Customer Reviews

The 74-Gun Ship Bellona (Anatomy of the Ship)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 74 Gun ship was the backbone of the Royal Fleet in the days of sail due to its' firepower and good sailing qualities. The Bellona was famous for the sinking of a French vessel of similar proportions in its' first engagement. The Bellona then went on to serve for 54 years, a considerable service history keeping in mind most ships lasted about 20.

The book itself covers (as usual) the history of this vessel and its' type, and has great photos of Models in the National Maritime Museum in the UK. The line drawings are aimed at the scratch builder, so good is it's detail. If you have seen any of Lavery's works you know to expect only the best. The rigging and running rigging is all set out as well, but strangely, no belaying plan, which I would haev expected in a book so detailed. Hard to find and well worth having.

I had seen one of the books in the Anatomy of a Ship series before, and I was struck by the beautiful illustrations and the clarity of the presentation. However I did not know which example I had seen and I chose this one, on the Bellona, more or less at random.

Unlike the model makers for whom this book was probably intended, I am currently re-rigging a full sized 37 metre Barquentine and I purchased this book for inspiration on the rigging and handling of square sails. Unfortunately this one on the 74 gun ship is rather light on rig details, though it is strong on construction, armement and interior, but it was impossible to establish which book concentrates most on which aspect.

Fortunately I was able to find lots of alternative books such as "The Young Sea Officers Sheet Anchor" and "Masting & Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier", so the barquentine will set sail with an authentic rig anyway.

But this book does, after all, provide an excellent idea of the anatomy of the 74 gun ship, the mainstay of Britain's Navy for a vital period in her history.

At last! My husband and I have been waiting for this particular edition to be reprinted for years. Not having it meant he had to rely on other, scantier sources. It's re-availability means that this classic, a source book which has the best information, has again become available. For those interested in historic ship building the 74-gun ship Bellona is the ultimate classic. We're glad it's back in print.

This a great book, so why the 2 stars? The book states on the cover that it is a revised edition complete with 1/96 scale fold-out plan. Well when they revised the book I guess they took the fold-out plan "OUT". I couldn't find it. I bough 4 books in this series and they all say the same thing but NO PLANS. If it wasn't that the other information in the book is great I would have returned all 4. Still a disappointment.

Good book on the specific subject, just what I ordered. Service was excellent and you have a satisfied customer.
Regards,
Robert E Wilmot