The History of The American Sailing Navy: The Ships and Their Developement

by Howard Irving Chapelle

Howard Chapelle was one of America's most distinguished naval historians. His crowning achievement, The History of the American Sailing Navy, has long been out-of-print, but its treatment of the subject remains unparallelled. Accompanying the authoritative text are detailed plans of over 50 sailing vessels as well reproductions of contemporary paintings and drawings. Lincoln Colcord said: "Chapelle, in my opinion, has the soundest ideas on the history of naval architecture and the development of American ship types of any man writing on the subject...HIs work will be of permanent historical value."

Genres: History, American History, Maritime, Nonfiction

558 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 1998

Reviews

[Mr. Reader Eric Mesa]

Wonderful book covering a little-understood part of American history. The author pierces through the romanticism and shows a meticulous tapestry of toil, strategic missteps, valor, and breakthroughs in the early American Navy and the human heroes who helped weave it, from the ship designers and shipwrights to the captains and men who sailed them.

[James]

See what kind of ships captains like Jones and Preble sailed.

[Mark Luongo]

Read as an addendum to all the books I've been reading lately about the Naval War of 1812. It is very technical. Fortunate to have a copy of this long out of print book in the "Luongo Memorial Archives & Library" (patent pending). To be fair, read only Chapter 5 "The War Navy 1812-1816." This book harkens back to the days when I used to haunt the bookshops of the old South Street Seaport.

[John]

A must have/read for anyone interested in American naval history or 18th and 19th century ship design.

[Think-On-It]

If you'd like to know what I thought of this book, please contact me directly and I'd be happy to discuss it with you.

All the best,

- TB

[Fredrick Danysh]

There is a mysteque to the tall ships of the sailing era. This is a look at their role in the American navy during the age of sail.

[Chris Kleinfelter]

A classic work of nautical history. Lots of lines to show how shipshape a ship's shape can be.