Sailing Warships
Sailing Warships.The infant U.S. republic was blessed in that the premier naval weapons system of the day was one it could produce well and use effectively. Modern designers might well pine for a vessel with the nearly unlimited range, comparatively low construction cost, and ease of repair and resupply offered by the sailing man‐of‐war. Sailing vessels needed only the wind to move them and the food and water to support their crews. Range and endurance depended on how much food and water a given ship needed to get to the next source of supply. Effective repairs of even the most severe damage to a wooden vessel could be and often were carried out on the beach, with tools of the crudest sort.
Building Sailing Warships.
The technology of the sailing warship itself was relatively stable from 1775 to 1862, requiring no expensive research and redevelopment each decade or so. Sails, ropes, timber, and guns were the components of the vessels themselves....[The entire page is 1919 words long]
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