Book review HMS Terror: The Design, Fitting and Voyages of a Polar Discovery Ship by Matthew Betts

Uwek · Nov 9, 2022

Book Review:

HMS Terror
The Design, Fitting and Voyages of a Polar Discovery Ship

by Matthew Betts

published by Seaforth Publishing
224 pages

SYNOPSIS:

This book documents the history, design, modification, and fitting of HMS Terror, one of the world's most successful polar exploration vessels. Part historical narrative and part technical design manual, this book provides, for the first time, a complete account of Terror's unique career, as well as an assessment of her sailing abilities in polar conditions, a record of her design specifications, and a full set of accurate plans of her final 1845 configuration. It is an ideal reference for those interested in the Franklin Mystery, in polar exploration, the Royal Navy, and in ship design and modelling.

About the AUTHOR:

Matthew Betts is an internationally recognized expert on Sir John Franklin's ships, and is an active consultant with Parks Canada, which discovered the wrecks of the Erebus and Terror. He has contributed to major documentaries on the expedition and recently acted as an historical advisor for the first season of AMC's major historical drama, The Terror. His model and plans of HMS Terror have been showcased in exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, and Mystic Seaport Museum. Dr. Betts is currently a curator of archaeology at the Canadian Museum of History.

CONTENT:

Maps
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part One - The History of HMS Terror, 1812-1848
Chapter 1 His Majesty's Bomb Ship Terror, 1813-1828
Chapter 2 From Warship to Exploration Vessel, 1835-1837
Chapter 3 Terror's Greatest Achievement: The Ross Antarctic Expedition, 1839-1843
Chapter 4 Terror's Final Voyage: Franklin's Northwest Passage Expedition, 1845-1848

Part Two - The Design and Fitting of HMS Terror, 1835-1845
Chapter 5 Historical Notes on Terror's Design and Construction
Chapter 6 The Plans

Part Three - Building HMS Terror
Chapter 7 Modelling HMS Terror
Chapter 8 Building HMS Terror for Television

Epilogue - The Discovery Vessel Herself Discovered
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index

LOOK INSIDE:

Uwek · Nov 9, 2022

For everybody interested in this book, maybe also because you are working on a model of the HMS TERROR or HMS EREBUS

There are a lot of contemporary drawings showing the HMS Terror existing and available for download at the NMM

For example

Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the inboard detail for Terror (1813), a Bomb Vessel as converted for Arctic Service under Captain George Back in 1836.

The plan is subsequently dated December 1837 after it was used at Chatham to assist with the fitting of ship for the Antatctic expedition under Captain James Clark Ross. The signature is from William Stone [Master Shipwright, Chatham Dockyard, 1830-1839].

The alterations in green ink, dated 12 June 1845, relate to the 1845 North-West Passage expedition under Sir John Franklin. The alterations included the addition of a screw propeller. The area of iron was increased on the bow to protect the ship from the ice, but also if the ship was used to crush ice when forcing a passage. The bowsprit was also raised. The signature is from Oliver Lang [Master Shipwright, Woolwich Dockyard, 1826-1853]

Terror (1813) | Royal Museums Greenwich

www.rmg.co.uk

Terror (1813); Erebus (1826)

Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the inboard profile with fittings for Terror (1813) and Erebus (1826), both Bomb Vessels converted for polar exploration. The plan relates to the two ships as converted for the Antartctic Expedition under Captain James Clark Ross in 1839.

The plan shows the Erebus, as Terror had some diferences in the position of the bowsprit and hatches.

Signed by Francis J. Laire [Master Shipwright, Chatham Dockyard 1844-1858].