Building the Wooden Fighting Ship

Before the age of industry, the timber-built ship was one of the most complex and technologically advanced objects built by man. The ships were so expensive to construct that meticulous records were kept, from the purchase of timber to the last details of their furnishings. For this beautiful and highly informative book, the authors have tapped all available resources to tell the story of the building of HMS Thunderer, a two-decked, 74-gun ship-of-the-line. In words and drawings as well as contemporary prints and paintings, they capture every stage of its construction, from purchase and cutting of timbers through launch in 1760. There is also a description of the Woolwich dockyard where Thunderer was built along with explanations of the skills and trades involved. First published in 1984, this vivid and often surprising account of life and labor in the eighteenth century will appeal to historians, modelers, and everyone with an interest in traditional workmanship. 200 illustrations.