In his second volume on the Tudor navy, naval
expert Angus Konstam covers the extraordinary transformation of the
Tudor fleet during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This period
witnessed the birth of a whole new breed of warships designed to
dominate the seas and expand the corners of the empire. Detailing
warfare during the age of Sea Dogs such as Sir Francis Drake and Walter
Raleigh, and the landmark event of the Spanish Armada, he explains the
technological innovations that allowed this small but efficient navy to
defeat the larger Spanish fleet. Packed with new research, in-depth
analysis, photographs, full-colour reconstructions and detailed cutaway
artwork, this book is a must for any lover of maritime history, and for
anyone who wants to understand how Britain came to rule the waves,
creating and retaining her supremacy across the seas throughout the age
of fighting sail.
In this book, maritime expert Angus Konstam
explores the fledging Tudor Navy, tracing its history from its origins
as a merchant fleet under Henry VII through to its emergence as a
powerful force under Henry VIII. Examining the operational use of Henry
VIII's warships the author analyses the battle of the Solent in 1545,
in which Henry's fleet took on a French fleet of 200 ships - much
larger than the Spanish Armada decades later. Despite the
well-documented loss of his flagship, the Mary Rose, Henry's smaller
force succeeded in preventing a French victory. Although many people
will have heard of the mighty Mary Rose, this book will tell the story
of more than just the tragic sinking of Henry's flagship, describing
how one of history's most dynamic kings grew the navy from the five
warships that were his father's legacy to 53 deadly gunships at the
forefront of his empire-building strategy. Through contemporary
illustrations and intricate artwork, the author traces the changing
face of warship design during the Renaissance as Henry paved the way
for English dominance of the sea.
During
the middle decade of the 16th century a new type of sailing vessel
emerged, designed to carry the wealth of the Americas to Spain. This was
the galleon, and over the next century these vessels would serve Spain
well as treasure ships and warships, becoming a symbol of Spanish power
and wealth during the period. The development and construction of the
Spanish galleon are discussed in this book, and the ordnance and crewing
needed to produce and maintain these stately vessels is covered. The
author also examines the role of the galleon as a treasure ship, and
describes how these ships were manned and fought in action.
For most of the Renaissance period, naval
warfare in the Mediterranean was dominated by the war galley, a unique
naval vessel for a momentous age. During the struggle for supremacy
between Christian and Muslim powers, war galleys formed the backbone of
the rival battlefleets. Different regions of the Mediterranean produced
their own versions of the war galley, thereby producing a number of
variants on the basic design tailored to the needs and resources of
particular nations. This book examines the development of the war
galley from its classically inspired resurrection in the 15th century
until its demise in the early 17th century, providing the first ever
in-depth study of this remarkable war machine.
Viking longships evolved from one-man canoes of
the Scandinavian Stone Age, through wood-built-ships of c. 200 BC into
the recognisable longboats of the 4th century AD. From this point, the
Viking Longship developed into the pre-eminent raider and trader in the
North Sea and Baltic, venturing as far afield as the Mediterranean,
North Atlantic and modern-day Russia. Keith Durham uses
reconstructions, original sources, translations and archaeological
evidence to render a vivid picture of the vessels that dominated the
seaways of Scandinavia, founded colonies on Iceland, Greenland and the
New World and terrorised the coastlines of northern Europe. Also
covered are Norman vessels, including the invasion fleet of William the
Conqueror.
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
encompassed a period when rival European fleets vied for naval
supremacy, and naval tactics were evolving. The British Royal Navy
emerged triumphant as the leading world sea power, and the epitome of
Britannic naval strength was the Ship-of-the-Line. These 'wooden walls'
were more than merely floating gun batteries: they contained a crew of
up to 800 men, and often had to remain at sea for extended periods.
This book offers detailed coverage of the complex vessels that were the
largest man-made structures produced in the pre-Industrial era.
One
of the most popular titles in the best-selling Anatomy of the Ship
series Comes complete with 1/192 Scale fold-out plan Forever associated
with Nelson's last battle, HMS Victory is one of the most famous ships
of all time, and is now preserved as a major part pf the Royal Naval
Museum in Portsmouth. The ship's survival is particularly appropriate
since Victory is not only an example of the ultimate sailing warship -
the three decker First Rate - but was also the most popular and
successful 100-gun ship of the period. Forty years old by the time of
Trafalgar, she had been the flagship of half a dozen famous admirals,
and was to continue in active service until 1812. First published in
1987, this revised edition of the 100-gun ship Victory now incorporates
and details the most recent research and findings of the HMS Victory
Advisory Technical Committee. This Volume Features: * Full
description of the ship and her position in the development of the First
Rate * Pictorial section emphasising close-up and on-board photographs *
Guide to the ship's Trafalgar colour scheme on the book jacket * More
than 300 perspective and 3-view drawings, with in-depth descriptive
keys, of every detail of the ship as presently restored - general
arrangements, hull construction, fittings, decoration, masts and yards,
riggings and armament * One large-scale 1/192 plan on the reverse of
extended fold-out jacket.
Made
eternally famous by the mutiny against Captain Bligh in 1789, Bounty
was a small merchant ship purchased and converted into a naval transport
to transplant breadfruit to the plantations of the West Indies. Thanks
to good surviving documentation, this book can depict the ship when
purchased as the mercantile Bethia and also as fitted out for her
unusual naval employment. This revised edition features accurate,
visually exciting and totally comprehensive drawings. In addition to
these, a colour representation of Bounty on the jacket provides a useful
painting guide, on the back of which is a beautifully folded large
scale plan of the ship. The 'Anatomy of the Ship' series aims to
provide the finest documentation of individual ships and ship types ever
published. What makes the series unique is a complete set of superbly
executed line drawings, both the conventional type of plan as well as
explanatory views, with fully descriptive keys. These are supported by
technical details and a record of the ship's service history. This
revised edition features accurate, visually exciting and totally
comprehensive drawings. In addition to these, a colour representation of
Bounty on the jacket provides a useful painting guide, on the back of
which is a beautifully folded large scale plan of the ship. The
'Anatomy of the Ship' series aims to provide the finest documentation of
individual ships and ship types ever published. What makes the series
unique is a complete set of superbly executed line drawings, both the
conventional type of plan as well as explanatory views, with fully
descriptive keys. These are supported by technical details and a record
of the ship's service history.
The "Anatomy of the Ship" series provides documentation of individual
ships and ship types, accompanied by line drawings with descriptive
keys, technical details and a record of the ship's service history. The
"Alert", constructed in Dover in 1777, was captured by the French in
1778.
On the successful completion of the War of Independence, the American
navy was disbanded, and it was not until the late 1790s that a regular
naval force was reconstituted. Provoked by the need to protect American
merchant shipping from the belligerent European nations and the
piratical Barbary powers, Congress decided on a programme of frigate
building, which included the 32-gun frigate Essex. Designed by William
Hackett, Essex was a typical medium frigate of her time. Working from
both US and British sources, the author has reconstructed many
previously undetermined details of the ship and in passing has
rehabilitated the reputation of the designer as one who was responsible
for one of the best balanced of that generation's frigates.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of
this title.
