Description
This book is a highly detailed account of the process of construction of a 74-gun ship of the line, the Valiant. She was inspired by the large French 74, the Invincible, which surrendered to the British in 1747 and which had to come to be regarded during her years in Royal Navy service as the best ship in her class, superior to anything built in the English dockyards. The Valiant, built at Chatham, and the Triumph, built at Woolrich, were based upon her lines.
Though the author concentrates upon a specific ship he draws upon other examples in order to outline clearly all the stages which were involved in the design, construction and fitting out of a ship of the line. The techniques and the building sequence in the book are, therefore, valid for ships built for nearly a century from 1715 to around 1810. He examines the whole process from the initial stage of the drawing of the lines through to the final fitting out of the finished vessel; deals with the finding and transportation of timber, its cutting and fastening; with the painting and decoration of the ship; and he explains the roles of, amongst others, the shipwrights, sawyers and caulkers and looks at the organization of the dockyard itself.
Approximate size of book and weight. All books with be shipped Media Mail, but
we still need to know if it is oversized or extremely heavy.
Dimensions: : 8 x 0.5 x 11 inches Weight: 1.9 lbs
