One of the finest, most colorful and definitive studies of whaling ever published. Describes whaling trade, rigging, gear and handicrafts; construction and outfitting of ships, with fascinating details and anecdotes about whales and whaling waters, whaling men, methods of attack, crafts and routines, much more. Richly illustrated with 133 halftones, 17 line illustrations. Introduction by Robert Cushman Murphy. Bibliography.

Russian and Soviet Battleships is the definitive English language overview of Russian and Soviet battleships, from the ironclad Petr Velikii of 1869 to Stalin's final projects. Meticulously researched, this work describes and illustrates the design histories, technical details, characteristics, and service histories of the forty seagoing battleships that served in the Russian and Soviet Navies. This is the first book about Russian battleships to draw from Russian language materials, including books and articles published since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some one hundred drawings of ships and design studies, many specially commissioned for this book, are showcased, as well as one hundred photographs, many of them never published in the west. The author, Stephen McLaughlin, analyzes all aspects of battleship design, from the policy decisions behind their construction to details of fire control and gunnery. He evaluates their strengths and weaknesses compared with foreign contemporaries. In addition, McLaughlin outlines numerous projected battleships and conjectural studies. As he examines the active--and often tragic--careers of these ships, he reassesses many of the myths and misconceptions associated with Russian ships and the Russian navy.

In this book, Ian Collard uses his collection of rare and previously unpublished images to tell the story of the Irish sea ports located on the River Mersey and River Dee. The history of these ports stretches back hundreds of years. The Mersey Docks & Harbour Board took control in 1858, and a variety of boards and groups have controlled various elements along both the Mersey and Dee ever since. Illustrated profusely throughout, this book tells the fascinating history of these hubs of business and activity.

"NAVIGATING AND ENGINEERING OFFICERS REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY FOR VERY LARGE CRUDE OIL CARRIER. TANKER EXPERIENCE PREFERRED." - Lloyd's List and Shipping Gazette The advertisement captured Ray Solly's attention whilst he was on leave and demanded direct action! Viewed from the bridge of dry-cargo ships, the sleek lines of VLCCs and their potential navigational challenges always intrigued Ray - so, without hesitation, he grabbed the chance, leaving his current employer, and setting out to fulfil a dream. Supertanker examines life at sea aboard a 1970s monster where reader and author meet on board, encountering and overcoming exciting new challenges in navigation, ship handling, and cargo control. All the while, overshadowing everything else, is the awareness that this loaded ship carries around 80 million gallons of oil every day. But Supertanker is more than just the record of a new adventure. It lifts the lid on the realities of life far out at sea handling such behemoths and reveals why international safety and competency bars had to be raised.

For a hundred and fifty years, between the plod of packhorse trains and the arrival of the railways, canals were the high-tech water machine driving the industrial revolution. Amazing feats of engineering, they carried the rural into the city and the urban into the countryside, and changed the lives of everyone. And then, just when their purpose was extinguished by modern transport, they were saved from extinction and repurposed as a 'slow highways' network, a peaceful and countrywide haven from our too-busy age. Today, there are more boats on the canals than in their Victorian heyday.

Writer and slow adventurer Jasper Winn spent a year exploring Britain's waterways on foot and by bike, in a kayak and on narrowboats. Along a thousand miles of 'wet roads and water streets' he discovered a world of wildlife corridors, underground adventures, the hardware of heritage and history, new boating communities, endurance kayak races and remote towpaths. He shared journeys with some of the last working boat people and met the anglers, walkers, boaters, activists, volunteers and eccentrics who have made the waterways their home. In Britain most of us live within five miles of a canal, and reading this book we will see them in an entirely new light.

