The technical details of British warships were recorded in a set of plans produced by the builders on completion of every ship. Known as the 'as fitted' general arrangements, these drawings documented the exact appearance and fitting of the ship as it entered service. They were very large - more than 12 feet long for capital ships - highly detailed, annotated and labelled, and drawn with exquisite skill in multi-coloured inks and washes. Today these plans form part of the incomparable collection of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, which is using the latest scanning technology to make digital copies of the highest quality. This book is the first of a series based entirely on these draughts which will depict famous warships in an unprecedented degree of detail - complete sets in full colour, with many close-ups and enlargements that make every aspect clear and comprehensible.

The Anatomy of the Ship series provides documentation of individual ships and ship types. The books are illustrated with line drawings, both the conventional type of plan as well as explantory views, with fully descriptive keys. These are supported by technical details and a record of the ship's service history.

The battleship HMS Warspite is packed with countless drawing sheets and color profiles of the famous ship.

In 1906, the British launched one of the most revolutionary ships ever built HMS Dreadnought. Besides being a big ship powered by turbines the ship was constructed with "all big guns . This meant that the earlier battleships were typically equipped with just 4 main guns intended to engage other battleships plus an additional number of smaller guns to engage cruisers. The Dreadnought dispensed with the smaller weapons to increase her main battery to 10 12in guns, making her broadside twice as powerful as any other capital ship in the world. This design effectively rendered all other battleships obsolete, and sparked a naval shipbuilding race between the naval powers which consumed a huge portion of their industrial capacity up to and during WWI. Several battleships of different classes were built but learning that both Japan and the United States were implementing 14 inch guns decisive measures were taken to keep the Royal Navy ahead the Queen Elizabeth class with it s fearsome 15 inch guns were therefor introduced. In 1913 the British launched HMS Queen Elizabeth which was often described as a Super Dreadnought: bigger, faster, and more heavily armed and armored than any other ship. During the next few years 4 more ships where launched."

C.S. Forester's distinguished account of the Anglo-American naval war of 1812. Age of Fighting Sail is a shrewd and skillful telling of a complex war that altered the course of history. A must read for lovers of history and wooden sailing ships.