The hazardous seas that surround Antarctica require ships of the utmost resilience. This book focuses on the design and construction of the actual vessels, from the Chinese fleet that first sighted the southern continent in the 15th century, through Captain Cook’s Resolution, to today’s automated whalers. Technical information, plans, photographs and paintings reveal the features that enabled these ships, whether purpose-built or adapted, to negotiate poorly charted waters and withstand the pressure of ice.