Boarders Away, With Steel: Edged Weapons and Polearms of the Classical Age of Fighting Sail, 1626-1826 Review

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(More customer reviews)There is a vast literature on naval warfare in the age of sail. William Gilkerson's two volume set, Boarders Away, deals with the fascinating topic of boarding actions and their weapons and tactics. Although covering the entire age of fighting sail, his emphasis is on the period 1775-1815 and on the British, French, and American navies.
Volume I, With Steel, covers edged weapons and polearms. Chapter I gives a general description of boarding actions. Included is a detailed account of the 1813 action between HMS Shannon and USS Chesapeake. Other chapters discuss boarding axes, boarding pikes, cutlasses, officers swords and dirks, and miscellaneous weapons (knives, belaying pins, flensing spades, etc.)
The text discussed these subjects in lavish detail. Included are are extracts from logs and other primary sources. The folio-sized volume is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of drawings and photographs. The cover photo above is an example of one of the colored plates.

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An all-encompassing study of naval armament under fighting sail. This first volume covers axes, pikes and fighting blades in use between 1626 and 1826 - tracing their development in the navies of England and Northern Europe through that of the United States. Heavily illustrated with art and photography including an 8-page color section.