British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792: Design, Construction, Careers & Fates

Book Title:

British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792: Design, Construction, Careers & Fates

Author:

Rif Winfield

ISBN:

978-1-78346-925-3

Category:

Reference

Format:

Multiple

Summary:

In tandem with its companion volume BWAS 1793-1817, this book is a veritable Bible of the Royal Navy during the time of SGN. Winfield is basically the heir to noted naval historian David Lyon after having been invited to complete Lyon's last unfinished masterpiece The Sail & Steam Navy List, and has continued to use that experience and the Lyon archive to expand and deepen his coverage of the ships that flew the Red, White or Blue Ensigns. The magic word here is "exhaustive coverage"--it covers virtually every ship commissioned into the RN during the time discussed, including the veritable swarm of brigs, ketches and other "little guys" that give me fits trying to group into potential sculpts, but in almost all classes it's very good with the design data about how these ships were related to one another.

Hardcover is usually $50ish, Nook digital edition (which I bought) is $30--worth every penny, my only complaint being the lagging availability of its companion volumes in digital form.

Does this read like a book or like an encyclopedia (short entries)?

I see these referenced quite often.

Thanks for the review, DB.

It (and its companion volumes) are more encyclopedic in nature

Thanks for hitting cleanup, David. :)

Thanks, David.

I just ordered the later years edition through interlibrary loan.

More exciting, the same author has a volume in the pipe to kick off the same coverage of the French fleet, due out late next year if all goes according to plan.

Working backwards, I got the French Fleet first, early this year, and the two British ones this week.
I can vouch for them being every bit as good as DB stated. They are between them the Naval equivalent of Jane's Aircraft books with bells and whistles added. If the information on a certain ship is not here, it is probably unobtainable. Well worth the money in my opinion.
Rob.