The Man of War by Macintyre, D & Bathe, Basil W - 1968

UK: Methuen, 1968. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. h/b 273 pages, condition is very good, small tear to the top edge of the DJ. Since the dawn of history men have fought gor supremacy on the sea, and the evolution of the man-of-war as an efficient fighting machine forms one of the most absorbing aspects of human achievement. In a book that is both decorative and informative, the authors trace the history of the man-of-war from its earliest know, appearance as the oared galley of the Mediterranean to the nuclear submarine of the present day. The oared warships were the chief fighting vessels of ancient and classical times, but although they were later superseded by the sailing ship, they remained in use in the Mediterranean and the Baltic until the eighteenth century. Sailing ships became the most beautiful and long-lived warships of historical rimes. From the early single-masted longships of the Vikings, they blossomed into their full glory as the mighty galleons of the sixteenth century, and were highly efficient and streamlined vehicle of war by the Battle of Trafalgar in 1815. The advent of steam spelled death to the sailing ship in warfare, and as new engines and better fuels have been developed, the warship-of today has become a deadly weapon capable, by means of the nuclear warhead, of reaching targets on land and io the air as well as at sea. The use of weapons and developments in naval strategy are an integral part of the warship's history. Captain Macintyre describes inventions in weapons and missiles and their influence on ship design and discusses at every stage the major battles in which the ships were required to prove themselves. The book is illustrated with over 230 plates, drawings and plans taken from contemporary paintings, woodcuts and photographs. The full-page plans show the most important milestones in the development of the man-of-war, and great care has been taken to ensure that they are both attractive and technically accurate. This is a valuable reference book for the professional, but it will also provide much enjoyment for those who know the fascination of ships and the sea.