  | Book Details Title: Black Swan Class Sloops: Detailed in the Original Builders’ Plans |
Book DescriptionAbout 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. Read more Customers Review: 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.
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2 reviews