A boyhood visit to the battleship HMS Nelson left the author with the ambition to be a midshipman in the Royal Navy and to be in charge of a steam picket-boat with a brass funnel. The author relates how he went to sea, his adventures and experiences ashore and afloat during his 35 years service under the White Ensign and the Red Ensign. Starting as a Merchant Navy cadet in the British India Steam Navigation Company at the start of World War II, he subsequently joined the Royal Navy and progressed from midshipman to lieutenant during ten years of service. Captain Stewart's story includes details of his first ship, the SS Mulbera; coming home to the Clyde and later sailing around the Cape. During the war years he experienced life in a minesweeper and a corvette, and escorted convoys in the Arctic and the Mediterranean. Leaving the Navy after the war, he spent several years ashore before returning to seafaring in the Merchant Navy. He joined the fleet of a major oil company as a junior officer and quickly progressed through the ranks until he reached the rank of master, spending many years in command of large crude oil tankers. Although Captain stewart served in eight classes of warship and many more types of tanker, he never did command a picket boat with a brass funnel!

Relatively little has been recorded about the activities of the hundreds of coasting schooners that operated along the east coast of North America in the first part of the century. This unusually thorough history recounts the entire career of one of the last of these colorful sailing ships in American waters, the Albert F. Paul, from construction and launching in 1917 to her loss at sea in 1942.

Aided by his personal acquaintance with the Paul over a ten-year period and by his own experience of serving on a similar ship in his youth, Robert H. Burgess follows the schooner's service under her captain of sixteen years and includes a seaman's journal that describes general living conditions aboard the ship, various mishaps at sea, and the schooner's paint scheme, shipboard duties, and rigging details. Photographs, drawings, and sketches illustrate the Paul's crews and various shipboard scenes.

From river to harbor to ocean, tugboats are among the most ubiquitous but underappreciated craft afloat. Whether maneuvering ships out from between tight harbor finger piers, pushing rafts of forty barges up the Mississippi, towing enormous oil rigs, or just delivering huge piles of gravel to a river port near you, tugs exude a sense of genial strength guided by the wise experience of their crews. We can admire the precision of their coordination, the determination in their movements, the glow of signal lights at night, silently communicating their condition and intentions to vessels nearby. It is nearly impossible not to be intrigued and impressed by the way tugs work. In Tugboats Illustrated, Paul Farrell traces the evolution, design, and role of tugboats, ranging from the first steam-powered tug to today's hyper-specialized offshore workboats. Through extensive photographs, dynamic drawings, and enlightening diagrams, he explores the development of these hard-working boats, always shaped by the demands of their waterborne environment, by an ever-present element of danger, and by advancements in technology. Whether making impossible turns in small spaces, crashing through huge swells, pushing or pulling or prodding or coaxing or escorting, we come to understand not only what tugs do, but how physics and engineering allow them to do it. From the deck layout of a nineteenth-century sidewheel tug to the mechanics of barge towing-whether by humans, mules, steam or diesel engines-to the advantages of various types and configurations of propulsion systems, to the operation of an oil rig anchor-handling tug/supply vessel, Tugboats Illustrated is a comprehensive tribute to these beloved workhorses of the sea and their intrepid crews.

This amusing insight into Cunard's legendary liners begins more than fifty years ago when Paul Curtis joined the original Queen Mary as entertainments officer. Over a Cunard high tea in the Queens Room, Paul recounts the stories of these iconic ships. Then, over a drink in the Red Lion, he shares the tales of the antics of both passengers and crews. The facts are delivered in vivid detail - some of them things you should know and an occasional peep at things you shouldn't. Simply turning these pages releases a sniff of the sea and a whiff of champagne. Paul has worked, travelled upon or photographed every Cunard Queen ever built. He has an offbeat sense of humour and a keen appetite for the ridiculous. A life at sea can do that to you.

Captain William A. Hagelund is uniquely positioned to write a history of HBC's SS Beaver, the ship that did more than any other to explore and open the rugged BC coast. Over more than half a century the tiny, rugged ship was a familiar sight as she chugged up the BC waters, charting, trading, helping administer justice, carrying freight and generally serving as a lifeline and contact between the many isolated coastal communities and the outside world. In 1986, her exact replica, SS Beaver, was launched with Captain Hagelund as master. From then until he retired in 1995, Captain Hagelund, who first went to sea in 1940, and the new Beaver retraced many of the original's coastal voyages.

