Dutch Warships In The Age Of Sail 1600 1714: Desisgns, Construction, Careers & Fates

Author: James Bender

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $150.00 NZD
  • : 9781848321571
  • : Pen & Sword Books Ltd
  • : Seaforth Publishing
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  • : 1.098
  • : November 2014
  • : 289mm X 245mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : 150.0
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • :
  • : James Bender
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  • : Hardback
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  • : 359.00949209032
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  • :
  • : 320
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  • : 200 illustrations
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Barcode 9781848321571
9781848321571

Description

For most of the seventeenth century the Netherlands constituted the most important maritime power in the world, with by far the largest merchant fleet and a dominance in seaborne trade that other countries feared and envied. Born out of an 80-year struggle against Spain for independence, the Dutch republic relied on naval power to guarantee its freedom, promote its trade and defend its overseas colonies. The Dutch navy was crucial to its survival and success, yet the ships that made up its fleets are among the least studied of any in the age of sail. The reasons for this include a decentralised administration of five separate admiralties, often producing ships of the same name at the same time, the widespread co-opting of merchantmen into naval fleets, and competing systems of measuring ships, all of which leads to confusion and error. The most significant contribution of this book is to produce the first definitive listing of all Dutch fighting ships - whether purpose-built, purchased, hired or captured - from the heyday of the United Provinces, complete with technical details and summaries of their careers.
It also provides an appreciation of the administrative, economic and technical background, and outlines the many campaigns fought by one of the most successful navies in history. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navies of the sailing era.

Author description

JAMES BENDER developed an interest in the great Anglo-Dutch sea fights of the 17th century as a wargamer, but the search for definitive information on the ships involved led to a decade of intense research. This book is the result.