Documents the construction of British Dreadnought warships before and during WWI, following the ships through every stage of their production, from the prepatory work through the fitting out of the superstructure and weaponry to the commissioning of the vessels. Appends an alphabetical list of all the Dreadnoughts that were commissioned and a long list of other ship classes produced in the same era with diagrams for each one. Distributed by Books International. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
A heavily illustrated account of the evolution, design and deployment of dreadnought battleships. When HMS Dreadnought was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1906 this revolutionary new class of big-gun iron-clad warship immediately changed the face of naval warfare, rendering all other battleships worldwide obsolete. The Admiralty realised that as soon as the ship was revealed to the global naval community Britain would be a in race to stay ahead, and so the first dreadnoughts were built in record time. While there were those who regarded the vessel as a triumphant revolution in naval design, the dreadnought initially had its critics, including those who thought its slower, heavier guns left it vulnerable to the secondary armament of other warships. Nevertheless, other countries, notably Germany, and the United States soon began to lay down dreadnoughts. The culmination of this arms race would be the confrontation of the British and German fleets at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 – the greatest clash of naval firepower in history. This book gives detailed insights into the design, operation and combat history of these incredible vessels.
“A wonderfully illustrated biography” of one of history’s greatest warships whose sinking “signaled the end of the surety that Britannia ruled the waves” (War History Online). Unmatched for beauty, unequalled for size, for twenty years the HMS Hood was the glory ship of the Royal Navy, flying the flag across the world in the twilight years of the British Empire. Here, in words, photos and color illustrations, is the story of her life, her work and her people from keel-laying on the Clyde in 1916 to destruction at the hands of the Bismarck in 1941. Among the eyecatching strengths of the book is a unique gallery of photos, including stills from a recently discovered piece of color footage of the ship, plus a spectacular set of computer-generated images of both the exterior and interior by the world’s leading exponent of the art—a man who worked with the film director James Cameron (of Titanic fame). A wealth of new information on Hood’s structure and operation make it essential reading for the enthusiast, modeler and historian alike. Hugely successful from its first publication, this is the third printing of the ultimate book on the ultimate ship of the pre-war era. “The most comprehensive study of a modern warship ever undertaken.”—Warship World
An eye-opening account of the rise of science in Germany through to Hitler’s regime, and the frightening Nazi experiments that occurred during the Reich A shocking account of Nazi science, and a compelling look at the the dramatic rise of German science in the nineteenth century, its preeminence in the early twentieth, and the frightening developments that led to its collapse in 1945, this is the compelling story of German scientists under Hitler’s regime. Weaving the history of science and technology with the fortunes of war and the stories of men and women whose discoveries brought both benefits and destruction to the world, Hitler's Scientists raises questions that are still urgent today. As science becomes embroiled in new generations of weapons of mass destruction and the war against terrorism, as advances in biotechnology outstrip traditional ethics, this powerful account of Nazi science forms a crucial commentary on the ethical role of science.
The expert ship modeler’s a step-by-step guide to building a large-scale model of the dreadnaught that fought in the WWI Battle of Jutland. Laid down in April of 1910, HMS Thunderer was the last Orion-class dreadnaught battleship built for the Royal Navy. The author’s 1/96 scale museum-quality model of this ship brings to life the power and potency of the Super Dreadnoughts. In this comprehensive guide, every aspect of model building is covered, from the hull to wireless equipment. All the different techniques required to bring a complex model battleship to completion are thoroughly explained, including casting in metal and GRP, silver brazing, soft soldering, metal fabrication in steel, brass, copper, aluminum and pewter, and lathe turning and milling operations for the production of guns and propellers. The author also covers the contemporary American battleship, USS Texas, the only remaining ship of that type and era, and an inspiration for any modeler setting out to tackle this subject. Not just a how-to manual, the book is also an eloquent testimony to the skills of the designers and the original builders as well as a wonderful evocation of the great ships that fought at the Battle of Jutland.
