Introduction

[Gordon]

Hello paddleducks,

My Interest is in paddlewheel warships including those of the American Civil War.  My problem is that ,in this area, detailed information is simply not available.  Anyone out there who can start me on a search of British paddlewheel warship designs?

Have extensive RC aero scale model experience and have built a couple of Dumas speedboat kits.  My real interest is build a scale paddlewheel warship.  Any help would be most appreciated.  Thank you.

gordon

[Walter Snowdon]

Hi Gordon and welcome to a great site! Britain had very few paddle warships, but a good start for your search is the following book:
PADDLE WARSHIPS by D K BROWN ,Published by Conways maritime Press (sorry , havnt got the ISBN number).
 Also for superb illustrations I reccomend WARSHIPS AND NAVAL BATTLES OF THE US CIVIL WAR BY TONY GIBBONS  pUBLISHED BY DRAGONS WORLD, LONDON ISBN 1 85028 094 0.  This is full of superbly done artwork covering every aspect of civil war warships. If I come across anything else I will let you know. Oh yes, volume 1 of conways worlds warships covers all the nations paddle wearships, right down to tugs!  Cheers for now, Walter.

[towboatjoe]

Hi Gordon, you need to take a trip to Vicksburg and visit the Battlefield museum. I have four models there and there are over 150 civil war models. Lamar Roberts really know his stuff when it comes to the civil war era. Also on the grounds is the restored USS Cairo an ironclad that was found and raised in 1964 on the Yazoo River. Their museum is copied after a gun boat. Here's their site... http://www.vicksburgbattlefieldmuseum.net/

[thewharfonline]

Did you donate some of your models to the museum Joe?

[towboatjoe]

Some I built for the museum and a couple others they bought from me that I had already built.

[Brian]

Here are some details of a book referred to earlier -
Paddle Warships - The Earliest Steam Powered Fighting Ships 1815-1850
Author: D.K. Brown,
ISBN: 0-85177-616-7
Publication Date: 1993
128 pages. 267 mm × 267 mm. Hard cover.
Published by Conway Maritime Press

This volume deals with the introduction of steam power into naval warfare in the form of paddle propulsion and includes a history of the vessels and the progress of naval steam through individual ships and classes. It also deals with general aspects of the ships, such as hull structure, machinery, paddle wheels, armament, internal arrangements and performance.

This is another of many books authored by David K. Brown, which is genuinely outstanding with high academic value but are also accessible to the amateur. David, who is genuinely recognised for his knowledge worldwide is to be congratulated for bringing the "mysteries" of warship design and development to non-technical layman.
 
David is a member of Royal Corp of Naval Constructors (RCNC), who are an elite band of Naval Architects being responsible for the design and support of a wide range of vessels built for the British Admiralty/Royal Navy,

Hope these extra notes may be useful to somebody