From Henri Fabre's first successful take off from water and landing near Marseilles, to the introduction of a hull rather than floats by American Glenn Curtiss, to the world-wide development of huge, ocean-crossing flying boats on both sides of the Atlantic - the passenger flying boat era continues to fascinate aviation enthusiasts and historians alike. Wartime necessity for paved runways to support long-range, high flying land-planes and the faster movement of airmail, overcame in peacetime the unique ability enjoyed by such craft to economically utilise the natural waterways of the world, thus depriving passengers of the ability to enjoy the panorama unfolding below in luxurious accommodation and ease. A sadly missed epoch of flight: though related in clear and vivid detail by Leslie Dawson in his account of a pre-war Imperial Airways flight from Southampton to South Africa. This extended pictorial edition of the author's previous book Fabulous Flying Boats, A History Of The World's Passenger Flying Boats provides a fast-moving journey from the first pioneers to the very last use of such craft in regions still reliant on waterborne communication with the outside world. From the Americas and the United Kingdom, to France, Germany and Italy, and on to Australia and New Zealand. Supported by world-wide private, public and corporate images, the work boasts a comprehensive and well-researched Appendix.

Long before Captain Jack Sparrow raised hell with the Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom Bristol sailed to hell and back Under the Black Ensign. That's where the real adventure begins. Bristol's had plenty of bad luck in his life. Press-ganged into serving aboard a British vessel, he's felt the cruel captain's lash on his back. Then, freed from his servitude by pirates, his good fortune immediately takes a bad turn ... the buccaneers accuse him of murder and leave him to die on a deserted island. Now all he has left are a few drops of water, a gun and just enough bullets to put himself out of his misery. But Bristol's luck is about to change. Finding himself in the unexpected company of a fiery woman, he rescues a slave ship, unsheathes his sword, raises a pirate flag of his own and sets off to make love and war on the open seas in this nautical adventure. In his early twenties, Hubbard led the two-and-a-half-month, five-thousand-mile Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition. He followed that with the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition near San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he completed the island's first mineralogical survey as an American territory. It was during these two journeys that Hubbard became an expert on the Caribbean's colorful history-an expertise he drew on to write stories like Under the Black Ensign. "A riveting tale of sailing ships, piracy and the high seas." -Midwest Book Review * A National Indie Excellence Award Winner

In SS Great Britain, Helen Doe provides a narrative account of this famous and historically important ship. Experimental and controversial, Great Britain led the way for iron shipbuilding and screw propulsion. The book charts the ship's brilliant design and construction, and the tribulations of her owners as they battled financial crises to turn Isambard Kingdom Brunel's vision into reality. Brunel was passionate about this ship and was devastated when a navigational error stranded her in Dundrum Bay, Ireland. She was rescued in a great feat of salvage and went on to a long life at sea, carrying passengers to New York, troops to the Crimea and India, and thousands of emigrants to Australia. Helen Doe highlights the contribution of the many individuals connected to the ship, ranging from crew members to passengers, at least one grand Victorian scandal, and the mysterious disappearance of her long-serving captain. In this way, the ship's life and times are recreated and the history of a technical marvel is given a human face. The ship was salvaged a second time, when she was rescued from the Falkland Islands and towed home across the Atlantic. She now sits in splendour in her original dock in Bristol and is one of the most visited attractions in Britain. This a compelling account of an iconic ship and of an important moment in industrial history.

