Britain's Historic Ships: A Complete Guide to the Ships That Shaped the Nation

Description

The British Isles have a long, rich and celebrated seafaring history stretching from the earliest times through the victories of Drake and Nelson, the voyages of discovery of Cabot and Cook and the defense of the realm by vessels of all types in the present century. Much of this history is recorded in literature and in museums but reaches its most tangible form in the large number of historical ships that have been preserved and are continually restored as monuments to a proud past. This lavish book, now in paperback, explores 20 of the most celebrated and accessible ships and offers a comprehensive history of each vessel's design, construction, active service and subsequent restoration and preservation. Presented in order of each ship's launch date, each entry is written by the acknowledged expert on a particular vessel, gives full specification details and is sumptuously illustrated with contemporary photographs, historical illustrations and a full set of scale plans. In addition to the featured entries, an appendix presents all of the necessary contact details and opening times where applicable. The appendix also lists (and provides details for) other vessels of historical importance including a small number of working replicas such as the Matthew and the recently commissioned eighteenth-century frigate The Grand Turk, featured in the recent Hornblower television series. Principal vessels include: Mary Rose, HMS Victory, HMS Trincomalee, SS Great Britain, Cutty Sark, RRS Discovery, HMS Warrior, HMS Belfast, HMY Britannia, HMS Alliance, HMS Cavalier, Gypsy Moth IV and HMS Plymouth. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1 The Sailing Navy Mary Rose Matthew Replica Golden Hind Replica Victory Trincomalee and Unicorn Grand Turk, Replica Sixth Rate 2 Merchant Sail Cutty Sark Glenlee 3 Coastal Sail Kathleen & May Result Garlandstone Thames Sailing Barges 4 The Transition from Sail to Steam Great Britain Warrior Gannet Discovery 5 The Early 20th-Century Navy Caroline M33 President Holland 1 Coastal forces of the First World War Turbinia 6 Coastal Steamers and Harbour Craft Coastal Steamers Waverley Balmoral Kingswear Castle Kyles Maid of the Loch Robin Shieldhall Sir Walter Scott Wingfield Castle Harbour Craft TID Class VIC Class Cervia Challenge Kerne Portwey Mayflower John H. Amos Daniel Adamson Calshot John King Thomas Kent Freshspring Lydia Eva Edmund Gardner 7 The Second World War Navy Belfast Cavalier Wellington Alliance X-craft Coastal Forces 8 The Postwar Navy Bristol Oberon-class submarines: Ocelot and Otus Midget Submarine Stickleback Courageous Gay Archer Britannia Appendix – Other Vessels of 60 feet or more on the Core and Designated Lists of the National Historic Ships Register Glossary Select Bibliography Useful Websites Picture Credits Index