BRITAIN'S HISTORIC SHIPS a complete guide to the ships that shaped the nation;a complete guide to the ships that shaped the nation

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__. 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 . 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 defence 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 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 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 9 1 The Sailing Navy 12 Mary Rose 14 Matthew Replica 19 Golden Hind Replica 20 Victory 21 Trincomalee and Unicorn 32 Grand Turk, Replica Sixth Rate 39 2 Merchant Sail 40 Cutty Sark 42 Glenlee 50 3 Coastal Sail 56 Kathleen & May 58 Result 61 Garlandstone 63 Thames Sailing Barges 65 4 The Transition from Sail to Steam 68 Great Britain 70 Warrior 81 Gannet 89 Discovery 93 5 The Early 20th-Century Navy 102 Caroline 104 M33 110 President 114 Holland 1 117 Coastal forces of the First World War 120 Turbinia 123 6 Coastal Steamers and Harbour Craft 126 Coastal Steamers 128 Waverley 128 Balmoral 129 Kingswear Castle 129 Kyles 132 Maid of the Loch 132 Robin 132 Shieldhall 132 Sir Walter Scott 133 Wingfield Castle 133 Harbour Craft 134 TID Class 134 VIC Class 135 Cervia 136 Challenge 136 Kerne 136 Portwey 137 Mayflower 137 John H. Amos 137 Daniel Adamson 137 Calshot 140 John King 140 Thomas 140 Kent 140 Freshspring 141 Lydia Eva 141 Edmund Gardner 141 7 The Second World War Navy 142 Belfast 144 Cavalier 153 Wellington 159 Alliance 165 X-craft 168 Coastal Forces 172 8 The Postwar Navy 180 Bristol 182 Oberon-class submarines: Ocelot and Otus 184 Midget Submarine Stickleback 190 Courageous 191 Gay Archer 194 Britannia 196 Appendix – Other Vessels of 60 feet or more on the Core and Designated Lists of the National Historic Ships Register 204 Glossary 205 Select Bibliography 207 Useful Websites 208 Picture Credits 208 Index 209 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 defence 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 fully updated second edition 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. The sailing navy Merchant sail Coastal sail The transition from sail to steam The early 20th century navy Coastal steamers and harbour craft The Second World War navy The postwar navy. Exploring over 50 of Britain's most celebrated and accessible historic ships, this book describes the significance of the country's rich maritime heritage