Does anyone know of any books or websites on methods and techniques for sailing three masted warships in the late 18th / early 19th centuries? I'm not talking about fighting techniques, but more how the sails were set in certain winds, tacking and wearing, that sort of thing. I've read O'Brian through several times (hence my username), but I'm interested in something a little more in depth on the seamanship side.
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Sailing Techniques in the "Age of Sail"
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Last: 3 yr ago by titan
In this case, username both does and does not check out.
Teddy Roosevelt's famous book on war of 1812 was remarkably informative also about the nuts and bolts of that kind of thing. Fascinating read the first time, and one of those kind of timeless things. Had me hooked on the 1803-1812 War for a good time and the exploits of the fledgling U.S. Navy. Howard Chapelle's books are forensic versions that might be a case of "more detail than you want".Lucky Jack Aubrey said:
Does anyone know of any books or websites on methods and techniques for sailing three masted warships in the late 18th / early 19th centuries? I'm not talking about fighting techniques, but more how the sails were set in certain winds, tacking and wearing, that sort of thing. I've read O'Brian through several times (hence my username), but I'm interested in something a little more in depth on the seamanship side.
FrioAg 00:
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Leftist Democrats "have completely overplayed the Racism accusation. Honestly my first reaction when I hear it today is to assume bad intentions by the accuser, not the accused."
I can't help you with sailing techniques directly, but years ago I found this nautical dictionary to be very helpful in understanding what O'Brian was talking about in those books. The explanation of "dyce", for example, which is used frequently in many volumes. TERMS
Also found this in less than a minute today: SEAMANSHIP
Also found this in less than a minute today: SEAMANSHIP
You might research Two Years Before The Mast, an autobiography by Richard Henry Dana, first published 1840. I did not finish the book as I became too anxious/ impatient wanting to start something given to me.
I was all ready to bounce upstairs to my library, then I realized all my sailing books are at my secondary library 200 miles from here. The only one I can recall offhand is The Art of Rigging George Biddlecombe. It's more about the setting of the sails rather than the tacking and wearing.
Let me give you my experience. From 2003-4, I was a volunteer sailor on the Elissa, a three-masted barque owned and operated by the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston. Here she is:
The Elissa was built in 1877 and sailed until the 30s, when her masts were cut off, and she was fitted with an engine and ended up being a smuggling vessel around Greece. She was impounded in the 1960s and an American nautical archealogist saw her there, and learning that Galveston wanted to build a replica pirate ship, convinced the Texans to buy and restore her instead, which they did.
The museum has a special sail training program, where volunteers can learn and be qualified to sail on her. This is what I did. If you really want to learn about how sailing ships work, I highly recommend it. I drove down from Austin to Galveston every two weeks for six months or so, which was not cheap, but it was an awesome hobby. I quit when life intervened. If I lived in Houston or that area, I'd still do it. As a crewman, you learn the ropes literally, memorizing what every rope on the entire ship does, what the sailing commands are, how to respond to them, etc.
From a deck perspective, you don't learn how much tack you can sail into the wind or any of those kind of nuances, because that's the sort of thing the ship's officers know. The crewmen just know how to furl and unfurl sails, how to turn the yardarms, etc.
Not sure of the purpose of your interest. Mine was that I wanted to write a book about that time period, which I never did, but still may do sometime. I couldn't write it from the captain's perspective, but I could from the Richard Henry Dana perspective. I served as a crewman on the foremast, mainmast and jibboom, but have some experience on the mizzen as well.
By the way, the Texas Seaport Museum's bookstore has a lot of these kinds of books for sale. Go browse it.
Let me give you my experience. From 2003-4, I was a volunteer sailor on the Elissa, a three-masted barque owned and operated by the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston. Here she is:
The Elissa was built in 1877 and sailed until the 30s, when her masts were cut off, and she was fitted with an engine and ended up being a smuggling vessel around Greece. She was impounded in the 1960s and an American nautical archealogist saw her there, and learning that Galveston wanted to build a replica pirate ship, convinced the Texans to buy and restore her instead, which they did.
The museum has a special sail training program, where volunteers can learn and be qualified to sail on her. This is what I did. If you really want to learn about how sailing ships work, I highly recommend it. I drove down from Austin to Galveston every two weeks for six months or so, which was not cheap, but it was an awesome hobby. I quit when life intervened. If I lived in Houston or that area, I'd still do it. As a crewman, you learn the ropes literally, memorizing what every rope on the entire ship does, what the sailing commands are, how to respond to them, etc.
From a deck perspective, you don't learn how much tack you can sail into the wind or any of those kind of nuances, because that's the sort of thing the ship's officers know. The crewmen just know how to furl and unfurl sails, how to turn the yardarms, etc.
Not sure of the purpose of your interest. Mine was that I wanted to write a book about that time period, which I never did, but still may do sometime. I couldn't write it from the captain's perspective, but I could from the Richard Henry Dana perspective. I served as a crewman on the foremast, mainmast and jibboom, but have some experience on the mizzen as well.
By the way, the Texas Seaport Museum's bookstore has a lot of these kinds of books for sale. Go browse it.
Thanks to all for the responses. I ordered the Roosevelt history and a history of American ships by Chappelle. I also found a used copy of Seamanship in the Age of Sail (Double thanks to 740A. I think this is exactly what I was looking for).
As I said, I am interested in nautical fiction from the period. I recently saw a YouTube video from the USS Constitution Museum, illustrating how the sails were situated throughout the process of tacking, using a paper and wood model. Though simplified, It explained the process in more detail than I had ever really considered and it got me more interested in trying to learn the details required for different kinds of maneuvers. I looked for more similar videos, but they are mostly about combat tactics (line of battle, crossing the t, etc., if you can find them.
As I said, I am interested in nautical fiction from the period. I recently saw a YouTube video from the USS Constitution Museum, illustrating how the sails were situated throughout the process of tacking, using a paper and wood model. Though simplified, It explained the process in more detail than I had ever really considered and it got me more interested in trying to learn the details required for different kinds of maneuvers. I looked for more similar videos, but they are mostly about combat tactics (line of battle, crossing the t, etc., if you can find them.
As for other nautical fiction, there's always Forester's "Hornblower" series. Very good, but not O'Brian good.
I started the Hornblower series and got about half way through. I agree with your assessment.
Six Frigates is really good as well.
You might check out The Shining Sea by Daughan. It's about David Porter and the USS Essex during the war of 1812. It does have a good deal about life aboard a frigate and contains details on ship features and armaments.
Yes. That's excellent. And what is interesting is two of his sons are very important commanders in the Union River Navy in the Civil War, with the gunboats of the Cairo-class type (you see her on display at Vicksburg).Aggie1205 said:
You might check out The Shining Sea by Daughan. It's about David Porter and the USS Essex during the war of 1812. It does have a good deal about life aboard a frigate and contains details on ship features and armaments.
74OA's recommendation looks fantastic for your purposes, though:
Seamanship in the Age of Sail: An Account of Shiphandling of the Sailing Man-O-War, 1600-1860