The Boats of Men-Of-War

In the age of sail, boats were an essential part of any ship's equipment. They moved stores, towed the ship in calm and confined waters, and, for warships, were an extension of their armament.



With the advent of steam the diversity of boats became even greater. Over the centuries there were almost countess sizes, hull forms and rig employed, so the exact details have always been a problem to modelmakers, marine artists and even those building replicas.



This new book, based on a work originally published in 1974, is still the only study of the whole history of this neglected topic. Now revised, expanded and much more thoroughly illustrated, it covers the boat establishments (the sizes and types of boat formally allocated), the methods of hoisting and stowing them aboard ship, the design and construction of the boats themselves, their fittings, rig and armament - guns, howitzers, and even Congreve rockets.



With the largest collection of original naval boat draughts ever published, this new edition will be warmly welcomed by ship modellers, and historians of the world's navies, as well as all small-craft enthusiasts.



Devoting an entire book to the boats carried by warships may seem a little extravagant, and of somewhat limited value to all but the most ardent student of naval affairs, but the result could not be further from the truth. The book, produced in conjunction with the national Maritime Museum, charts the development of ships boats from the oared longboats of the 1600s through to the steam powered picket boats of the early 1900s.

Often dismissed as little more than lifeboats by many readers, the many varieties of ship's boat are shown through the pages of this book to be the equivalent of the modern frigate's helicopter. Carrying an ever increasing diversity of weaponry, from short cannon in the earliest boats through to lightweight torpedoes and machine guns in the later steam pinnaces they extended the reach and role of the warship, serving as picket boat, reconnaissance vessel offensive platform for shore and coastal work, as well as transport for stores and personnel. Modellers and wargamers with an interest in combined operations will find this book particularly useful given the profuse illustrations, plans, diagrams and table covering all aspects of the design and operation of boats.

W.E May
Hardcover 128pp with b&w photos/prints/tables etc