With the sweep of its bow, its graceful lines, and its clouds of canvas, the clipper ship sparked a romance with the American public that still endures 150 years later. The public fervor surrounding locally built clippers generated intense intercity rivalries--and a new type of thinking. Ships suddenly were christened with romantic names; interior decor of passenger-carrying vessels reached a new level of embellishment. Pushed by their masters, who drove them as no ships had been driven before, clippers reached and maintained speeds that were previously unheard of, setting records for sailing ship passages that were never to be surpassed. Their heyday was astonishingly brief--by the 1860s giving way to safer, more commodious, iron steamships, which were not at the mercy at the wind. The product of more than 35 years of exacting research, "The American-Built Clipper Ship" presents in exquisite detail 152 clippers that comprise the culmination of the shipbuilders' art. Every facet of clipper ship design and construction is covered, including wood species, scantlings, fastenings, midship sections, interior living areas, and details of scarphs, keels, stem- and stern-post assemblies, frames, timbers, and bracing--all included in some 160 intricately drawn illustrations by a man whose unequaled work has earned him a national following among modelers and maritime museum directors. This is possibly the most complete reference on clipper ship construction ever published. No other single source covers so many vessels in such detail. "The American-Built Clipper Ship" will be an invaluable resource for historians, model builders, and maritime artists, as well as for any newcomer who isonly now learning how addictive the subject can become.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
IllustrationsTablesLists of American-Built Clipper Ships, 1850 - 1856Alphabetical List of VesselsChronological List of VesselsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I Prelude to Building the ShipChapter 1 Preparation for ConstructionChapter 2 Woods Used in Construction of the ClippersChapter 3 General Characteristics of Clipper Ship HullsChapter 4 Fastenings, Hole Borers, and FastenersChapter 5 ScarphsChapter 6 Representative Midship SectionsPart II Construction of the HullChapter 7 Keel AssemblyChapter 8 Stem and Sternpost AssembliesChapter 9 Square Frames and FloorsChapter 10 Keelson and Deadwood AssembliesChapter 11 Half Frames, Cant Frames; Bow and Stern TimberingChapter 12 Diagonal Iron Bracing; Hull Stiffening; Hold CeilingChapter 13 StanchionsChapter 14 Beams and KneesChapter 15 Hooks and PointersChapter 16 Mast Steps, Trusses, and BracingChapter 17 Waterways, Binding Strakes, and Tween-Decks CeilingChapter 18 Planksheer, Rails, and BulwarksChapter 19 Bitts; Hatch Coamings; Deck Planking; Forecastle and Poop DecksChapter 20 Salting; Exterior Planking; Headboards; MouldingsChapter 21 Cargo Ports; Scuppers; Channels; RudderPart III Completion of the ShipChapter 22 Metal SheathingChapter 23 Colors of the ShipsChapter 24 Hull OrnamentationChapter 25 Figureheads and Carved StemheadsChapter 26 Weather Deck ArrangementsChapter 27 Fittings and OutfitsChapter 28 Ship InteriorsChapter 29 Mast and Spar ArrangementsChapter 30 RiggingChapter 31 Flags and SignalsChapter 32 Entry into Valhalla: Fate of the VesselsChapter 33 Conclusion and CommentReferencesIndex
