The Sloop of War, 1650–1763: 1650-1763

This is the first comprehensive study of the Royal Navy's small craft, which were built in large numbers and greater variety than major warships during the age of sail. The book traces how various vessel types—described in the 17th century as sloops, ketches, brigantines, advice boats, and yachts—developed into the single 18th-century category of Sloop of War. These vessels were generally two-masted and carried diverse sail plans. The author examines their origins in open boats used by Basque whalers, documents how European developments influenced English design, and analyzes the connections between rigging, hull form, and operational purpose. Visual records are limited, but the book assembles rare and previously unseen images alongside the author's own line drawings and watercolor reconstructions to show how these vessels appeared. By addressing obscure questions about early small-boat rigging history, the work offers insights relevant to historians of coastal sail, practical yachtsmen, and warship enthusiasts.