{"product_id":"the-sloop-of-war-16501763","title":"The Sloop of War: 1650-1763","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the first in-depth study of the Royal Navys vital  but largely ignored small craft. In the age of sail they were built in huge numbers and in far greater variety than the more regulated major warships  so they present a particular challenge to any historian attempting a coherent design history. However  for the first time this book charts the development of the ancillary types  variously described in the 17th century as sloops  ketches  brigantines  advice boats and even yachts  as they coalesce into the single 18th-century category of Sloop of War. In this era they were generally two-masted  although they set a bewildering variety of sail plans from them. The author traces their origins to open boats  like those carried by Basque whalers  shows how developments in Europe influenced English craft  and focuses in on the relationship between rigs  hull-form and the duties they were designed to undertake.  Visual documentation is scanty  but this book draws together a unique collection of rare and unseen images  coupled with the authors own reconstructions in line drawings and watercolor sketches to provide the most convincing depictions of the appearance of these vessels. By tackling some of the most obscure questions about the early history of small-boat rigs  the book adds a dimension that will be of interest to historians of coastal sail and practical yachtsman  as well as warship enthusiasts.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44984897339445,"sku":"ByrdShop_1848321872","price":114.37,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781848321878.jpg?v=1770842551","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-sloop-of-war-16501763","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}