Within the period 1867–90 there was a breath-taking acceleration in the power of warships, but seamen of all ranks lacked the training to exploit these advances. The critical phase in European naval history when France lost the initiative to the maritime powers. All pages were then subjected to a "preflight" image manipulation that increased page size from the scanned size of approximately 7.

Spanish warship technology and naval administration in the seventeenth century and its institutional framework. Through to the coming of the steam-powered ‘ironclad’ this was the basic character of the warship; the teamwork, ensuring high rates of fire, inculcated in motley crews described in the 18th cent. France could also challenge the two great maritime powers at sea in conflicts that predominantly were Continental. The result was that the personnel provided to man a fleet of those times had to be a considerable one.The standard fighting ship in the English navy became the galleon, a ship with two or three decks carrying its main batteries in the broadside and its lighter guns fore and aft.

The system of efficient sailing vessels fighting by means of broadside exchanges of their guns prevailed almost unchanged until the second half of the 19th century. There seems poetic justice that the first Victoria Cross was won by a non-commissioned seaman in the Crimean War. Russia had by then a fleet of around 45,000 tonnes in theBlack Sea, while Venice since the mid-eighteenth century had maintained a navy of around 20,000 tonnes.

On this s es qui centenni al of the Civil War, The Civil War Naval Encyclopedia provides a summary of Civil War naval subject matter that appears to be the first encyclopedia to be published on this specific topic. These two volumes are sure to become an indispensable resource for both the serious scholar and anyone interested in the Civil War at sea. The form will be sent to our Collections Management Team who will use it to improve our object records.

Placing maritime affairs in their larger historical context, the Encyclopedia shows how seafaring has both reflected and influenced the major economic, cultural, military, and political developments in world history.Three of those ships began service in 1797: the USS United States, the USS Constellation, and the USS Constitution. By this time the oared single sail ‘long ship’ or galley, still predominant in northern waters and the Mediterranean, was ceding place to wider-beamed and higher-sided vessels, furnished with fore and stern castles. Armed merchantmen were still chartered in large numbers during the first Anglo- Dutch Wars, but they proved deficient in combat with major warships. Spencer Tucker, his fellow contributors, and ABC-CLIO should be congratulated for this important contribution.

The introduction of heavy guns able to damage ships at a distance stimulated the development of specialized, heavily built, sailing warships that could carry such guns, use them efficiently in combat, resist gunfire, and stay at sea during long periods of time. Control of the sea enables a nation and its allies to carry on maritime commerce, amphibious assaults, and other seaborne operations that may be essential in wartime.Portsmouth, a nascent naval base by the reign of John (1199–1216), or Southampton were their usual destinations. If you have concerns about the language in this record, or you have information to improve it, please share your feedback.