Roy R. Manstan

A fascinating book on a subject covered by a number of authors. What makes this book different is a very academic and experimental approach taken by the participants, first in researching the history and then in actually constructing a working replica. The book documents how they first looked at all the available primary sources and also researched what the original authors would have meant by using particular words and phrases by using dictionaries and other technical sources of that time show more period to which Bushnell would have been familiar with.

The book then documents how the team designed the replica to be as representative as possible of the original, including how it would be operated and employed. Building of the replica was next, then they tested it and assessed the results. Finally the book describes the actual sorties of the Turtle based upon the primary sources and what the team found to be the likely performance abilities and limits.

Overall a most interesting and informative book. Recommended for the more serious student of American or naval history. show less