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Black Swan Class Sloops: Detailed in the Original Builders' Plans Kindle Edition

by Les Brown (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 31 ratings
An illustrated reference featuring the superbly drawn plans for these highly effective anti-submarine ships.
 
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 plans were drawn with exquisite skill in multi-colored inks and washes that represent the acme of the draftsman’s art.
 
Today they form part of the 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 drafts, depicting famous warships in unprecedented detail—complete sets in full color, with many close-ups and enlargements that make every aspect clear. Captions point the reader to important features, and an introduction covers the background to the design.
 
This volume is devoted to the sloops of the Black Swan class and its improved derivatives, widely regarded as the “Rolls-Royce” of Second World War convoy escorts. Heavily armed and superbly equipped for their role, they were among the most effective anti-submarine ships of the battle in the Atlantic. The design was gradually improved and this book uses plans of four selected ships to chart that development. These comprise: Black Swan as built; Flamingo as modified later; Starling, the single most successful U-boat hunter of the war, as in 1943; and Amethyst, as refitted after her clash with Chinese communists on the Yangtze in 1949.
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  1. Print length
    131 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Seaforth Publishing
  4. Publication date
    November 30, 2019
  5. File size
    30.6 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is useful for knowing how the ships were designed, what their characteristics were, etc. It is very useful not only to historians and enthusiasts but also to modelers because it carefully describes the different details between the various ships and even between the same ships at different times. Another beautiful book." --On the Old Barbed Wire

"Black Swan Class Sloops covers a very important and significant class of Royal Navy warships during World War II, it is glorious in its appearance, and it is amazingly informative. Anyone with an interest in escort ships from this period needs to add it to their library immediately." --Nautical Research Journal

"Black Swan Class Sloops focuses on the distinguished wartime escort vessels that played a leading role in winning the Battle of the Atlantic. It is a well-produced, high-quality book that maintains the high standards being set by an innovative and highly informative series." --Warship

About the Author

LES BROWN is a leading light in the Small Warships Group of the IPMS and the editor of their newsletter. He is the author of a number of titles in the ShipCraft series, including two on British destroyers, and, with John Lambert, he produced two larger volumes, one on 'Flower' class corvettes and another on Allied torpedo boats.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B089HLZB7F
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Seaforth Publishing (November 30, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 30, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 30.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 131 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
31 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Howard Gilbertson
    5.0 out of 5 stars arrived as promised
    Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    great book
    One person found this helpful
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  • Daryl Carpenter
    4.0 out of 5 stars Inside the "Rolls Royce of Escorts"
    Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    With the death of the "original recipe" "Anatomy of the Ship" series, the creation of Seaforth's "As Detailed in the Original Builders Plans" line has been something of a godsend for strange folks such as myself, who genuinely CAN spend hours getting lost in a good set of ship plans. This, the sixth book in the series, brings along the same Pros and Cons of the others and doesn't really break new ground in terms of presentation (if it ain't broke...). It's also (or at least seems to be) the only book currently available on these ships, long considered the "Rolls Royce of Escorts."

    Although there's a brief introduction that focuses on the development of the ASW sloop in the Royal Navy, the real star here is the Admiralty draughts. Rather than focusing on a single ship like the rest of the series, four different sets are presented:

    -HMS Black Swan "as fitted" (profile, plans of all decks and platforms, and nine transverse sections)
    -HMS Flamingo "as fitted" with modifications through February 1949 (profile, plans of all decks and platforms)
    -HMS Starling "as fitted" (profile, and all decks and platforms Upper Deck and above)
    -HMS Amethyst "as fitted" with modifications through August 1950 (profile, plans of all decks and platforms, and 11 transverse sections)

    The decision to depict four different ships, two of the original and two of the modified "Black Swan" design, built by three different shipyards, was definitely a correct one. Each set of plans has its own trademark style; the "Black Swan" and "Flamingo" plans are quite vivid and colorful, while the two modified ships are more austerely presented with traditional line drawings. Each ship has dozens of subtle differences and minor modifications from each other, ranging from new weapons and equipment to rearranged wardroom furniture. Once again, the level of detail is frequently mindblowing. I've mentioned it in my other reviews, but details as small as curtains, voice pipes, hammock bins, awning stanchions, rifle racks, exhaust fans, footlockers, and even the sickbay bed pan sink, are all depicted. Despite being more than 70 years old, the plans are all exceptionally fine-looking, with only some occasional yellowing and minor spotting belying their age. Best of all, the enlarged plans are presented at scales ranging from roughly 1:100 to 1:150 scale, making them much easier to study than the ones in earlier titles.

    Now for the negatives. Once again, the deck plans and profiles run through the binding, with the inevitable loss of detail in the gutter. The "Black Swan" plans are depicted with a double gatefold, which mostly gets around the problem, but I suspect this will be an issue until they start publishing naval references in landscape format. Les Brown's commentary focuses mostly on the physical differences between each ship, rather than on their technical details. I found myself wanting to know more about the Denny-Brown stabilizers, the ASDIC and radar gear, Amethyst's 40mm Hazemeyer mounts, and so on.

    I've given every book in this series four stars, and barring some future sloppiness, I can't see that changing. Still, I think there's some room for improvement, especially with the guttering issues and the sometimes sketchy accompanying text. If you're fascinated by World War II escorts, or love a good set of ship plans, you'll probably enjoy this one.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Mark R. Seeger
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but not on an IPAD
    Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Good level of detail deck by deck, frame by frame. However I bought the E-book version and viewed on my IPAD (latest version). The smaller type on the plans especially the red front used to reflect changes made during refits are not readable even with a magnifying glass.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Hope there is some historic pics attached
    Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    It is nice book to have if you want to get more details from ship designer and builder's prospects. I hope following similar book can have some historic pictures showing both overview of external profile and internal arrangement.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Norman Harris
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you want a first class book this is it
    Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book is first rate.
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  • timbo
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on my late dad's warship
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Lots of plans and diagrams of the layout of my fathers ship.
    He served on HMS Black Swan from 1943-1946.
    Fantastic book. I only wish the book was around when my dad was still alive. The stories he could have told me.
    There would have been no one else better than him to tell me all, than someone that walked those decks!
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  • Chris H
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great detail and good value
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This was the second volume in this series of warship books. They are full of incredible detail and are good value as the Amazon pricing is much less than at most bookshops.
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  • JOHN McCALLUM
    1.0 out of 5 stars Do not buy on Kindle
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Diagrams are illegible and even the text is blurred. HMS Repulse from this series is fine on Kindle but this is terrible.
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