The Anatomy of the Ship series of books are comprehensive treatments of the design and construction of individual ships. They have been published by Conway Maritime Press (now Conway Publishing) since the 1980s, and republished in the US by the Naval Institute Press.
Each volume begins with a general history of the vessel, as preface to a set of detailed scale drawings showing every part of the interior and exterior, from keel to masthead. Black-and-white photographs and engravings, including of ship models for older types, round out the description. Since 1998, each volume has carried a large-scale plan on the reverse of the fold-off dust jacket.
According to its producers, the series ‘aims to provide the finest documentation of individual ships and ship types ever published. What makes the series unique is a complete set of superbly executed line drawings, both the conventional type of plan as well as explanatory views, with fully descriptive keys. These are supported by technical details and a record of the ship’s service.’ [1]
The ships chosen are a mix of famous vessels, such as HMS Victory and Yamato, and less-famous ships that are well-documented representatives of their class (HMS Bellona, Lawhill ).
The series is divided into two distinct – yet broadly encompassing – categories, identified by colour coding. Firstly, those presented in a yellow-and-silver themed dust jacket relate to ‘non-motor-propelled’ ships. This group tracks the development of ship design from The Ships of Christopher Columbus, through to the end of the age of sail (those designed or constructed approximately up until the 1860s), such as the HMS Beagle: Survey Ship Extraordinaire, 1820–70, by Karl Heinz Marquardt.
Ships thereafter, powered by steam and screw propulsion, are represented in silver-and-blue themed dust jackets. These include submarines, the Japanese World War II vessel, The Battleship Yamato, by Janusz Skulski, and The Aircraft Carrier Victorious, by Ross Watton.
| Title | Author | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Flower Class Corvette Agassiz | John McKay and John Harland | 1993 | ISBN 0851779751 |
| The Naval Cutter Alert, 1777 | Peter Goodwin | 2003 (Revised ed. 2004) | ISBN 0851779689 |
| The Submarine Alliance | John Lambert, David Hill | 1986 | ISBN 085177380X |
| The Cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni | Franco Gay, Gay Valerio | 1987 | ISBN 0851774539 |
| HMS Beagle Survey Ship Extraordinary, 1820–1870 | Karl Heinz Marquardt | 1997 | ISBN 0851777031 |
| The Cruiser Belfast | Ross Watton | 1985 (Reprinted 2003) | ISBN 0851779565 |
| The 74-Gun Ship Bellona | Brian Lavery | 1985 (Reprinted 2003) | ISBN 0851773680 |
| The Schooner Bertha L. Downs | Basil Greenhill, Sam Manning | 1995 | ISBN 0851776159 |
| The Battleship Bismarck | Jack Brower | 2005 | ISBN 0851779824 |
| The Battleship Bismarck | Stefan Draminski | 2018 | ISBN 1472828887 |
| The 20-Gun Ship Blandford | Peter Goodwin | 1988 | ISBN 0851774695 |
| The Armed Transport Bounty | John McKay | 1989 (Reprinted 2001) | ISBN 0851775020 |
| The Destroyer Campbeltown | Al Ross | 1990 (Reprinted 2004) | ISBN 0851779972 |
| The Royal Yacht Caroline, 1749 | Sergio Bellabarba, Giorgio Osculati | 1989 | ISBN 0851774962 |
| The Ships of Christopher Columbus ( Niña , Pinta, Santa María) | Xavier Pastor | 1992 | ISBN 1844860140 |
| The 44-Gun Frigate USS Constitution | Karl Heinz Marquardt | 2005 | ISBN 1844860108 |
| The Frigate Diana | David White | 1987 | ISBN 0851773567 |
| The Battleship Dreadnought | John Roberts | 1992 (Reprinted 2001) | ISBN 085177895X |
| Captain Cook's Endeavour | Karl Heinz Marquardt | 1995 (Revised ed. 2003) | ISBN 0851778968 |
| The Destroyer Escort England | Al Ross | 1985 | ISBN 0851773257 |
| The 32-Gun Frigate Essex | Portia Takakjian | 2005 | ISBN 0851775411 |
| The Fairmile D Motor Torpedo Boat | John Lambert | 1985 (Revised ed. 2005) | ISBN 184486006X |
| The Battleship Fusō | Janusz Skulski | 1998 | ISBN 0851776655 |
| The Escort Carrier Gambier Bay | Al Ross | 1993 | ISBN 1557502358 |
| The Bomb Vessel Granado, 1742 | Peter Goodwin | 1989 | ISBN 0851775225 |
| The Battlecruiser Hood | John Roberts | 1982 (Reprinted 1989, 2001) | ISBN 085177900X |
| The Aircraft Carrier Intrepid | John Roberts | 1982 | ISBN 0851779662 |
| The Battleship USS Iowa | Stefan Draminski | 2020 | ISBN 1472827295 |
| The Destroyer USS Kidd | Stefan Draminski | 2024 | ISBN 1472827414 |
| The Four Masted Barque Lawhill | Kenneth Edwards, Roderick Anderson, Richard Cookson | 1996 | ISBN 0851776760 |
| Tudor Warship Mary Rose | Douglas McElvogue | 2020 | ISBN 1472845730 |
| The 24-Gun Frigate Pandora, 1779 | John McKay & Ron Coleman | 2003 (Revised ed.) | ISBN 0851778941 |
| The Liner Queen Mary | Ross Watton | 1989 | ISBN 0851775292 |
| The Battleship Scharnhorst | Stefan Draminski | 2021 | ISBN 1472840232 |
| The Destroyer The Sullivans | Al Ross | 1988 | ISBN 0851774768 |
| The Susan Constant, 1605 | Brian Lavery | 1989 | ISBN 0870215833 |
| The Heavy Cruiser Takao | Janusz Skulski | 1994 (Reprinted 2004) | ISBN 1557503540 |
| The Type VII U-boat | David Westwood | 1984 (Reprinted 1986) | ISBN 0851773141 |
| The Type XXI U-boat | Fritz Kohl, Eberhard Rossler | 2002 | ISBN 0851779220 |
| The Aircraft Carrier Victorious | Ross Watton | 1991 (Reprinted 2004) | ISBN 0851779964 |
| The 100-Gun Ship Victory | John McKay | 1987 (Reprinted 1995) | ISBN 0851777988 |
| The Battleship Warspite | Ross Watton | 1986 (Reprinted 2004) | ISBN 0851779212 |
| The Battleship Yamato | Janusz Skulski | 1988 | ISBN 0851774903 |