I am looking for books or websites that have detailed information on 17th to mid 18th century naval life including; warfare, command structure, trade, supplies/rations, crew sizes, crew duties, parts of a ship, ship rates, naval terms, etc. I am looking for more of the technical information on naval life and operations in the Americas (English, French, Dutch, Spanish) and Africa/Middle East with the Ottomans.
Thank you for your time!
The most invaluable source for understanding the square rigged ships of the 1700s and 1800s is the source that young sea officers used at the time as their textbook.
That is:
"The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor: Or a Key to the Leading of Rigging and to Practical Seamanship", by Darcy Lever, first published in 1808.
The book is still published today. You can find it here:
An interesting bit of nautical trivia is that Darcy Lever had the manuscript of his book reviewed and endorsed by a number of mariners to ensure that it was correct, and to confirm that it was fit for purpose.
27 Royal Navy officers endorsed the book. 19 British merchant mariners endorsed the book, but he also took the precaution of getting 4 American merchant mariners to review and endorse his manuscript. The sailors of no other nation were consulted.