Customer Reviews

The Frigate Diana (Anatomy of the Ship)

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Any committed reader of sea novels set in the Napoleonic wars knows that command of a frigate was the dreamed-of assignment of every young and ambitious captain. Large enough to hold its own in one-on-one combat, small and agile enough to be sent on independent cruises instead of remaining locked into a battle line under the admiral's eye, a frigate was where adventure and fortunes were to be had, given personal abilities and luck. The DIANA was one of the few frigates for which nearly all records and drawings have survived, from its launching in 1794 to its decommissioning and sale to the Dutch in 1815. This volume is pure eye-candy for the buff, including close photographic studies of the several models that have survived, plus several score reconstructed detailed architectural drawings of her hull, deck plans, sail plan, stowage, armament, and outfitting. This is a treasure trove for the model-maker but also a great time-sink for the reader of O'Brian and Forester.

This book is invaluable for those who have done what I have done. In my Building a 1:24 scale model of a three masted Frigate from an SC&H kit I found the detail drawings and sail patterns absolutely necessary.

This book would help in modeling other kinds of ships as well, especially details for such things as pumps, rigging, carronades, cannon, deck fittings, and a host of other details.

Highly recommended.