Building the Wooden Fighting Ship - Hardcover

Building the Wooden Fighting Ship is a fascinating account of the building of an historic ship as well as a vivid and often surprising account of life and labour in the eighteenth century. By the second half of that century the timber-built ship had reached the peak of its development in design and construction and in an age before industrialisation the warship was the most complex object built by man and employed the most advanced technology of its time. Naval vessels of the period were, not surprisingly, so expensive to construct that meticulous records were kept, from the purchasing of timbers to the last details of their furnishings and armament, including even the individual names of some of the shipwrights and craftsmen. From intensive study of these records the authors tell, in extraordinary detail, the building of HMS Thunderer, a two-decked, 74-gun ship-of-the-line, which represented one of the most successful types of warship of the world's leading maritime power of the time. In words, and specially-drawn illustrations, as well as contemporary prints and paintings, the authors illustrate every stage of building, from the purchase and cutting of timbers in the forests right through to the launching in 1760. There are descriptions of the dockyard, Woolwich, where she was built and explanations of all the skills and trades which were involved in her construction. First published in 1984, this book is both a beautiful and highly informative work on a highly significant aspect of the Royal Navy and this new edition will apeal to enthusiasts, modellers, historians and anyone with an interest in traditional crafts and skills.