Battlecruiser Repulse (ePub)
Detailed in Original Builders' Plans
Series: As detailed in the original builders' plans
File Size: 59.9 MB (.epub)
Illustrations: 100
ISBN: 9781526757296
Published: 24th June 2019
| Other formats available | Price |
|---|---|
| Battlecruiser Repulse Hardback Add to Basket | £21.00 |
The technical details of British warships were recorded in a set of plans produced by the builders on completion of every ship. Known as the ‘as fitted’ general arrangements, these drawings represented the exact appearance and fitting of the ship as it entered service. Intended to provide a permanent reference for the Admiralty and the dockyards, these highly detailed plans were drawn with exquisite skill in multi-coloured inks and washes that represent the acme of the draughtsman’s art.
Today they form part of the incomparable collection of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, which is using the latest scanning technology to make digital copies of the highest quality. This book is one of a series based entirely on these draughts which depict famous warships in an unprecedented degree of detail – complete sets in full colour, with many close-ups and enlargements that make every aspect clear and comprehensible. Extensive captions point the reader to important features to be found in the plans, and an introduction covers the background to the design.
The subject of this volume was one of the last battlecruisers, elegant ships which combined a powerful armament with high speed, but much criticised for their light protection. Throughout their existence, they were controversial – three were sunk at Jutland – and Repulse herself was famously lost to Japanese air attack at the outset of the Pacific War. Nevertheless, the type was highly prized: Repulse and her sister Renown were the only capital ships given sufficient priority to be designed, built and completed during the course of the First World War; and substantial sums were spent on large-scale reconstruction during the 1930s. Both these phases of the ship’s life are fully documented in two separate sets of plans, which allows this novel form of anatomy to cover the whole life of the ship.
Today's book is part of Seaforth Publishing's "as detailed in the Original Builders' Plans" series. The purpose of this series is to make known the construction plans of a whole series of ships of the Royal Navy (and not only) kept at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. This gives the enthusiast a different point of view on the ship (or class of ships) that is covered in each volume. It is certainly not an operational history of the ship, nor does it describe the human experience of its crew or is it a memory of its commanders, but it helps to give an extremely interesting vision of the solutions used to build it and therefore to guide the reader in an experience certainly no less valid than reading a story or memories.
Old Barbed Wire
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The book is fully up to the high production standards that Seaforth has set. For those interested in the battlecruiser as a concept and the graphical documentation of these complex machines, this title is a must.
Warship Annual 2021 Edition
This is another fascinating entry in this series, and gives a good idea of the complexity of this ship, and the modifications carried out in an attempt to keep her a viable member of the fleet.
History of War
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For modelers and students of naval architecture, especially those outside the United Kingdom, these large-scale renderings offer a great primary source previously limited by the size and relative inaccessibility of the originals.
The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord, XXIX, No. 2 (Summer 2019) – reviewed by Charles Ross Patterson II Yorktown, Virginia
So, what does one make of this book? It is beautifully produced and certainly delivers what it promises in the title. Repulse and Renown represented the epitome of battlecruiser design, and this is amply demonstrated in the technically detailed and well-researched, almost forensic, analysis of the ship’s drawings. Given the proud history of this impressive vessel, it would have been good to learn a little more of her career (there is a two-paragraph career summary, situated midway through the book), but this was not the book’s purpose. Nevertheless, the book represents a serious addition to the present-day knowledge of this famous warship and is a testament to the warship architects of a past era – and to the proficiency of the author.
The Naval Review, February 2020 – reviewed by R. G. MELLY REAR ADMIRAL
Magnificent, the Series is re-expanded with another Masterpiece.
Miniaturas JM
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As featured in
Marine News
This book is probably the best in a series of very high quality in itself, and this positive judgment is due - in addition to, obviously, to the perfect reproduction in large dimensions of general and detailed construction plans - to complete and exhaustive captions that accompany most of the tables and that constitute, themselves, real synthetic "chapters" of great utility also for those who, as professionals in this sector, would be able to better understand the different aspects of each individual construction plan.
STORIA militare, December 2019
The technical details of the Battlecruiser Repulse, which saw service in the Great War, are laid bare in this amazing book by the inimitable John Roberts.
Books Monthly
This book shows her in incredible detail, and is a real gem reference wise. Definitely recommended.
A Question Of Scale, Seb Palmer
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As featured on Scale Modelling Now
Scale Modelling Now
This offering from Seaforth courtesy of Pen and Sword covers every element of the Battle Cruiser Repulse to a level of exactitude of detail that I do not believe can be bettered. The Draftsmen who produced these drawings did a fantastic job with the coloured ink allowing the eye to easily follow details through the drawings. This book should enable the modeller with the requisite skills to reproduce in extreme detail any aspect of the Repulse or for those who are not faint of heart the entire vessel.
Armorama
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Another fine product of collaboration between the publisher and the British National Maritime Museum Greenwich. This book provides access to original builders’ plans that previously were only accessible to museum staff and accredited researchers – Highly Recommended.
Firetrench
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As featured by
Model Boats, October 2019
Another magnificent volume in the “famous warships” series, published by Seaforth Publishing, and featuring original plans held by The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich... This book will appeal to anyone who is fascinated by large ships (like me), modellers, and naval writers.
John's Machines
As featured on Scale Modelling Now
Scale Modelling Now
Seaforth are to be congratulated on this tour de force, an excellent contribution to naval history besides providing a vast amount of intimate detail for a model maker.
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
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About John Roberts
JOHN ROBERTS is one of the best-known names in the field of warship history, with numerous outstanding technical books to his credit. His most recent publication for Seaforth was Battlecruiser Repulse (2019), another in this series based on original plans.
Pen and Sword Books
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