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The Sloop of War, 1650–1763: 1650-1763
"A delight . . . fulfills a long-felt need to do justice to the smaller ships of war that did such sterling service for the sailing Royal Navy."--Ships in Scale
This is the first study in depth of the Royal Navy's vital, but largely ignored small craft. In the age of sail, they were built in huge numbers and in far greater variety than the more regulated major warships, so they present a particular challenge to any historian attempting a coherent design history. However, for the first time this book charts the development of the ancillary types, variously described in the 17th century as sloops, ketches, brigantines, advice boats and even yachts, as they coalesce into the single 18th-century category of Sloop of War. In this era, they were generally two-masted, although they set a bewildering variety of sail plans from them. The author traces their origins to open boats, like those carried by Basque whalers, shows how developments in Europe influenced English craft, and homes in on the relationship between rigs, hull-form and the duties they were designed to undertake.
Visual documentation is scanty, but this book draws together a unique collection of rare and unseen images, coupled with the author's own reconstructions in line drawings and watercolor sketches to provide the most convincing depictions of the appearance of these vessels. By tackling some of the most obscure questions about the early history of small-boat rigs, the book adds a dimension that will be of interest to historians of coastal sail and practical yachtsmen, as well as warship enthusiasts.
"Fascinating . . . It combines a truly scholarly delivery with a lovely presentation. History brought to life."--tomcunliffe.com
This is the first study in depth of the Royal Navy's vital, but largely ignored small craft. In the age of sail, they were built in huge numbers and in far greater variety than the more regulated major warships, so they present a particular challenge to any historian attempting a coherent design history. However, for the first time this book charts the development of the ancillary types, variously described in the 17th century as sloops, ketches, brigantines, advice boats and even yachts, as they coalesce into the single 18th-century category of Sloop of War. In this era, they were generally two-masted, although they set a bewildering variety of sail plans from them. The author traces their origins to open boats, like those carried by Basque whalers, shows how developments in Europe influenced English craft, and homes in on the relationship between rigs, hull-form and the duties they were designed to undertake.
Visual documentation is scanty, but this book draws together a unique collection of rare and unseen images, coupled with the author's own reconstructions in line drawings and watercolor sketches to provide the most convincing depictions of the appearance of these vessels. By tackling some of the most obscure questions about the early history of small-boat rigs, the book adds a dimension that will be of interest to historians of coastal sail and practical yachtsmen, as well as warship enthusiasts.
"Fascinating . . . It combines a truly scholarly delivery with a lovely presentation. History brought to life."--tomcunliffe.com
873 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 27, 2026
I like military history but I really don’t have experience with sailing, however the book had a good price so I gave it a shot.
While ships of the line get a lot of attention the book decided to follow the sloops of war, these are small ships used for surveillance, communication, privateering, etcetera. Due to the multiplicity of roles there was a lot of experimentation in their development, sloops started as little ships with 4 guns of 3 lb and evolved into ships with a higher tonnage and as much as 18 guns of 6 lb.
They became very useful and their numbers increased from 6 units to 74 units.
The book is focused on the Royal navy with some comments about corvettes in the French Navy.
While the book contains plenty of details (Be ready for a lot of rigging), I think this still can be an interesting reading even for a casual reader. an annoyance is that some of the rigging diagrams only have key numbers and not captions so you need to move between diagrams and the main text just to know what kind of rigging are you looking at.
Book covers the period 1650-1763, author states that his plan was to write three books with the latter two covering the periods 1763-1815 and 1815-1950. Unfortunately, it seems that the last two books were not written. Maybe it would have been better to write a single volume covering the whole history of the Sloop of War.
While ships of the line get a lot of attention the book decided to follow the sloops of war, these are small ships used for surveillance, communication, privateering, etcetera. Due to the multiplicity of roles there was a lot of experimentation in their development, sloops started as little ships with 4 guns of 3 lb and evolved into ships with a higher tonnage and as much as 18 guns of 6 lb.
They became very useful and their numbers increased from 6 units to 74 units.
The book is focused on the Royal navy with some comments about corvettes in the French Navy.
While the book contains plenty of details (Be ready for a lot of rigging), I think this still can be an interesting reading even for a casual reader. an annoyance is that some of the rigging diagrams only have key numbers and not captions so you need to move between diagrams and the main text just to know what kind of rigging are you looking at.
Book covers the period 1650-1763, author states that his plan was to write three books with the latter two covering the periods 1763-1815 and 1815-1950. Unfortunately, it seems that the last two books were not written. Maybe it would have been better to write a single volume covering the whole history of the Sloop of War.
February 2, 2020
Worth it.
Great history of the differing designs,the why's and where fores and a light touch of the personalities involved.All in all a great purchase and hopefully there is a second volume.
Great history of the differing designs,the why's and where fores and a light touch of the personalities involved.All in all a great purchase and hopefully there is a second volume.
May 8, 2024
Outstanding. Well researched and richly illustrated. I desperately hope that Ian McLaughlan does continue the three-part journey he has undertaken, and continues his writing into the sloop of war's role in the Napoleonic wars.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews