Overview

By the end of the nineteenth century, though the steamer had proved herself in terms of speed and reliability, there remained a demand for slower and more economic bulk carriers; this demand was to generate a final impetus for the sailing ship and the great four- and five-masted ships described in this book were the result. With hulls built of riveted steel, steel masts and wire rigging, these vessels were much bigger than the older three-masted wooden clippers. Of perhaps 2,000 tons and carrying up to 50,000sq ft of sail, the addition of the fourth and fifth masts was imperative. Some were built as barques, others were ship-rigged, but they all find a place in Square Rig Sunset. The main bulk of the book is devoted to a listing of over 400 of these vessels and, alphabetically arranged, each entry contains specifications, details of builders and owners, lists of voyages, fates, and interesting and informative extracts from log books. Nearly every vessel is illustrated with a photograph, while appendices draw together much of the material for easy cross-reference. Introductory chapters describe how they were built and give the background to the builders and owners. There is commentary on the design and layout of the ships while other chapters are devoted to the voyages, passages and cargoes. Life aboard is described and the economics of this last revival of sail are explained. These great vessels, some of which still plied the oceans after World War 2, represented the full and final development of the barque and the full-rigged ship. David Clement's new book is a magnificent tribute to that final flowering and will delight historians, enthusiasts, modelmakers and all with an interest in the last days of sail.

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9781861762313

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David Clement has nurtured a deep interest in ships and the sea since an early age. He was a founder of the Southwest Maritime History Society, and is editor of its journal.

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