Author: J.J. Colledge Publisher: Casemate / Greenhill ISBN: 1612000274 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 481
Book Description
The essential historical reference on British warships—fully revised. “Right at the top of the ‘must have’ list . . . A book which will get much use ” (Royal Navy and Maritime Book Reviews). This is the fourth fully revised edition of a book first published in 1970. This longevity is testimony to its enduring value as a reference work—indeed, “Colledge,” as the book is universally known, is still the first stop for anyone wanting more information on any British warship from the fifteenth century to the present day when only the name is known. Each entry gives concise details of dimensions, armament, and service dates, and its alphabetical and chronological arrangement makes it easy to track down the right ship—otherwise the Royal Navy’s tradition of reusing the same names can be misleading. When originally published, the second of the two volumes was devoted to minor fighting ships and hired and requisitioned vessels. For the third edition, published in one volume, this material was omitted, but for this edition, all the genuine fighting ships—like the numbered Coastal Forces craft—have been restored, resulting in a convenient but comprehensive single-volume listing of all significant vessels. Since the death of Jim Colledge, who was widely respected for his pioneering research on the technical details of warships, his magnum opus has been updated, corrected, and expanded with similar enthusiasm and attention to detail by Ben Warlow, a retired naval officer and author of a number of books in the field. “An amazing and immensely valuable work of dedicated and persistent research.” —Baird Maritime
Author: R A Burt Publisher: Seaforth Publishing ISBN: 1848321732 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 360
Book Description
This volume brings to completion the reissue of R A Burt's magnificent bestselling three-volume history of British battleships, and it covers the pre-dreadnought era which has, in recent years, acquired a new and fervent following.??The Russian war scare of 1884 and the public's anxiety about the Royal Navy's ability to fight a modern war at sea resulted in the Naval Defence Act of 1889 and a vast programme of warship construction. Over the next twenty years a fleet of 52 battleships was built, construction finally interrupted by the revolutionary Dreadnought design. In this new volume, the author presents full details of design and construction, armament, protection, machinery and performance, all backed up with accurate data tables listing design figures, trials results, and full particulars at different stages in the ships' careers. The history of each battleship is chronicled and the reader is reminded of their major contribution in the First World War. They bore the brunt of the action at the Dardenelles, bombarded the Belgium coast, patrolled the North Sea and the Channel, reinforced the Italian Fleet, and served in East Africa, the East Indies and the White Sea. Most were extensively modified during the War and this variety has made them of special interest to the historian, enthusiast and ship modeller.??With the addition of many new photographs from the author's massive collection, this new edition is simply a 'must-have' addition to every naval library.
Author: Iain Ballantyne Publisher: Casemate Publishers ISBN: 1783400293 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 505
Book Description
A fascinating and lively account of the lives of British warships named London, looking at history from the perspective of the men who were there. There is no current warship in the Royal Navy called HMS London, but vessels carrying the name have featured in some of the most controversial episodes of British naval history. For example, the wooden wall battleship HMS London of the late 18th century could be called “the ship that lost America” while the heavy cruiser of WW2 was command vessel for the escort force that failed to safeguard the controversial convoy PQ17. Examining the stories of HMS Londons all the way from the English Civil War, through the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801—where Nelson famously ignored signals to break off the action displayed by HMS London—we also learn of the pre-dreadnought London’s participation in the ill-fated Dardanelles campaign of WW1. Among the people Iain Ballantyne interviewed for this book were veterans of the Arctic convoys of WW2, the Yangtse Incident and warriors of the Cold War and 1991 Gulf War. It all adds up to a thoroughly researched and exciting narrative of naval history. Adding to the authenticity of the tale, Iain even sailed to Russia in the last HMS London, a Type 22 guided-missile frigate, in August 1991. During a WW2 convoy re-enactment the ship was almost hit by a practice torpedo launched from a Soviet submarine and had to take evasive action.
