As she lay in dry dock, devastatingly damaged by one of Hitler’s newly deployed magnetic mines after barely two months in service, few could have predicted the illustrious career that lay ahead for the cruiser HMS Belfast. After three years of repairs to her broken keel, engine- and boiler-rooms, and extensive refitting, she would go on to play a critical role in the protection of the Arctic Convoys, would fire one of the opening shots at D-Day and continue supporting the Operation Overlor...

The landing craft assault or LCA was one of the unsung heroes of the Second World War. It took part in practically every amphibious operation from Norway to Normandy and landed around 400,000 men in action conditions, plus many more in training. It was the only serviceable British landing craft at the beginning of the War, and it remained in service until the Suez operation of 1956. It landed the first waves of infantry on the British and Canadian beaches in Normandy in 1944, and Americans...

A relentless nautical drama that would define, or end, men’s lives.The English port city of Hull was home to ‘three day millionaires’ – trawlermen on brief shore leave. They were spilling cash from record catches. With months out working fierce seas, who knew if the next trip would be their last?The St Finbarr was set to change all that.She was built as the perfect trawler, no cost spared. She was the future of the industry. She was...

Despite a supreme belief in itself, the Royal Navy of the early eighteenth century was becoming over-confident and outdated, and it had more than its share of disasters and miscarriages including the devastating sickness in Admiral Hosier's fleet in 1727; failure at Cartagena, and an embarrassing action off Toulon in 1744\. Anson's great circumnavigation, though presented as a triumph, was achieved at huge cost in ships and lives. And in 1756 Admiral Byng was shot after failure off Minorca...

The title is derived from George Bernard Shaw's comment that 'England and America are two countries divided by a common language.' It is not intended to imply that the two navies were seriously at odds with one another, but rather to suggest, as in the case of language, that common roots and usages varied significantly. And the Second World War is a pertinent moment for comparison. They fought on the same side against a common enemy for nearly four years, but Britain fought the war for the...

The Royal Navy has always been seen as an English institution, despite a large Scottish contribution, from Admiral Duncan at Camperdown in 1797 to Andrew Cunningham in the Second World War. The Royal Navy's most dramatic effect on Scotland, aside from its role in the British Empire and European wars, was in suppressing the Jacobite campaigns from 1708 to 1746.This book breaks new ground in telling the stories of almost forgotten campaigns, such as the submarine war in the Firth of ...

May 2015 sees the 250th anniversary of the launch of HMS Victory, the ship that is so closely associated with Nelson and his great victory at Trafalgar and which, still extant, has today become the embodiment of the great Age of Sail. Many books have been written about Victory but none like this, which tells the full story of the ship since she first took to the waters in May 1765. It contains many surprises that she was almost wrecked on her launch; that diplomacy conducted onboard her pl...

The ultimate officers' guide from the commander of the HMS Hood. "A fascinating historical record . . . a first-class textbook for modern managers" ( Baird Maritime).Published in 1937 and now recognized as one of the most influential, yet highly accessible, volumes on naval command and organization, Running a Big Ship provides truly unique insight into life at sea during the Second World War.O'Conor famously commenced the book wit...

Published in the months leading up to the Battle of Jutland, W.M. James’ New Battleship Organisations, was the ultimate guide to command and organization of every aspect of a modern First World War capital ship. The book provides a unique, and highly revealing, insight into life aboard ship, the mechanics of command, seamanship, the issuing of orders, and the broad expectations placed upon British naval officers. Specific sections are dedicated to the organization of watches, the division ...

A revealing and charming pocket book capturing the reality of civilian life during the war.In June 1940, following the BEF's scrambled evacuation from Dunkirk, the Second World War was brought home to Britain. As the Luftwaffe initiated their bombing campaigns and the threat of invasion grew daily, civilians were urged to play their part in the war effort, and take responsibility for their own survival.Many pamphlets and leaflets were issued with informatio...

"A beautiful book . . . a goldmine of information to anyone interested in the capital ships of the sailing navy of the 17th and 19th Centuries."—Ships in ScaleThe National Maritime Museum in Greenwich houses the largest collection of scale ship models in the world, many of which are official, contemporary artifacts made by the craftsmen of the navy or the shipbuilders themselves, and ranging from the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. As such they represen...

A "truly exceptional" account of how Churchill's experiences in the armed forces helped him lead Britain to victory in World War II ( Booklist).No defense minister in modern times has faced the challenges that Winston Churchill did during the Second World War. Fortunately, he had a unique and intimate inside knowledge of all three services, which allowed him to assess their real needs—a crucial task when money, material resources, and, especially, manpower...