RINA publications

摘要

HMS Vanguard sank in thick fog in Dublin Bay in September 1875 rammed by her sister ship. No lives were lost (except perhaps that of the Captain's dog) but this one event provides valuable insight into naval history of the late nineteenth century. Chris Thomas examines what happened, setting it in the context of naval life, the social and economic situation of officers and ratings. He describes the furore caused by the unjust verdict of the Court Martial, vividly illustrating the joys and trials of the seagoing life in the Victorian era, and the tragic effect on the life of Captain Richard Dawkins and his family. Ships and Shipbuilders describes the lives and work of more than 120 great engineers, scientists, shipwrights and naval architects who shaped ship design and shipbuilding world wide. Told chronologically, such well-known names as Anthony Deane, Peter the Great, James Watt, and Isambard Kingdom Brunei share space with lesser known characters like the luckless Frederic Sauvage, a pioneer of screw propulsion who, unable to interest the French navy in his tests in the early 1830s, was bankrupted and landed in debtor's prison. With the inclusion of such names as Ben Lexcen, the Australian yacht designer who developed the controversial winged keel for the 1983 America's Cup, the story is brought right up to date.