There is still some romance attached to the idea of sea travel; cruising the world's oceans in luxury and comfort; sailing to far-flung destinations as the first explorers did hundreds of years ago. Some cities are seen at their best by an arrival by water, gradually revealing themselves as the ship sails ever closer-Malta, Sydney and San Francisco to name a few. The Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. and, today P&O Cruises, have been taking passengers all over the world since 1837. Join the author on a world cruise in P&O Cruises' 180th celebration year. Find out how world travel has changed, and, in some cases, has not. Using extracts from old diaries, guide books and accounts, the writer compares cruising today with yesteryear. Get a captain's view of this special voyage; discover what goes into making it a unique experience; how they prepare over 7,500 meals every day. The author was commissioned to assist in planning the itinerary and special excursions, visiting ports that were instrumental in the growth of P&O and still welcome their ships today. Discover amazing countries, cultures, and sights on a journey that circumnavigates the world. A blend of travelogue and history.

Simon Hall's second book is set in the mid-1970s during the closing years of the golden age of British shipping, when cargo carriage at sea saw radical change and the romance of being at sea in old-style cargo ships came to an end. Hall's account is of five years during which he worked as a junior officer in the Far East and South Pacific. This is no ordinary memoir; the prose is vividly expressed, often shocking, sometimes elegiac as evidenced by his description of a night watch in the Indian Ocean: alone on the bridge wing in the warm tropical night, I heard the wind sing through the stays as an Aeolian harp and I felt anointed by my good fortune. His descriptions of jaunts in forgotten parts of the world are strikingly expressed and there is added poignancy from the charting of Hall's struggle against decline into alcohol abuse, expressed in a way that is in turn both sad and shocking: I ordered another cold beer and lit another cigarette, then sat with the ghost of my past dreams while the afternoon died around us and we surveyed the wreckage of all my hopes. This is an important work that captures an age now vanished, written in a style too rarely encountered.

Twisting and turning its way through great cities and towns is the eternal navigation: a network of canals that fed the industrial growth of our country. Nowadays we might consider our waterways a place to find peace and relaxation, but under that tranquil surface hides a turbulent past. Storyteller and narrowboat dweller Ian Douglas has salvaged a wealth of stories from the depths. Murder and mystery, heroes and love, devils and oatcakes are all wrapped up in this wonderful book – but beware … you will never see the towpath in the same way again!

"Build wooden boats the Buehler way, which is to say inexpensively, yet like the proverbial brick outhouse." -- Wooden Boat "A WEALTH OF VALUABLE INFORMATION." -- American Sailing AssociationThe classic and definitive guide for the home boatbuilder--now updated Everybody has the dream: Build a boat in the backyard and sail off to join the happy campers of Pogo Pogo, right? But how? Assuming you aren't independently wealthy, if you want a boat that is really you, you gotta build it yourself. With irreverent wit and an engaging style, George Buehler shows you how to turn your backyard into a boatyard. Buehler draws his inspiration from centuries of workboat construction, where semiskilled fishermen built rugged, economical boats from everyday materials in their own backyards, and went to sea in them in all kinds of weather. Buehler's boats sail on every ocean and perform every task, from long-term liveaboards in Norwegian fjords to a traveling doctor's office in Alaska. The book contains complete plans for ten cruising boats--from an 18-foot schooner to a 48-foot Diesel Duck. For more than a quarter century, backyard boatbuilders have turned to George Buehler's acclaimed DIY guide for expert advice, step-by-step instructions, and the author's irreverent, no-nonsense commentary. Whether you're experienced or unskilled, over-budget or under-financed, into sailing or powerboats, you'll find everything you need to start building--and finish that boat--in one essential guide. Now updated for the 21st century, the undisputed "bible" for boatbuilders is more comprehensive, more practical, and more fun than ever. You'll find: 10 new, practical, rugged, and ready-to-build designs--including Buehler's popular Diesel Duck--with full plans and scantlingsUp-to-date commentary on the latest materials--epoxies, sealants, metals, fastenings, and moreStep-by-step guidance on choosing the size, complexity, and design that's right for your skillset, your workshop, and your walletStem-to-stern, inside-and-out tips on lofting, framing up, planking, decking, hatches, keels, bolt-ons, finishes, rigging, outfitting, and launching--everything you need to know! Jam-packed with photographs, helpful diagrams, and cost-effective techniques, this is a must-have reference for today's boatbuilders or those curious "makers" tinkering around the backyard. If you want to build that boat of your dreams, you can't find a better guide than Buehler's. "Immensely practical...clear and concise." -- Sailing "Everyone will revere this book." -- The Ensign George Buehler was born in Oregon in 1948, and has been messing around with boats ever since his sainted mother gave him a copy of Scuppers the Sea Dog. Buehler is an accomplished yacht designer who lives on Whidbey Island, Washington.

