Contemporary records don’t
always answer our more puzzling questions. We might grasp
the broad picture, but the specifics are murkier. After a
decade of research, Richard Endsor uncloaks and enlightens
us on how a master shipwright took an idea and from that
designed and built ships for King Charles II’s navy. To
fully grasp what this involved, Endsor focuses on one
particular vessel, the Tyger. Along the way, he
also shares both the historical evolution and
technological developments of seventeenth-century
warships, spicing this with information about the men who
played key roles in their design. More importantly, he
discusses and shares snippets from a theoretical treatise
written by the master shipwright who built Tyger,
John Shish.
Within the pages of this
volume, the Tyger is reconstructed and a host of
beautiful artwork, including several multi-page spreads,
shows fascinating details on all aspects of the design and
building process. Originally built in 1681, she was of
keen interest to not only Shish but also the king, who
played an active role in her construction. He even
personally chose the man to first command her: Charles
Berkeley, who was nineteen years old and the second Baron
Berkeley of Stratton at the time.
The book is comprised of ten
chapters and two appendices.
1. The Master
Shipwright’s Considerations
2. Inventions and
Innovations
3. No Such Thing as the Tyger
4. Planning a New Tyger
5. John Shish’s Account of
the Dimensions of a Ship
6. The Draught of the New Tyger
7. Building the New Tyger
8. The New Tyger
Commissioned
9. The Tyger’s Guns
10. Contemporary
Shipbuilding Contracts Unveiled
Appendix 1: The Medway
Warrant
Appendix 2: The Mordaunt
Survey
In addition to the full-color
design artwork, the pages are populated with paintings,
portraits, period letters, drawings, drafts, diagrams,
timelines, tables, and maps. Some artwork is contemporary,
but most is from the author himself. A number of
illustrations incorporate scale by showing people next to
or on the various facets of the ship. Endnotes and an
index are also included.
Master Shipwright’s
Secrets is far
more than just a book on ship construction. Endsor
masterfully demonstrates how Shish made calculations in a
time when computers did not exist and yet managed to do so
without making proportional errors commonly encountered
when taking a design idea and turning it into a reality.
Along the way, the author discusses Shish’s
contemporaries, a monarch who was well versed in all
facets of ships, the duties and responsibilities of a
master shipwright, and all the steps taken to turn an idea
into a finished product.
Handsomely designed, this book is
packed with so many awesome revelations in just over 300
pages that it requires two hands to hold. It is a readable
and easy-to-understand study of a late seventeenth-century
fourth-rate navy ship, although a bit of the technical and
mathematical details may elude some readers. It is an
invaluable resource on the Restoration Navy.
Review Copyrighted ©2020 Cindy
Vallar
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