The Mad Hatter
08-12-2017, 12:58
Hey Fellow Sailing Enthusiasts!
I've been re-reading, Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century by Sam Willis and had to mention it here (I did a write up many years ago on this book, before the forums got all messed up). This is a small book, yet packed with awesome information, much of which I've not seen elsewhere. It's still the most informative book I've read on actual fighting and sailing techniques used in battle. There are plenty of other books out there that go deep into other aspects of the period, be it ship design, sailing and rigging, accounts of specific battles and fates of vessels, but this one book take you through all the key elements of an engagement, from sails on the horizon, to repairing damage post battle.
This one book (at only 171 pages of main text) packs more information on HOW engagements actually happened and were fought than any book I've read to date. For example, it covers such things as - how did captains identify enemy ships, what were the techniques they used? How were chases actually conducted when one ship wanted to engage, the other wanted to run? How did captains size up enemy vessels, both in terms of their sailing ability and firepower to help prepare for battle? How was station keeping actually accomplished within a squadron? How did ships effectively communicate with each other and squadron/fleet commanders keep control of a large number of vessels?
The other great thing about this book is it's only ~$32 from Amazon. I'm honestly thinking of buying another one, in the event it goes out of print someday - just to have another copy.
If you have any interest in getting a sense of what it was like to play the game of cat and mouse on the high seas during this period, this would be it!
I've been re-reading, Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century by Sam Willis and had to mention it here (I did a write up many years ago on this book, before the forums got all messed up). This is a small book, yet packed with awesome information, much of which I've not seen elsewhere. It's still the most informative book I've read on actual fighting and sailing techniques used in battle. There are plenty of other books out there that go deep into other aspects of the period, be it ship design, sailing and rigging, accounts of specific battles and fates of vessels, but this one book take you through all the key elements of an engagement, from sails on the horizon, to repairing damage post battle.
This one book (at only 171 pages of main text) packs more information on HOW engagements actually happened and were fought than any book I've read to date. For example, it covers such things as - how did captains identify enemy ships, what were the techniques they used? How were chases actually conducted when one ship wanted to engage, the other wanted to run? How did captains size up enemy vessels, both in terms of their sailing ability and firepower to help prepare for battle? How was station keeping actually accomplished within a squadron? How did ships effectively communicate with each other and squadron/fleet commanders keep control of a large number of vessels?
The other great thing about this book is it's only ~$32 from Amazon. I'm honestly thinking of buying another one, in the event it goes out of print someday - just to have another copy.
If you have any interest in getting a sense of what it was like to play the game of cat and mouse on the high seas during this period, this would be it!