Picture Reference book of Ships [antikvár]

BROCKHAMPTON PRESS Picture Reference book of SHIPS CONTENTS Primitive ships and boats 2 Ancient ships 4 Ships with oars 6 Medieval sailing ships 8 Famous ships of the explorers 10 General Editor: Boswell Taylor Research by John West m.a., John D. Bareham b.a. and others Designer and illustrator: Roy M. Schofield Men of war 12 Golden age of sail 14 Victory 16 Early steamships 18 The changing warship 20 Second World War 22 Merchant ships 24 Fishing vessels and coastal craft 26 Pleasure and river craft 28 Passenger liners 30 AS MAN NEEDED WATER, the first villages were built near rivers or streams. A rolling log or a floating raft were the first means of transport. Since the first man floated on water, there has been a progressive development of water transport. Speed and comfort were the essentials in boat construction. The need for stability increased in importance, and was more difficult to attain, when ships first plunged adventurously across the great oceans in search of fresh horizons. The grace and speed of sailing ships reached their peak in the clippers. In contrast, the first metal ships were ugly vessels. At first, man retained some sail as a gesture to safety. The paddles went with the innovation of the screw-propeller, and the turbine added efficiency to the engine power. In 19 J4 the first nuclear-powered ship was launched, and a new generation of ships was begun, one more stage in the conquest of the seas. Even as man's inventive skill triumphs, ships are wrecked and lives are lost at sea to remind us that, while the seas can be the highways of our civilization, they still hold the threat of primitive power.