The Battleship Warspite: Detailed in the Original Builder's Plans Hardcover – December 1, 2017

If you are looking for a lively history of the ship, there are other very good works. This is collection of original construction drawings carefully edited from extant files. If the reader's interests run toward the technical aspects of steel warships, this book will give an excellent picture of how they were built.

Took a long time to get it. Was a Christmas gift but didn’t get it until mid February. My husband is a very patient man and was just happy to receive it. It’s sitting on his desk as we speak.

After being disappointed by their terrible treatment in  British Warships of the Second World War , I never thought I'd actually see a complete set of Admiralty draughts reproduced in full color in a single book. I was somewhat reluctant to buy this book as a result. Although it has some presentation problems, this book is still something of a revelation for this long time naval history buff.This book contains elements from the following plan sets:-1912-13 Battleships Design General Arrangements-HMS Malaya General Arrangements as fitted, amended to 1929-HMS Warspite General Arrangements as fitted 1937, with wartime alterations in pencil-15-Inch Mark I BL Gun Manual-Various traditional line diagramsThe first chapter focuses on the ship as originally completed in 1915. Most of the plans in the first two chapters are actually of the "Malaya," as apparently the original "Warspite" "as fitted" plans were disposed of sometime after her massive 1934-37 reconstruction. It includes the first five plates of the gun manual, a few structural transverse sections, plans of the torpedo rooms, the 6-inch battery and its magazine and shell room, an armor layout plan, and a detailed sketch of the rig. The next chapter depicts "Malaya" during her 1920s interim modernizations, with more sectional views and plans of each funnel and foremast platform.The remainder of the book focuses on "Warspite" post-reconstruction. This section opens with revised rigging and armor layouts, along with diagrams of the new aircraft handling arrangements. and a four-page gatefold depicting a longitudinal section of the ship. Next up are plans of each deck and platform at roughly 1:400 scale, and 13 traverse sections at ~1:200 scale. The rest of the book depicts the arrangement of each deck, platform, and superstructure level, from the upper bridge all the way down to the hold. The seven hull decks are shown at 1:200 scale, with separate spreads showing the fore and aft sections of each deck. Finally, there's a couple of diagrams produced during the ship's 1941 refit at the Puget Sound Navy Yard.The level of detail in these plans is absolutely incredible in places. Every kit locker, ventilation fan, manhole, and wash basin is depicted in the General Arrangement plans. The rigging plans include the diameter and material used for every line and the pattern of each block. Although some of the traditional drawings suffer from some damage and staining, the color ones look remarkably sharp and fresh for their age. The plans themselves are a joy to study; besides being incredibly detailed, they're also exceptionally fine looking, with multi-colored inks and washes. Each plan is also accompanied by fairly lengthy captions and annotations, along with descriptions of wartime damage and modifications.There are, unfortunately, some presentation issues which hold back a five-star rating. Although the reproductions are excellent, you're still going to need a good magnifying glass to study these plans. Even the enlargements are still only half the size of the originals, and some of the call-outs are microscopically small. Although Seaforth has tried to keep important details from falling into the gutter, it still happens from time to time, especially on the deck plans. The enlarged deck plans are somewhat oddly presented. Gate-folds would have been prohibitively expensive, so they end up running to the far right side of one spread before continuing on the far left of the next, with call-outs sliced in half as a result.Although it isn't a flawless masterpiece, I'm quite happy with how "The Battleship Warspite" came out. Studying it brought back the thrill of getting a new "Anatomy of the Ship" in the mail and spending hours getting lost in the details. With any luck, the upcoming companion volumes on the cruiser "Birmingham" and the aircraft carrier "Victorious" will be just as good, if not better.

Great book.

Battleship plans are twelve feet long. The book is not. If it were the size of Perkins it would have worked. As it is it is a waste of money. I am utterly disappointed that Seaforth would let this book out. Such a shame.

If your interest is history or war ships and/or their engineering this is a book for your collection. The illustrations are very detailed and with the accompanying text provide not only the history of the Warspite but the rational for its design and refits.

This is a brilliant book, gives all the details from when the ship was built and anybody vacations made over the years.Fantastic pictures and diagrams.

You see the ship's "as built" and "as modified in 1934-6" plans as vertical cross-sections, vertical profiles, and each deck in amazing detail - admittedly one needs a magnifying glass - but Wow! A perfect companion reference book for the modeler who wants to make a truly authentic model.

Excellent livre sur un cuirasse de legende.Beaucoup de documents pationnants (plans ....).A recommander sans hesiter.Attention toutefois au delai.

前回の「British Warships of the Second World War: Detailed in the Original Builders' Plans」に引き続き国立海事博物館所蔵の図面スキャンデータをもとにした一般艤装図を掲載した「図面の写真集」です。今回はHMS WARSPITEについて1912年完成時と1937年大改装後（こちらが本書のメイン）の姿を扱っています。主要レジュメとして・ORIGINAL DESIGN（P6～30）・INTERIM MODERNIZATION（P31～44）・MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION 1934-1937（P45～51）・GENERAL ARRANGEMENT PLANS 1937（P52～73）・ENLARGEMENTS＝引き伸ばし写真（P74～139）・ACTION DAMAGE他（P140～144）以上です。前回の各種混合資料と違い各図面が分割、拡大されているので図面上の文字情報も見やすくなっています。（とはいえ一般艤装図なのでかなりゴチャっとしてますが）かなり大きい元図面を25cm×29cm判型に収めるため掲載方法も工夫を凝らしており・縦割り主要フレーム毎の右舷側面+断面配置図・艦体構造物各フロア毎の右舷側面+平面配置図などがページ毎に分かりやすく細分化されて記載してあります。残念ながら前回同様　縮尺が不明なのと図の読み辛さから図面集とは言いにくいのですが、本書が図面集を目的としてはいないため、資料としての価値はとても高いものだと思います。

Very good book. Very good value. To purchase these plans from the archive would be 50 times the price of the book. Well laid out.