Drawing on Our History: Fishing Vessels of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska

Product Description

This book focuses on the development of commercial fishing vessel designs in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, starting with the surprisingly sophisticated small craft of the indigenous people, followed by the different directions resulting from the importation of designs by European settlers, and concluding with today’s complex ships that catch fish in hundred-ton sets and deliver finished product to shoreside wholesalers. A wonderful collection of historically accurate drawings and illustrations compliments the well-researched text and brings the designs to life, while interviews with designers, builders, and fishermen fill out the historic tapestry. Drawing on Our History may be the first book that traces and describes the evolution of fishing-vessel design, construction techniques, and fishing methods for the entire history of a geographic region. Douglas M. Wolff, P.E., Naval Architect

Review

Jim Cole’s lifelong fascination with, and unbound enthusiasm for, the boats, shipyards, fishing methods, and the people involved in the fishing industry in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska shine through on every page of this book. His painstaking historical research, clear, understandable writing, and a profusion of accurate line drawings and pen-and-ink sketches (drawn with a seaman’s eye) combine to educate and draw the reader into the time and place of the subject. Mr. Cole has produced an unusually interesting and valuable reference that will find a permanent place on my bookshelf. –Charles J. Cannon, P.E., Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering

About the Author

James A. Cole was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington in 1957 after serving in the Coast Guard during the Korean War. He entered the marine industry as a marine designer at Philip F. Spaulding & Associates, Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. Over his 56-year career, Jim Cole has been employed at the offices of four naval architecture firms and in the engineering departments of four shipyards in the Puget Sound area. Jim Cole is a past president and honorary life member of the Puget Sound Historical Society of Seattle, has received the King Neptune Award from the Fisheries Committee of the Norwegian Commercial Club of Ballard, Washington, and has been named a fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.