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Line drawings

There seem to be a lot of cheap copies of "The 50-Gun Ship: A Complete History, Rif Winfield,Roger Lightfoot" on ebay at the moment - there are several sellers. I just picked one up for $5.00 including local postage.. I don't know anything about the book but the description below looks promising.


By the end of the sailing era, the 50-gun ship had come to be regarded as a hybrid - too small to stand in the line of battle, but lacking the speed and handiness of the frigate - so was often dismissed as a naval architectural dinosaur left over from an earlier age. This prejudiced view has gone unchallenged in modern naval history, but this new book reveals the crucial role of the 50-gun ship in the development of both the battleship and the frigate, and explains the enduring role which ensured the survival of the type into the nineteenth century. True to the intentions of the ShipShape series, it is the first extended study of a type which is both technically interesting and historically undervalued. Charting its origins in the pre-Commonwealth 'frigates', the author follows the development of the type in the eighteenth century and its gradual transition from battlefleet to heavy cruiser role, highlighting its revival for the special conditions of colonial warfare during the American Revolution. Thereafter, they were employed as peacetime flagships for distant stations, but achieved a final glory leading small craft in anti-invasion operations during the Napoleonic War. Features include: an in-depth text, based on the latest research in original sources, covering the complete history of the 50-gun ship; numerous tables of technical data covering dimensions, construction, armament and details; comprehensive collection of illustrations including original draughts, models and contemporary paintings and drawings; a selection of specially commissioned perspective and cutaway drawings by John McKay; a separate set of large scale plans for modelmakers; these and the cutaway depict the Leopard of 1790, famous in history for her assault on USS Chesapeake and as well known in fiction as the 'horrible old Leopard' of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey novels.

 
My $5 (delivery included) copy of 'THE 50 GUN SHIP' arrived today. A large format paperback In very good condition bearing a red £2.00 sticker and complete with a large sheet of drawings in a pocket attached to the back cover, The plans and the book contain enough structural info to build almost any kind of model POF, POB, etc when taken together with the cutaway drawings of all decks inside, There is also info on standing rigging, but not a lot of detail on running rigging. I am delighted, considering the high cost of most books on this very specialised topic.
 
On the topic of 50 gun ships (as mentioned above) I ordered a set of 1/72 50 gun ship drawings from Sarik Hobbies in the UK. These are not as they suggest on the website merely sail-plans but 5 A0 sized very clear black and white sheets that cover everything a scratch-builder might need. Whether by accident or design (I suspect the former) they also included an A0 size perspective drawing showing all the rigging on the foremast of HMS Victory and more.

It interested me to note that the hull length, beam, sheerline and general shape of a 50 gun ship in 1/72 is very close to that of a Heller Victory in 1/100 scale - the biggest difference is that the rake of the sternpost and rudder is a little more pronounced on the 50, though of course all of the gunports etc are differently positioned; Some ambitious scratch-builder in need of a hard time could I am sure tweak a 50 in 1/72 from the 100-gun monster in 1/100 scale.
 
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My $5 (delivery included) copy of 'THE 50 GUN SHIP' arrived today. A large format paperback In very good condition bearing a red £2.00 sticker and complete with a large sheet of drawings in a pocket attached to the back cover, The plans and the book contain enough structural info to build almost any kind of model POF, POB, etc when taken together with the cutaway drawings of all decks inside, There is also info on standing rigging, but not a lot of detail on running rigging. I am delighted, considering the high cost of most books on this very specialised topic.
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Thanks for this thread, it was very helpful for a newbie like me.
 
Nelson,

There are dozens of the original (contemporary) high resolution drawings of 50 gun ships on the Wiki Commons site that you can download. It takes a little digging but I downloaded them along with some others I found elsewhere including RMG. There are additional low resolution 50 gun ship drawings on the RMG Collections site. The ones I found with a little research are as follows:

Antelope 1703
Bristol 1778
Isis 1776
Litchfield 1695
Litchfield 1730
Portland 1770

I also found and transcribed contracts for Severn and Burlington 1695 as well as Jersey 1696. If I remember correctly the originals are held at the National Archives in Kew. They give the dimensions and scantlings that were given to the shipyards for building these ships.

All of the above are free. The Bristol (50) 1775 drawings are incredibly detailed. An example of her stern is below showing the frieze and carvings

Allan

1723830886421.jpeg
 
Look at how the manufacturers of ships spent a lot of time and money into detailing the decorations of the craft. It's really interesting how they showed off their watercraft like conteporary people today do with much less extravagance.
 
In my youth I had a herreshoff rocinante canoe yawl.to me that is one of the most beautiful line drawings ever. After I posted I found the complete building plan for $375. To much for a model. Thanks for the resource
If memory serves, the entire plans set for Rozinante is published in L.F. Herreshoff's book, Sensible Cruising Designs, which has a full chapter on how to build that boat. She was one of his designs drawn for publication in The Rudder magazine. The book's out in paperback now, too.

See:
 
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