Oceanography and Seamanship [Hardcover]

William Van Dorn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1993 | ISBN-10: 0870334344 | ISBN-13: 978-0870334344 | Edition: 2 Sub

This is a book about boats and the sea by a long-time sailor who has spent more than a quarter-century as a research oceanographer. It explains in practical terms what the ocean is really like, why boats behave as they do, and what measures are open to the average skipper to make his voyages safer and more comfortable. Dealing first with oceanography, the author discusses the origin and nature of the oceans, meteorology, ocean circulation, principles of wave motion, and ocean waves. Then turning to the boats that sail the seas, he provides information about their dynamics with comments on stability, resistance. and propulsion, as well as ship motions in a seaway. He closes with chapters on practical seamanship and emergency procedures. Illustrated with nearly 200 drawings and 30 photographs, this magnificent book is a rare instance where the long tradition of seamanship, that tends to resist change, is examined in the light of the new and rapidly growing science of oceanography.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 453 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Maritime Pr/Tidewater Pub; 2 Sub edition (February 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870334344
• ISBN-13: 978-0870334344
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Chicago (1920), Dr. William G. Van Dorn grew up in Pasadena, attended Stanford University (BSME 1942) and commenced graduate work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1947, where he remained for forty years, retiring as Research Professor, Oceanography, and Chairman of Phys. Oceanography Research division in 1987.
Dr. Van Doprn began his lifelong study of study of tsunamis in 1952, when Scripps became involved in the U.S. nuclear testing program in the South Pacific, which continued through 1962. He can now say he has Skied 50 years, surfed 50 years, dived 50 years, and seen more H-bombs detonated than any man alive. Dr. Van Dorn is the author of four totally different published books.
1. Oceanography and Seamanship,(1974, 1993), a book about the ocean as an operating environment for boats and ships; total sales now in excess of 40,000 volumes.
2. Papers in Physical Oceanography, 1992; privately published and distributed to 100 government and university libraries.
3. Ivy-Mike the first Hydrogen Bomb, (2008). An accurate historical account of the concept design, development and testing of the world's first thermonuclear device.(10-million tons of TNT). Not everyman's book, it is slowly increasing in sales.
4. Capsize, a novel based on a true marine disaster (2011). After studying the storm-related, capsize of a chartered diving trawler, from which there were only two survivors, I wrote a similar novel, allowing six survivors, who are eventualy rescued after many adventures.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and definitely worth the price, April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Oceanography and Seamanship (Hardcover)

Good diagrams, pictures, charts, etc. A picture being worth 1000 words certainly applies here. Enough mathematics for the scientist, for the layman - the text makes perfect sense without the formulas.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, very interesting re: boats and the sea, October 28, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oceanography and Seamanship (Hardcover)

Oceanography and Seamanship by van Dorn is so full of information that it's hard to know where to start. The book is quite technical, with lots of math, and even as a scientist, I found that I skipped over many of the forumlae, yet still understood the underlying concepts of how boats and the water interact. Very interesting and useful.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars everything and more, November 27, 2005

By 

James Lamb (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oceanography and Seamanship (Hardcover)

Let me be frank... the beautiful cover of this book caught my eye while browsing a bookstore on vacation, but I didn't want to spend the money.

A YEAR LATER, I had the cash, and remembered that this book contained so many topics that I wanted to learn more about. I didn't remember the title, nor the exact bookstore, but I tracked it down. The bookstore owner didn't have the book in stock, but by my description, remembered it, and I subsequently purchased it through Amazon. It's the kind of book you remember.

If you're curious about the greater part of the earth which is covered with water, this book is a must read ! I'm slowly working through, cover-to-cover. Ocean currents, winds, and tides... climate, how various sized ships act in various conditions... calculating whether you have time to head to port or better get away from land when the wind starts blowing (how high will the waves get?) -- it's all here. I must confess, I've been glossing over the calculation aspects of wave propagation, but just reached the a-ha! point of why it's all very useful (and the graph is simpler than it looks once you get to the examples).

If you want to better understand the oceans, from the north pole to the south, and all the winds, waves, ice bergs, and currents between, this is your book. The pictures and drawings are what caught my eye. Once you dig into the text (if you have a bit of science/math grounding), you'll find it as enjoyable as the graphics. Even if you don't have much science/math, there are great portions with enjoyable material that doesn't require heavy thought.