LA FLEUR DE LIS - Galère: 1690

New: Available in English

For over 3,000 years, galleys sailed throughout European waters in various shapes and under different names, from the sun-drenched Mediterranean to the mists of the Baltic Sea. Originally a commercial vessel, the galley was soon transformed into a war ship in the ancient world and reached the zenith of its technical development in the 17th century, before disappearing in France during the 1750s.
The somewhat mysterious construction and fitting-out of these formidable ships have always fascinated students of early maritime history. Although galleys were often considered to be simply built ships, by the end of the 17th century the galley had inherited extremely complex and refined architectural lines, much more so, in fact, than other vessels with which it co-existed.
The evolution of the galley, whose history spans thirty centuries, allowed it to develop and refine a structure that had to consolidate strength, lightweight, and performance. These features required novel and original solutions that have rarely been described and have never been systematically illustrated.
With approximately 230 plates drawn to perspective, this study offers a minute account of how a galley was built in the 1690s, from the drawing board to the launching of the ship. The text describes the various stages of construction in detail, including provisions for stowage and rigging. The study also includes a description of rowing techniques and procedures that were directly related to aspects of building or fitting out the ship. The commentary on the 26 plates (drawn to 1:48 scale) explains the drawings of the different components or assemblies that were required to build, fit-out, and rig a 26-bench galley. The plates include a drawing of the framework of the entire ship, which will allow the model ship builder to complete his model with completely accurate proportions. In conclusion, nearly fifty colour photographs of a ship model in various stages of completion illustrate this extensive 240 page study whose table of contents is as follows:

Book in French

Summary of the 240-page booklet

Louis XIV's galleys

General

Reminders on the history of galleys

General considerations

Sources and bibliography

Description of the main parts of a galley

The theory of the design and its practical application

Proportions of a galley of the years 1690

Templates and their use

The construction

The fore-and-aft structure

On the stocks

Construction and assembly of the frames

Inner planking and structure of the deck planking

Outer hull and deck planking

The gun-deck and walkway beams

The head and forecastle

The ram and the head

The rowing-crew area

The boat cradle and galley

The stern area

Decorations

A galley's fittings

Sweeps

Artillery and weapons

Anchors (or irons) and cables

The tiller

The boats

The fortified head

Ballast and stowing

The art of rowing

The rigging, masts and lateen yards

Galleys rigging around 1690

Sails

Rigging (masts, lateen yards and sails)

Awnings and pendants

The galley's men

MONOGRAPH OF THE FLEUR DE LIS

Commentaries on the 26 plates

Timber scantlings

Photographs of a model being built

Lexicon

List of the plates at the 1/48 scale

1. Schematic elevation, sections
2. Lengthwise timber structure
3. Drawings of frames and stern beams (1)
4. Drawings of frames and stern beams (2)
5. View and elevation of the frame structure
6. Exterior hull planking
7. Inner hull planking
8. Arrangements of the deck planking
9. Inside accommodations
10. Cross-sections
11. -14. Construction of the upperworks (1-4)
15. Construction of the head
16. Construction of the head area and forecastle
17. Construction of the stern
18. Overall plan view
19. Overall elevation
20. Overall view including the sweeps
21. Foreward and aft views
22. Details of miscellanious fittings
23. Masts and blocks
24. Sails and pendants
25. Rigged elevation
26. Belaying plan

Information: Supplementary plans or brochures can only be sold if you already have the complete monograph.
The books only without plans in English or Italian or Spanish are sold only if you already have the monograph in French. (proof of purchase will be requested)

Author : Gérard DELACROIX