Author: Andrew Boyd Publisher: Casemate Publishers ISBN: 1473892503 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 851
Book Description
How British naval power in the Indian Ocean played a critical early role in WWII: “Commands the reader's attention. . . . a history game-changer.” —Warship, Naval Books of the Year This new work tells the compelling story of how the Royal Navy secured the strategic space from Egypt in the west to Australasia in the East through the first half of the Second World War—and explains why this contribution, made while Russia’s fate remained in the balance and before American economic power took effect, was so critical. Without it, the war would certainly have lasted longer and decisive victory might have proved impossible. After the protection of the Atlantic lifeline, this was surely the Royal Navy’s finest achievement, the linchpin of victory. The book moves authoritatively between grand strategy, intelligence, accounts of specific operations, and technical assessment of ships and weapons. It challenges established perceptions of Royal Navy capability and will change the way we think about Britain’s role and contribution in the first half of the war. The Navy of 1939 was stronger than usually suggested and British intelligence did not fail against Japan. Nor was the Royal Navy outmatched by Japan, coming very close to a British Midway off Ceylon in 1942. And it was the Admiralty, demonstrating a reckless disregard for risks, that caused the loss of Force Z in 1941. The book also lays stress on the key part played by the American relationship in Britain’s Eastern naval strategy. Superbly researched and elegantly written, it adds a hugely important dimension to our understanding of the war in the East.
Author: J. J. Colledge Publisher: ISBN: 9780905617404 Category : Warships Languages : en Pages : 65
Book Description
The essential work, fully revised up to 2010 . . .This is the fourth fully revised edition of a book first published in 1970. This longevity is testimony to its enduring value as a reference work-indeed, 'Colledge' (as the book is universally known) is still the first stop for anyone wanting more information on any British warship from the 15th century to the present day when only the name is known. Each entry gives concise details of dimensions, armament, and service dates, and its alphabetical and chronological arrangement makes it easy to track down the right ship (otherwise the Royal Navy's tradition of re-using the same names can be misleading). When originally published, the second of the two volumes was devoted to minor fighting ships, and hired and requisitioned vessels. For the 3rd edition, published in one volume, this material was omitted, but for this edition all the genuine fighting ships-like the numbered Coastal Forces craft-have been restored, resulting in a convenient but comprehensive single-volume listing of all significant vessels.Since the death of Jim Colledge, who was widely respected for his pioneering research on the technical details of warships, his magnum opus has been updated, corrected and expanded with similar enthusiasm and attention to detail by Ben Warlow, a retired naval officer and author of a number of books in the field.returncharacterreturncharacter returncharacterreturncharacter REVIEWS returncharacterreturncharacter..".provides the reader with a historical index of every RN ship to date, starting with the 1902-built submarine A1 and ending with ZZ31-30, a 1940's built minesweeper... An excellent comprehensive reference tool." Ships Monthly, 07/2010 ..".right at the top of the 'must have' list... A book which will get much use and very welcome."Royal Navy and Maritime Book Reviews UK, 10/2010
Author: Rif Winfield Publisher: Seaforth Publishing ISBN: 147383743X Category : History Languages : en Pages : 1164
Book Description
The publication of this book sees the completion of a monumental work listing the technical details and career histories of every significant British warship between 1603 and 1863. Following three earlier volumes, this one carries forward the story from the post-Napoleonic War reorganisation of the Royal Navy's rating system to the end of sail as the principal mode of propulsion. Although apparently well documented, this is a period of great complexity in the procurement and naval architecture of ships. The introduction of steam radically altered the design of vessels under construction and was later retro-fitted to others, while many 'names' lived a ghostly existence on the Navy List: ships ordered but not started, and in some cases having their intended draughts altered more than once before being cancelled entirely.This book meticulously sorts out and clarifies these confusions a major contribution in itself but for the first time it also provides outline service histories for an era that is largely neglected. Like its companion volumes, the book is organised by Rate, classification and class, with significant technical and building data, followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era and the formative years of the steam navy that supplanted it.
Author: J. J. Colledge Publisher: Casemate Publishers and Book Distributors ISBN: 9781935149071 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 460
Book Description
This is the fourth fully revised edition of a book first published in 1970. This longevity is testimony to its enduring value as a reference work--indeed, 'Colledge' is still the first stop for anyone wanting more information on any British warship from the 15th century to the present day when only the name is known.