Skeletons on the Zahara chronicles the true story of twelve American sailors who were shipwrecked off the coast of Africa in 1815, captured by desert nomads, sold into slavery, and subjected to a hellish two-month journey through the perilous heart of the Sahara. The western Sahara is a baking hot and desolate place, home only to nomads and their camels, and to locusts, snails and thorny scrub -- and its barren and ever-changing coastline has baffled sailors for centuries. In August 1815, the US brig Commerce was dashed against Cape Bojador and lost, although through bravery and quick thinking the ship's captain, James Riley, managed to lead all of his crew to safety. What followed was an extraordinary and desperate battle for survival in the face of human hostility, starvation, dehydration, death and despair. Captured, robbed and enslaved, the sailors were dragged and driven through the desert by their new owners, who neither spoke their language nor cared for their plight. Reduced to drinking urine, flayed by the sun, crippled by walking miles across burning stones and sand and losing over half of their body weights, the sailors struggled to hold onto both their humanity and their sanity. To reach safety, they would have to overcome not only the desert but also the greed and anger of those who would keep them in captivity. From the cold waters of the Atlantic to the searing Saharan sands, from the heart of the desert to the heart of man, Skeletons on the Zahara is a spectacular odyssey through the extremes and a gripping account of courage, brotherhood, and survival.

The Norman Friedman Illustrated Design History series of U.S. warships books has been an industry standard for three decades and has sold thousands of copies worldwide. To mark and celebrate this achievement, the Naval Institute Press is proud to make these books available once more. Digitally remastered for enhanced photo resolution and quality, corrected, and updated, this series will continue to serve--for scholars and enthusiasts alike--as the foundation for U.S. naval warship research and reference for years to come. U.S. Cruisers is one the most comprehensive references available on the entire development of U.S. cruisers, from the first steel cruisers, the flawed designs of the Washington Naval Treaty era, the light, heavy, and large cruisers of World War II, the postwar rapid-fire artillery designs of the Des Moines and the Worcester classes, guided-missile conversions, and to the Aegis ships of the Ticonderoga-class. Like the other books in Norman Friedman's design-history series, U.S. Cruisers is based largely on formerly classified internal U.S. Navy records. Friedman, a leading authority on U.S. warships, explains the political and technical rationales of warship construction and recounts the evolution of each design. Alan Raven and A.D. Baker III have created detailed scale outboard and plan views of each ship class and of major modifications to many classes. Numerous photographs complement the text.

The book traces the history of the various craft that have been used for transport on Britain's rivers and canals from the earliest times to the present day. The first section deals with the long history of the development of river craft, from prehistoric log boats to the whole range of sailing barges, such as the Humber keel and the Thames barge. By the middle of the 18th century, canal construction brought in a new generation of craft, not just the familiar narrow boats, but the wide boats such as the Leeds & Liverpool short boats, maintenance craft and even passenger boats. Steam power was introduced in the 19th century for a variety of crafts from tugs to pleasure steamers, while the 20th century brought in the diesel motors for boats and barges of all kinds. Today, there is still some commercial traffic, but an ever-increasing demand for boats for pleasure. Much of this story is told in terms of preserved craft and is also based on the author's own experience aboard many of these craft, whether crewing a Thames barge or working in the engine room of a Clyde puffer.

PLM Colliers 12 to 27; Herring & Caviar to Canada; A Country Ship; Fred Olsen Cruise Ships; Tanker to Ferry: Part 2; Photographers Paradise; Bank Line: Part 2; Aberdeen Scenes; Includes 16 pages of colour photographs.