ABSTRACT
The most important technical innovation to be implemented by the naval protagonists during the American War of Independence was the sheathing of ships' hulls with copper, and it was the British who developed this technique and held the initiative. The coppering of the fleet illustrated how, once the Navy Board Commissioners had been convinced, it was possible for a new technique to be adopted rapidly. The effect of the copper was to keep the ships relatively free of weed, and thus improve their sailing performance, while at the same time it afforded better protection for the timbers against the ravages of the worm than the existing sheathing. Although it was shown to be particularly successful in keeping the hull clean, the problem of corrosion by the galvanic action of the copper on the iron bolts which secured the main frame and the planking seemed insoluble, and this discouraged further developments.
