Naval category: 2015 books

In 1787, the Royal Navy ship H.M.S. Bounty, captained by William Bligh, set sail for Tahiti in search of breadfruit plants. Soon after leaving Tahiti, Masters Mate Fletcher Christian led a successful revolt, setting Bligh and eighteen of his men adrift. In his journal, fellow mutineer James Morrison...

The dawn of aviation began with lighter-than-air craft and gliders. They were in the forefront of what eventually led to the Wright brothers' activities at Kitty Hawk. The Navy's early use of lighter-than-air craft may be traced back to the American Civil War. However, it was a short-lived affair...

Norman Ough is considered by many as simply the greatest ship modeler of the twentieth century and his exquisite drawings and meticulous models have come to be regarded as masterpieces of draughtsmanship, workmanship and realism; more than technically accomplished ship models, they are truly works...

The story of the last great naval battle between England and Spain, evoking a number of colorful and dangerous personalities who fought in the climactic conclusion to these two countries’ great rivalry on the sea. Ireland: Christmas Eve, 1601. As thunder crashes and lightning rakes...

Charles I's authoritative and intolerant rule as monarch, and the unpopular Ship Money tax which he initiated, were instrumental in creating the most splendid and controversial warship in English history. She was the grandest venture hitherto created, remarkable for her size, beauty and heavy armament....

For three centuries Portsmouth has been the leading base of the Royal Navy, although the history of the port can be traced back to Roman times. From the Roman walls of Portchester to the best preserved Georgian dockyard in the world, and HMS Victory, the most illustrious survivor from the sailing...

The launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 changed the face of naval warfare. The first half-dozen dreadnoughts were all improvements of the basic Dreadnought design, all carrying ten 12-inch guns. It was only in 1911, with the launch of HMS Neptune that the layout of this powerful armament was altered...

The first HMS Iron Duke was a British Audacious-class central battery ironclad. She became the flagship of the China Station on 31 August 1871, one of the first large ships to use the Suez canal to reach the Far Easy. In an age of inefficient engines, her full sailing rig made her particularly suitable...

“Ellsberg’s writings chronicled his experiences and attitudes on the topic of marine salvage in a manner which has no equal in naval literature.” —War History Online Commander Edward Ellsberg rose to fame after leading the harrowing effort to raise the sunken submarine S-51 just off...

This book recounts the history of the first destroyers of the Royal Navy, which revolutionized the way war was fought at sea with new armaments and a great improvement on earlier designs. Moreover, between 1892, when the first destroyers were laid down, and 1918, destroyers evolved radically from...

The Ship is the heroic tale of a few hours in the life of a British light cruiser in World War II, and of the men on it. Before writing The Ship, C.S.Forester spent several weeks on a similar warship, and has given us a very clear picture of the actual thoughts and emotions of the men as they carry...

This authoritative 1905 history, based on Mahan’s lectures as president of the Naval War College, develop his still-influential ideas about the role navies play among modern nations. Volume One begins with the antecedents of the war, such as the conditions in the colonies—and ends in the thick of the war, describing ocean warfare in the fall of 1812.

A British Naval commander’s eyewitness account of the 1982 war in the South Atlantic. Since he was in charge of the amphibious operations in the Falklands War, it goes without saying that there is no one better qualified to tell the story of that aspect of the campaign than Commodore Michael...

The development of this excellent and successful class of warship only became possible after the Anglo-German naval agreement of 1935 eased restrictions on the types of ship Germany could build; even then only five of the class were permitted: the Admiral Hipper, the Blücher, the Prinz Eugen, the...