SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - "Anatomy of the Ship" Series Review-A-Thon

Subnuts · 01-21-13, 04:45 PM

Pardon me for resuscitating this thread after a long absence, but I seem to be suffering from some kind of syndrome that makes me buy book after book but prevents me from being able to review them. Anyway, on with the "Anatomy of the Ship" series.

The Frigate Diana
David White
1987

By 1987, the "Anatomy of the Ship" series included three titles on historic English wooden fighting ships, each by a different draughtsman, each tackling a similar subject vessel from a wildly different stylistic approach. By this point, it must have been obvious that the format established early on by John Roberts worked better with steel, engine-powered ships than with wooden sailing ships. That said, The Frigate Diana is one of my favorite books in this series.

Launched in 1794, Diana was a 38-gun frigate of the nine-ship Artois-class. Diana was a typical warship of the period, albeit one with an unusually long and active service life. She served in the Royal Navy for 21 years, virtually all of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, before being sold to the Dutch in 1815. She served for another 24 years in the Royal Netherlands Navy, before being destroyed in an accidental fire in 1839.

Once again, the introduction is pretty brief, and includes a look at the ship's design, a short service history, and a few tables giving dimensions of the masts, spars, and hull. For photos, we get 11 large shots of three different models of Diana from the NMM collection that were built the same time the ship was.

The drawings section opens with a set of hull lines plans, along with a drawing describing some of the terms used by 18th century naval architects in draughting the midships section, and a cross-section profile through the hull. The next section focuses on the hull structure, with detailed views of the keel, cut-water, bow and stern framing, quarter galleries, and hull framing, along with plans depicting the components of five frame bends.

Section C details the arrangement, structure, and fittings of Diana's decks. The four decks and hold each receive three views: one split down the center-line, showing the layout of deck planking and fittings on one side, and the deck's structure on the other, a second showing the deck in profile, and a third showing the basic arrangement of the deck. The section also includes drawings of the belfry, Brodie stove, and pumps, plans depicting the stowage of ballast and casks in the hold, five transverse sections showing the hull and deck structure, and views of the shot lockers, magazine, and filling room. Section D covers the exterior, with detailed close-ups of the ship's side, multiple views of the head, and a drawing showing the arrangement of planking.

Anchors and cables are detailed in Section E, with drawings of the cable layout, anchors, and a cross-section of the main capstan. "Spars and rigging" are the focus of the book's longest chapter. This section includes plans of each mast, spar, and mast top, drawings depicting the arrangement of running and standing rigging, views of numerous sails, drawings of the running rigging of the courses, staysails, and studding sails, and a series of plans showing where each line was belayed. The final three sections cover the guns, carriages, and gear, the steering arrangements, and four of the boats carried onboard.

When this book was published, David White was a naval architect and the man responsible for the National Maritime Museum's large collection of ship plans. This was the book he created for the series, which is a shame. The plans on display here are meticulously detailed, crisply drawn, and very classy looking. In some cases, detail has been simplified, but almost always for the benefit of the reader. The drawing keys are overflowing with authentic 18th century naval jargon, sure to please anyone who's into that kind of thing. The only real misstep lies in the compressed nature of the chapter on spars and rigging. David White devotes 27 pages of this book to the subject; Karl Heinz Marquardt would devote 48 pages to it for his book on the Endeavour. As a result, many of the drawings in this section are rather flat-looking or simplified. That aside, The Frigate Diana would make a fine addition to the collection of any Age of Sail fan.

Final rating: 8/10

01-21-13, 04:45 PM	#23
Subnuts The Old Man Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,658 Downloads: 14 Uploads: 0	Pardon me for resuscitating this thread after a long absence, but I seem to be suffering from some kind of syndrome that makes me buy book after book but prevents me from being able to review them. Anyway, on with the "Anatomy of the Ship" series. The Frigate Diana David White 1987 By 1987, the "Anatomy of the Ship" series included three titles on historic English wooden fighting ships, each by a different draughtsman, each tackling a similar subject vessel from a wildly different stylistic approach. By this point, it must have been obvious that the format established early on by John Roberts worked better with steel, engine-powered ships than with wooden sailing ships. That said, The Frigate Diana is one of my favorite books in this series. Launched in 1794, Diana was a 38-gun frigate of the nine-ship Artois-class. Diana was a typical warship of the period, albeit one with an unusually long and active service life. She served in the Royal Navy for 21 years, virtually all of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, before being sold to the Dutch in 1815. She served for another 24 years in the Royal Netherlands Navy, before being destroyed in an accidental fire in 1839. Once again, the introduction is pretty brief, and includes a look at the ship's design, a short service history, and a few tables giving dimensions of the masts, spars, and hull. For photos, we get 11 large shots of three different models of Diana from the NMM collection that were built the same time the ship was. The drawings section opens with a set of hull lines plans, along with a drawing describing some of the terms used by 18th century naval architects in draughting the midships section, and a cross-section profile through the hull. The next section focuses on the hull structure, with detailed views of the keel, cut-water, bow and stern framing, quarter galleries, and hull framing, along with plans depicting the components of five frame bends. Section C details the arrangement, structure, and fittings of Diana's decks. The four decks and hold each receive three views: one split down the center-line, showing the layout of deck planking and fittings on one side, and the deck's structure on the other, a second showing the deck in profile, and a third showing the basic arrangement of the deck. The section also includes drawings of the belfry, Brodie stove, and pumps, plans depicting the stowage of ballast and casks in the hold, five transverse sections showing the hull and deck structure, and views of the shot lockers, magazine, and filling room. Section D covers the exterior, with detailed close-ups of the ship's side, multiple views of the head, and a drawing showing the arrangement of planking. Anchors and cables are detailed in Section E, with drawings of the cable layout, anchors, and a cross-section of the main capstan. "Spars and rigging" are the focus of the book's longest chapter. This section includes plans of each mast, spar, and mast top, drawings depicting the arrangement of running and standing rigging, views of numerous sails, drawings of the running rigging of the courses, staysails, and studding sails, and a series of plans showing where each line was belayed. The final three sections cover the guns, carriages, and gear, the steering arrangements, and four of the boats carried onboard. When this book was published, David White was a naval architect and the man responsible for the National Maritime Museum's large collection of ship plans. This was the book he created for the series, which is a shame. The plans on display here are meticulously detailed, crisply drawn, and very classy looking. In some cases, detail has been simplified, but almost always for the benefit of the reader. The drawing keys are overflowing with authentic 18th century naval jargon, sure to please anyone who's into that kind of thing. The only real misstep lies in the compressed nature of the chapter on spars and rigging. David White devotes 27 pages of this book to the subject; Karl Heinz Marquardt would devote 48 pages to it for his book on the Endeavour. As a result, many of the drawings in this section are rather flat-looking or simplified. That aside, The Frigate Diana would make a fine addition to the collection of any Age of Sail fan. Final rating: 8/10 __________________ My Amazon.com reviews Last edited by Subnuts; 01-21-13 at 04:45 PM. Reason: Forgot to include a score.