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 is best known for the disaster of 22 September 1914 in which Cressy and two sister-ships, Aboukir and Hogue, were sunk with great loss of life by a single small submarine in little more than an hour. Having been overtaken by the rapid advance of naval technology in the fifteen years since their construction, the cruisers were regarded as obsolete and employed on a task for which they were never intended.
However, in their day they were powerful and innovative ships, with a significant impact on the way the armoured cruiser developed. This becomes clear from the analysis of the plans included in this book, which thus presents an original and more positive view of these ships that will enlighten - and perhaps surprise - many naval historians and enthusiasts.
About the Author
Andrew Choong is the Curator of Historic Photos and Ships' Plans at the National Maritime Museum's outstation at the Brass Foundry in Woolwich. As such, he is uniquely qualified to select and comment on the draughts in this book. He was also closely involved in the publication of the monumental seven volumes of the Perkins identification series, for which he wrote the introduction.
Industry Reviews
A superb book about a remarkably significant warship, and its presentation is magnificent. --Nautical Research Journal
This is one of the best books in the series and is particularly impressive in its scope and ambition. Having just spent two years researching the French counterparts of the Cressys, the reviewer was struck by how many of the primary considerations were apparent in the design, how much of the technology, and how many of the practices were common to both navies. --Warship
The book is the most detailed one could want to understand how the Cressy (and some other ships of this class) had been designed and subsequently set up and modified. This book is therefore very useful for the naval enthusiast, the model maker, the simple curious who wants to discover a ship that served as a bridge between two eras of the world navy. --On The Old Barbed Wire
