Book review Book Review: "THE HEAVY FRIGATE: 18-pounder Frigates, Volume I, 1778-1800" by Robert Gardiner

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The Heavy Frigate: 18-pounder Frigates, Volume I, 1778-1800
Series: Conway´s Ship Types

by Robert Gardiner

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  • Hardcover: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Conway Maritime Press Ltd (31 Dec. 1994)
  • Language: English
  • Product Dimensions: 27.9 x 1.9 x 27.9 cm

Synopsis from the book:

This book is devoted to the large single-decked cruising ships armed with 18pdr guns first introduced during the American War of Independence. In the following decades they grew rapidely in size, number and importance, and were to become the typical frigate of the nelsonic era. Because so many classes were designed during the life of the 18pdr frigate, the story requires two volumes, this one covering the period up to 1800.
The first volume of the Heavy Frigate is devided into two halves:
Part I is a design history, looking at the genesis of the type, and the radical improvements of the 1790s. It follows the application of the 18pdr gun to ships of 38, 36 and eventually 32 guns. Extensive data tables are provided for each class.
Part II deals with general aspects of the ships, including shipbuilding policy, design, armament, fittings, and a lengthy section on their performance under sail. The book contains much new information and both sections reproduce large numbers of original draughts with extended captions pointing up salient features

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Contents:

Part I: DESIGN HISTORY (page 10 to 64)
1) The Prehistory of the 18pdr Cruiser
2) Britain Adopts the 18pdr, 1778
3) A Phase of Gradual Evolution, 1790-1794
4) The "French Programme", 1795
5) Small Ships and Experiments
6) The Big Ship Era, 1796-1800

Part II: THE SHIPS (Page 65 to 116)
7) Ordering Policy and Shuipbuilding
8) Design
9) Performance
10) Armament
11) Details

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Review:

Part of the "Conway's Ship Types" series, this is the first of two volumes which were planned dealing with the development of the heavy frigate.
It covers the introduction of 18-pounder armament in the War of American Independence, and then analyzes the standard heavy cruiser of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Completed with tabular data, the book covers the design background of each class, as well as tackling more general subjects such as armament, performance and naval architecture.
It is very good illustrated with draughts from the National Maritime Museum's Admiralty plans collection. So if you are interested in the different classes of this type of ship and the evolution during the decades of this time period - highly recommended

PS: Unfortunately the second Volume was never published

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More Look Inside photos you can find in the next post
 
The Heavy Frigate: 18-pounder Frigates, Volume I, 1778-1800
Series: Conway´s Ship Types

by Robert Gardiner

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The second volume is called Frigates of the Napoleonic Wars

It is another very interesting book from Gardiner, you are correct, but not really the second volume of The Heavy Frigate: 18-pounder Frigates, Volume I, 1778-1800 by Conway´s Ship Types - it is a different form. Unfortunately there was never a Volume II published in this format.

Similar type of book and also in the group of Conway´s Ship Types is the above presented book

is The First Frigates: Nine-Pounder and Twelve-Pounder Frigates, 1748-1815


Under Conway´s Ship Types only these four books were published

The Bomb Vessel by Chris Ware

The First Frigates: Nine-Pounder and Twelve-Pounder Frigates, 1748-1815 by Robert Gardiner

The First Frigates: Nine-Pounder and Twelve-Pounder Frigates, 1748-1815
by Robert Gardiner

and also

Paddle Warships: The Earliest Naval Steamers, 1815-51 by David K. Brown

 
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