American-Built Packets and Freighters of the 1850s

Before his retirement in 1972, William L. Crothers worked as a draftsman in the design division of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. He is also the author of books on the construction of American clipper ships American packets and freighters of the 1850s.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

American-Built Packets and Freighters of the 1850s

Alphabetical List of Vessels

Chronological List of Vessels

One. Preparation for Construction

Two. Woods Used in Ship Construction

Three. General Characteristics of Packet and Freighter Hulls

Four. Fastenings

Five. Scarphs

Six. Representative Midship Sections

Seven. Keel Assembly

Eight. Stem and Sternpost Assemblies

Nine. Square Frames and Floors

Ten. Keelson and Deadwood Assemblies

Eleven. Half Frames, Cant Frames, and Bow and Stern Timbering

Twelve. Stiffening the Hull; Hold Ceiling

Thirteen. Hooks and Pointers

Fourteen. Stanchions

Fifteen. Beams and Knees

Sixteen. Mast Steps and Mast Trusses

Seventeen. Clamps, Waterways, Binding Strakes, and Tween Decks Ceiling

Eighteen. Planksheer, Bulwarks and Rails

Nineteen. Forecastle and Poop Decks, Hatch Coamings, Bitts, and Deck Planking

Twenty. Salting, Exterior Hull Planking, Head of Ship, and Moulded Edges

Twenty-One. Cargo Ports, Scuppers, Channels, Rudder, and Side Lights

Twenty-Two. Metal Sheathing

Twenty-Three. Colors of the Ships

Twenty-Four. Hull Ornamentation

Twenty-Five. Figureheads and Billetheads

Twenty-Six. Weather Deck Arrangements

Twenty-Seven. The Ship’s Outfit

Twenty-Eight. Ships’ Interiors

Twenty-Nine. Masting Arrangements

Thirty. Rigging

Thirty-One. Flags and Signals

Thirty-Two. The Wake of the Ships

Conclusion

Appendix: Contract for Ingalls and Shephard, Sullivan, Maine, to Build a Hermaphrodite Brig, 1855

Glossary

References

Index