The Sloop of War: 1650-1763

McLaughlan, Ian

ISBN 10: 1848321872 / ISBN 13: 9781848321878

Published by Seaforth Publishing, United Kingdom, 2014

About this Item

288pp, bw illus.

Seller Inventory # 021100

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Sloop of War: 1650-1763
• Publisher: Seaforth Publishing, United Kingdom
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1848321872
• ISBN 13: 9781848321878
• Binding: Large Format Hardback
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Transport>Shipping
  • Industrial History>Military
  • Industrial History>Maritime

About this title

Synopsis

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 watercolour 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 yachtsman, as well as warship enthusiasts.

About the Author

IAN McLAUGHLAN is a retired British Army officer with a keen and active enthusiasm for small-boat sailing. From this passion developed a profound interest in the rigs, design and operations of the Navy's smallest combatants. A decade of study has resulted in this book.