This is the story of the remarkable, intersecting careers of the two greatest writers on British naval history in the twentieth century the American professor Arthur Marder, son of immigrant Russian Jews, and Captain Stephen Roskill, who knew the Royal Navy from the inside. Between them, these contrasting characters were to peel back the lid of historical secrecy that surrounded the maritime aspects of the two world wars, based on the privileged access to official papers they both achieved through different channels. Initially their mutual interests led to a degree of friendly rivalry, but this was to deteriorate into a stormy academic feud fought out in newspaper columns and the footnotes of their books much to the bemusement (and sometimes amusement) of the naval history community. Out of it, surprisingly, emerged some of the best historical writing on naval themes, and a central contribution of this book is to reveal the process by which the two historians produced their literary masterpieces. Anyone who has read Marders From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow or Roskills The War at Sea and they were both bestsellers in their day will be entertained and enlightened by this story of the men A J P Taylor called our historical dreadnoughts. This is the story of the remarkable, intersecting careers of the two greatest writers on British naval history in the twentieth century the American professor Arthur Marder, son of immigrant Russian Jews, and Captain Stephen Roskill, who knew the Royal Navy from the inside. Between them, these contrasting characters were to peel back the lid of historical secrecy that surrounded the maritime aspects of the two world wars, based on the privileged access to official papers they both achieved through different channels. Initially their mutual interests led to a degree of friendly rivalry, but this was to deteriorate into a stormy academic feud fought out in newspaper columns and the footnotes of their books much to the bemusement (and sometimes amusement) of the naval history community. Out of it, surprisingly, emerged some of the best historical writing on naval themes, and a central contribution of this book is to reveal the process by which the two historians produced their literary masterpieces. Anyone who has read Marders From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow or Roskills The War at Sea and they were both bestsellers in their day will be entertained and enlightened by this story of the men A J P Taylor called our historical dreadnoughts.
In 1906, the Germans began building their own dreadnought fleet armed with larger guns, word of which soon reached the British Admiralty. This raised the spectre that the British dreadnought fleet would be outgunned, and prompted the Admiralty to order the building of their own “super dreadnoughts”. The first of these new dreadnoughts were laid down in 1909, and entered service three years later. The British public supported this programme, and the slogan “we want eight and cannot wait” became popular, a reference to the building of eight of these super dreadnoughts. Four more super dreadnoughts entered service in 1914. By then the Admiralty had developed a new programme of “fast battleships”, armed with 15-inch guns. These powerful warships entered service in time to play a part in the battle of Jutland in 1916. World War I broke out before the Royal Navy had fully evaluated these new warships, and so lessons had to be learned through experience – often the hard way. Although none of these super dreadnoughts were lost in battle, their performance at the battle of Jutland led to a re-evaluation of the way they were operated. Still, for four years they denied control of the sea to the enemy, and so played a major part in the final collapse of Imperial Germany.
“A compelling, dramatic account of the Royal Navy's last great sea battle.” —Robert K. Massie, Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times–bestselling author of Dreadnought More than a century later, historians still argue about this controversial and misunderstood World War I naval battle off the coast of Denmark. It was the twentieth century’s first engagement of dreadnoughts—and while it left Britain in control of the North Sea, both sides claimed victory and decades of disputes followed, revolving around senior commanders Admiral Sir John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty. This book not only retells the story of the battle from both a British and German perspective based on the latest research, but also helps clarify the context of Germany’s inevitable naval clash and the aftermath after the smoke had cleared.
During the past century, the Royal Navy and its support services at Portsmouth dockyard have experienced a pace of change not seen since the fifteenth century. This book examines the impact of that change on the ships, buildings and personnel of the naval base. The dockyard has evolved continually as a support service, reinventing itself in response to changing social, economic and political circumstances. The authors look at the dockyard's role in times of conflict, from the First World War to the 1991 Gulf War, and consider the effects of privatisation and cutbacks. Portsmouth is now ready to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century when it will be the Royal Navy's premier base. Richly illustrated with photographs from the Royal Naval Museum and Historic Dockyard collections and exclusive, newly-commissioned photographs, Home of the Fleet will appeal to anyone who is interested in Britain's naval heritage.
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 as a result of practical experience. Two more versions of the Neptune entered service later that same year. These nine improved dreadnoughts formed the core of the British High Seas Fleet. They would soon, however, be outclassed by a new breed of “super dreadnoughts”, the subject of the second volume in this two-part story. While these new battleships carried larger 13.5-inch guns, they proved less successful as all-round battleships than their more lightly-armed predecessors. One last 12-inch gun dreadnought entered service in 1914, when a seven turret battleship being built for the Turks was commandeered by the Royal Navy, and re-named HMS Agincourt. This New Vanguard title, the first of two covering these famous warships will uncover the full story of the British battleships of World War I. The book will look at their revolutionary design, the 12-inch guns that provided them with their firepower, and the way these guns were fired in anger.
