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Black Night of Finisterre: The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad
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Black Night of Finisterre: The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad Hardcover - 1999

by Arthur Hawkey


From the publisher

HMS Captain was the first sea-going turret warship built to provide all-round firepower. This definitive account of the loss of the Captain details the decade-long public controversy in parliament and the press that led to the building of the ship in unprecedented circumstances. The lengthy controversy involved a disagreement between the Captain's designer and inventor of the turntable turret gun for warships and the Admiralty Constructor, who regarded the design of the vessel as potentially dangerous.


Each had his supporters, but eventually the Admiralty gave in. Its compromise proved to be fatal in September 1870. Only four months after being commissioned, the Captain capsized and immediately sank in a gale off Finisterre, with a death toll greater than at the Battle of Trafalgar. Using newly discovered information regarding the loss of the ship--information that appears to have been suppressed at the court martial of the eighteen survivors--Arthur Hawkey rewrites history. It is a tale that will fascinate ship buffs and serious historians alike.

From the rear cover

This is a definitive account of the loss of HMS Captain and the decade-long public controversy in parliament and the press which preceded and led to the building of the ship in unprecedented circumstances. The lengthy controversy involved a row between Captain Cowper Phipps Coles, RN, the designer of Captain and inventor of the turntable turret gun for warships, and the Admiralty Constructor, Edward Reed, who regarded the design of the vessel as potentially dangerous. Each had his supporters, and the Admiralty made a fatal compromise, for on the night of 6/7 September 1870, only four months after being commissioned, the new ship capsized in a gale off Finisterre and sank immediately. The death toll of British seamen was greater than at the Battle of Trafalgar. Arthur Hawkey has previously written on the ship and the tragedy, but he has recently discovered new and previously unknown information that changes history in relation to the loss of the ship - information that appears to have been suppressed at the court martial of the 18 survivors.

Details

  • Title Black Night of Finisterre: The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad
  • Author Arthur Hawkey
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition Fi
  • Pages 204
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher US Naval Institute Press, Annapolis
  • Date 1999
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781557501882 / 1557501882
  • Weight 1.33 lbs (0.60 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.53 x 6.33 x 0.97 in (24.21 x 16.08 x 2.46 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1851-1899
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Captain (Ship), Shipwrecks - Spain - Finisterre, Cape
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 98068698
  • Dewey Decimal Code 363.123
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Black Night Off Finisterre: The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad

Black Night Off Finisterre: The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad

by Hawkey, Arthur

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Black Night of Finisterre : The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad

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Black Night Off Finisterre: The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad

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Black Night Off Finisterre The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad

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Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1999. 1st Edition; 1st Printing. Hardcover. 1557501882 . B&W Illustrations; This book is in Near Fine condition and has a Near Fine dust jacket. The book and its contents are in clean, bright condition. The text pages are clean and bright. The dust jacket is crisp and clean with the exception of one tiny edge nick to the top spine end. "An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates used in the early part of the second half of the 19th century. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, Gloire, was launched by the French Navy in November 1859. The British Admiralty had been considering armored warships since 1856 and prepared a draft design for an armored corvette in 1857; in early 1859 the Royal Navy started building two iron-hulled armored frigates, and by 1861 had made the… Read More
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