Description
The first capital ships were intended as flagships - conspicuous in their size, flying the banner of an admiral, and acting as a lead vessel to a fleet of smaller craft. But by the end of the 16th century, their value as fighting machines encouraged the maritime countries of Europe to build more big warships. What followed was three centuries of big-gun sailing warships, before steam power took over. The Golden Age of Sail selects the best of these vessels, from Henry Grace a Dieu, launched in 1514, through to the 19th century ironclad steam-and-sail ships, such as HMS Alexandra and Konig Wilhelm. The book devotes a spread to each featured vessel, with expert text putting each ship into its historical, military and naval context. Throughout specifications are provided for each ship, with feature boxes outlining development and annotations pointing out particular details. Unique graphics allow the reader to compare specific features. Featuring spectacular color profile artworks, The Golden Age of Sail is a superb celebration of 100 ships from 400 years of nautical history.
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Sailing ships dominated naval warfare from the early sixteenth century to the mid nineteenth century. The first capital ships were intended as flagships, flying the banner of an admiral and acting as a lead vessel. By the end of the 1500s, however, the maritime countries of Europe realized they could project power around the globe with well-designed fighting ships of every size and type. What followed was three centuries of big-gun sailing warships, before steam power took over. Arranged in chronological order, The Golden Age of Sail provides concise coverage of some of the most famous sailing ships, including San Martin, the flagship of the Spanish Armada; Le Soleil Royal, symbol of the power and prestige of the ‘Sun King’, Louis XIV; HMS Victory, Bucentaure and Santissima Trinidad, which fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805; the steam frigate USS Powhatan, aboard which Commodore Matthew Perry negotiated the United States’ first trade treaty with Japan in 1854; the first steam-and-sail ironclad capital ships, the French Gloire and British Victoria; and Herzogin Cecilie, a German four-mast barque that was one of the fastest merchant sailing ships of the early twentieth century. Filled with colorful artworks, expertly-written background text and useful specifications of 100 sailing ships, The Golden Age of Sail is a visually sumptuous guide to sailing ships of every type from 1514 to 1930.
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