My particular area of interest is the English Navy from the reign of William and Mary to George I, and there are a lot of resources to help me better understand that period. I'm working on a model of the English Third Rate, 70 gun warship Elizabeth of 1706 as well as researching such things as Woolwich Dockyard, Master Shipwright Richard Stacey, a number of ship's masters and captains - all of which will be greatly aided by the Navy Records Society resources.
I've been aware of the Navy Records Society for some time, and have purchased some of their excellent volumes, including Queen Anne's Navy and the Sergison Papers, but hadn't for whatever reason actually joined. Until yesterday. For those who have a passion for Naval history, you will find a treasure of records and research material. There are two levels for membership, 20 British pounds and 40 British pounds. I opted for the 40 pound option and immediately saw the value in the investment. There are PDF editions of their most well known works available for immediate download, many of which at no further cost to members. My particular area of interest is the English Navy from the reign of William and Mary to George I, and there are a lot of resources to help me better understand that period. I'm working on a model of the English Third Rate, 70 gun warship Elizabeth of 1706 as well as researching such things as Woolwich Dockyard, Master Shipwright Richard Stacey, a number of ship's masters and captains - all of which will be greatly aided by the Navy Records Society resources. The 70 gun Third Rate ship of the line Elizabeth of 1706.
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I have a number of models that were photographed on my last trip to Annapolis that I'll be posting as soon as possible. These include the 80 Gun Sussex, the Grafton, the brig Irene, the Bonhomme Richard, and something dear to every Navy man, images of the crypt of John Paul Jones - all to be posted in the very near future, so stay tuned!
I've been busy with my professional cartooning career, with my "Spectickles" due out in my first book, and we'll soon be showing up in newspapers, so that's been keeping me pretty busy. Not to fear, my love for all things nautical won't allow me to be away for very long! If you want to check out my cartoons, I have a feature on my site called "Cartoon A Day" where a different cartoon is posted, oddly enough, each day. Thank you for sharing this passion with me, and check back often! One of my favorite models in the collection is the 70 gun Third Rate 'Prince Frederick', arguably one of the Crown Jewels of the collection. A detail I keep returning to is the Captain's cabin with its intricately inlaid compass-pattern deck. And remember, this model was likely constructed nearly two decades before the birth of George Washington. No Jim Byrne's saws, no Dremels, no MicroMark - heck, even no electricity! Imagine working on something of this complexity, producing these results under candle-light? Staggers the imagination. I've spent lots and lots of time studying these images, and look forward to my next trip to see if I can improve the angles from which the photographs are taken as well as getting more comprehensive coverage of areas of interest specifically geared to researchers and ship modelers.
From my family to yours, wishing everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous, and fulf
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AuthorBill Abbott is a professional cartoonist, retired Navy SWCC, and is a passionate reader of Naval and maritime history. Archives
May 2014
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