100-Year-Old Former Navy Draftsman Completes Book Series

Written by Ryan Beardsley.

At 100 years old, author and ship enthusiast Bill Crothers says it’s just luck that he’s made it this far in his life. If you talk to friends and family, however, they’d probably tell you it might have something to do with a drive to finish what he started.

Crothers, a resident of Southampton Estates retirement community, is currently working on his third book in a series based on the American-built sailing ships of the 1850s. 

The first in the series, “The American-Built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856,” was first published in 1996 by International Marine Press. Crothers was 83 at the time.

That book took more than 35 years of research, presenting in great detail 152 clippers, including every aspect of the design and construction through detailed description and 160 intricately hand-drawn illustrations. He had help along the way, as his late wife Marjorie helped him with research and typing, all done on a classic typewriter.

“My wife was always after me to write a book, but I didn’t feel as though I could do it,” Crothers says. “I finally realized it would be a shame to let all this information I had go to waste.”

Earlier in life, Crothers worked as a draftsman for the Navy and always found himself interested in ships and ship models. After taking an interest in the historical aspect of ships, he joined the Philadelphia Ship Model Society in 1935 and began drawing plans for ship model makers.

For his book series, Crothers landed on clipper ships because they were what he describes as the “glory ships” of the 1850s. Although he always thought of himself as a detailed designer, there was much that had to go into research. He recalls taking vacations with his wife up and down the east coast, visiting museums and nautical libraries to gather information.

“Back then, when you walked into a library, the first thing you saw was an actual person,” Crothers joked.

After publishing his first book, Crothers realized there was still much to be explored. His second book, “American-Built Packets and Freighters of the 1850s,” was published by McFarland in May 2013 after another 10 years of research. This edition encompasses the large wooden merchant sailing ships prevalent in American shipyards during the 1850s that formed the backbone of the commercial shipping industry. This volume appraises in minute detail the construction of these ships, examining every plank and piece of timber involved in the process. More than 150 illustrations by Crothers show the size, shape, location and pertinent specifics of each item.

As a professional draftsman, Crothers said the detail of the illustrations had to be exact and authentic.

“Some of the illustrations would take months to complete,” he said. “They really are some of the most important aspects of the volumes.”

Obviously, Crothers books aren’t simply for the everyday person, but his series has become an invaluable resource for historians, model builders, and maritime artists, along with any newcomer who is only beginning to learn how addictive the subject can become. His volumes are described by publishers as “possibly the most complete reference on clipper ship construction ever published.”

“If you had the means to do so, you could completely build one of these ships from the details and illustrations included in these books,” Crothers says.

Unfortunately, Crothers has completed the manuscript of his third installment without the help of his wife, who recently passed away. He found this to be a daunting task emotionally and physically, but remembers her encouragement daily when completing an illustration becomes frustrating.

“She was always there to support me – I would have never even attempted the first book if she wasn’t there to encourage me,” Crothers said. “I never knew if she was really interested in ships or just blowing smoke, but it didn’t matter. That’s just the type of person she was – always supportive.”

Even after completing three books detailing hundreds of freight and clipper ships, ironically Crothers says that he’s never cared for the water.

“I never stepped foot on a boat and I never wanted a boat,” he said with a laugh. “There’s just something about the ships; they’re very regal and beautiful.”