Osprey Publishing

Ships of the American Revolutionary Navy New Vanguard 161

by  Mark Lardas

Reviewed By  Jeff Leiby, IPMS# 30249

MSRP: $17.95 ISBN: 9781846034459 Website: www.ospreypublishing.com The thirteen American Colonies that revolted in 1775 had a long and proud history of ship building which allowed them to produce warships from sloops-of-war to frigates. At the start of the revolution however, there was no national-level navy. The colonies had to rely on privateers and the navies that eleven of the colonies formed. The Continental Congress determined to authorize a navy, but could not wait for new-built ships, so they initially authorized the purchase of commercial ships to be converted to warships. Commercial ships were quickly purchased and equipped as warships, but they had the disadvantage of being more lightly built than purpose-built warships thus restricting the gun batteries they could carry and the punishment they could take. Congress eventually authorized two sloops-of-war, 16 frigates and one ship-of-the-line that were authorized, built and launched. Five of the frigates and the one ship-of-the-line were never commissioned due to a shortage of cannons and skilled crewman. Only the frigate Alliance survived the war, the remainder being captured by the Royal Navy, burned to prevent capture or lost at sea. This volume by Osprey has 48 pages and provides an excellent overview the design and development, the operational history, and the ships of the Continental Navy. The book contains numerous contemporary paintings and drawings of the ships, their engagements and the men that commanded them. Also inside is a detailed cutaway color drawing of the Bon Homme Richard, John Paul Jones' famous command. The last chapter describes the 19 warships that were launched for the Continental Navy, including illustrations, dimensions, building dates, types and numbers of guns, and a short history of each ship. I highly recommend this volume to anyone interested in the American Revolution, wooden wind-powered warships, or the history of the US Navy. My thanks to the fine people at Osprey for the chance to review this book.