict the most significant classes. In all, it is a fitting tribute to a navy that at the zenith of its power in 1809 comprised one half of all the warships in the world

Author: Rif Winfield
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1844157008
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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The new Hanoverian dynasty that came to power with the accession of George I in 1714 inherited the largest navy in the world. In the course of the century, this force would see a vast amount of action against nearly every major navy, reaching a pinnacle of success in the Seven Years War only to taste defeat in the American Revolutionary struggle, when it faced the combined navies of France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the rebellious colonies themselves. Considering the contribution to history of these ships, there is surprisingly little readily available on their careers. Now this gap is comprehensively filled by this superb reference book, outlining the service history of every ship, built, purchased or captured, that fought for the Royal Navy in the great wars of the eighteenth century - well over 2000 vessels. The book is organized by Rate, classification and class, with outline technical and building data, but followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. This includes commissioning dates, refit periods, changes of captain, the stations where they served (and when), as well as details of any noteworthy actions in which they took part. It will enable anyone to follow up a casual reference to any warship, and will provide the researcher with a solid core of information on which to base further study. With nothing remotely like it in print, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era.

Author: Rif Winfield
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783469242
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 589

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The 1st volume in this comprehensive reference series details the design and employment of British warships in the 17th and early 18th centuries. During the seventeenth century, Britain transformed from a minor state into a global economic power with the largest navy in the world. The character of this navy was forged by a bloody civil war, three fiercely disputed conflicts with the Dutch, and the first of many wars with the French. In the process, British naval ships evolved from the galleons that had defeated the Spanish Armada to prestige vessels like HMS Sovereign of the Seas, and the lightly built frigates of the Commonwealth era. This detailed and authoritative reference volume outlines the history of every ship built, purchased or captured that saw naval service during this era. Like its companion volumes, the book is organized by Rate, classification and class. The technical and building data of each ship is followed by a concise summary of its career. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era.

Author: Stewart Gordon
Publisher: Brandeis University Press
ISBN: 1512601241
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Shipwrecks as a window on the history of globalization

Author: Rif Winfield
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473893534
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1128

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“The first comprehensive listing of these ships in English. . . . Profusely illustrated [and] impressively informative.” —Midwest Book Review The origins of a permanent French sailing navy can be traced to the work of Cardinal Richelieu in the 1620s, but this naval force declined rapidly in the 1650s and a virtually new Marine Royale had to be re-created by Colbert from 1661. Thereafter, Louis XIV’s navy grew rapidly to become the largest and most powerful in the world, at the same time establishing a reputation for the quality of its ship design that lasted until the end of sail. The eighteenth century was to see defeat and decline, revival and victory, but by 1786 the French Navy had emerged from its most successful naval war having frequently outfought or outmaneuvred the British Navy in battle, and in the process making a major contribution to American independence. This book provides significant technical and building data as well as highlights of the careers of each ship in every class. For the first time, it is possible to form a clear picture of the overall development of French warships throughout the whole of the sailing era. “A handy and quick reference to a variety of vessels . . . [A] top notch reference book.” —British Tars, 1740-1790

Author: Ian McLaughlan
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1848322976
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 864

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“A delight . . . fulfills a long-felt need to do justice to the smaller ships of war that did such sterling service for the sailing Royal Navy.”—Ships in Scale This is the first study in depth of the Royal Navy’s vital, but largely ignored small craft. In the age of sail, they were built in huge numbers and in far greater variety than the more regulated major warships, so they present a particular challenge to any historian attempting a coherent design history. However, for the first time this book charts the development of the ancillary types, variously described in the 17th century as sloops, ketches, brigantines, advice boats and even yachts, as they coalesce into the single 18th-century category of Sloop of War. In this era, they were generally two-masted, although they set a bewildering variety of sail plans from them. The author traces their origins to open boats, like those carried by Basque whalers, shows how developments in Europe influenced English craft, and homes in on the relationship between rigs, hull-form and the duties they were designed to undertake. Visual documentation is scanty, but this book draws together a unique collection of rare and unseen images, coupled with the author’s own reconstructions in line drawings and watercolor sketches to provide the most convincing depictions of the appearance of these vessels. By tackling some of the most obscure questions about the early history of small-boat rigs, the book adds a dimension that will be of interest to historians of coastal sail and practical yachtsmen, as well as warship enthusiasts. “Fascinating . . . It combines a truly scholarly delivery with a lovely presentation. History brought to life.”—tomcunliffe.com

Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004194401
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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In sixteen essays authors explore the dramatic rise in the efficiency of European shipping in the three centuries before the Industrial Revolution. They offer reasons for the greater success of the sector than any other in making better use of labor. They describe the roots - political, organizational, technological, ecological, human - of rising productivity, treating those sources both theoretically and empirically. Comparisons with China show why Europeans came to dominate Asian waters. Building on past research, the volume is a statement of what is known about that critical sector of the early modern European economy and indicates the contribution shipping made to the emergence of the West as the dominant force on the oceans of the world.