Wooden Ship

Here's something I never knew: the oak keel that formed the backbone of a 100-foot whaling ship built in the 1860's, was almost 6 feet in depth. The lowest level of the keel is almost 3 feet in depth; the ribs are fastened to it, then the keelson is set in place. Drift pins are driven through the keelson, timbers and into the keel to clamp everything together. It created one very tough spine. The ship was 100 feet long, 27 feet wide and about 16 feet for draft. In clear, concise elegant terms plus ample drawings showing each stage of construction, Adkins succinctly outlines what it took to build such a ship. Anyone who's worked with oak, tamarack and white pine will appreciate the craftsmanship in the construction of a typical wooden whaling ship - - and, presumably, the basics of most wooden ships for hundreds of years. "Whose ship? No one owns her as she lies quiet in the dim light. Ingalls might say ashe was God's, Knowlton might say that the sea owned her, and there would not be enough difference in the two answers to argue about," writes Adkins, a master storyteller just as the ship builders were master craftsmen. It's well salted with specific terms - - "trunnels" is for tree nails, dubbers are men who wield lipped adzes to trim planking snugly against each and every rib. How did dubbers bend pine planks to fit the curves? They used long steaming boxes where stiff planks sweated out their stubbornness, then clamped them in place before they stiffened again. Sorry if it sounds complicated. In Adkins words and sketches, everything is set down clear, concise and simple. His book is a hymn to the wide range of skills of men who built wooden ships. Anyone who enjoys wood, wooden ships, woodworking and words will be delighted.

I am researching wooden shipbuilding for a novel involving 19th Century whaling in New England. The book is very informative and clearly written. I would recommend it as your first read on this subject. Pay particular attention to the illustrations. Since they show human figures, they give you a good idea of scale. They also give you a very good idea of the tools involved although the use of these tools is not explained at the craftsman level.You will appreciate the New England whaleship and be prepared to thoroughly enjoy a visit to Mystic Seaport and the Charles W. Morgan.

It arrived in good condition

"Wooden Ship" has a writing style and simple drawings that at first look rather like a children's book (which it may be). However, the drawings are accurate and informative, the nomenclature (of various ship parts) is careful and accurate, and the story line is complete. Rather than showing some part of a wooden ship, with a label, like "keel", the illustration shows some shipwrights making a keel. Accurately.Well done.

If you like wood boats & square sails this is a very nice "Feel Good" book. You will not learn how to build a whaling ship but you will gain an insight into its construction.

Not totally what I am looking for, but very informative. Good starting place.

This short book is outstanding. Have you ever wondered how on earth the old shipwrights built 100' and longer vessels on the shore of a bay or lake? You may have seen half hull models before, but did you know how they were used to "Loft" the design into the ribs and structure of the real ship? This tells a story of the plan and execution of the building of ships more than a hundred years ago, with great illustrations that bring it to life, and understanding. It is inspiring, truly educational, and answered for me many questions on "how on earth did they do that with the tools of the day"?