The Bomb Vessel
Shore Bombardment Ships of the Age of Sail
Chris Ware
Chris Ware traces the development of the bomb vessel from its invention
in the 1680s to the final post-1815 ships. The detailed illustrations
include many original ships plans from the National Maritime Museum's vast
collection.
One of the first specialist warships, the bomb vessel was a floating
siege engine carrying huge shell-firing mortars for the purposes of
bombarding stationary targets, such as coastal towns, fortifications or
harbours. For its time, it was a complex and high-tech weapons system, and
was widely used by the British in every conflict between 1689 and the War
of 1812. Because of their strength, bomb vessels played a major role in
Arctic exploration
(Published by Conway Maritime Press with illustrations from the
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich) |