A complete illustrated study of the German Kriegsmarine throughout World War II. Hamstrung at first by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, during the 1930s, the German Navy underwent a programme of rearmament in defiance of the restrictions, building modern warships under limitations which forced technological innovation. Submarines were strictly prohibited by the treaty, and yet, following years of covert development, they became one of the Kriegsmarine's most deadly weapons. Blooded in the Spanish Civil War, the surface ships of the Kriegsmarine went on to play a crucial role in the opening salvoes of World War II during the invasions of Poland and Norway, although serious losses here set back plans for the invasion of Britain, and by the end of the war, only a handful of surface vessels remained to be divided up among the Allies. From the beginning of the war, but especially after the fall of France, the dreaded and extraordinarily successful U-boats stalked the Atlantic, threatening vital British shipping convoys and choking off the lifeline of munitions and supply from the US. Once Italy and Japan entered the war, German naval operations expanded to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. This highly illustrated volume is a comprehensive study of the German Navy throughout the war, from pocket battleships to torpedo boats.

This title charts the history of amphibious warfare in conflicts around the globe, from World War I to the present day. It features conventional personnel and cargo carriers, welldeck "dock ships", modern multi-function ships, ramped beaching craft and high-speed air-cushion craft. It explores the fascinating history of the five recognized categories of amphibious operation: assault, raids, demonstrations, feints and withdrawal. It includes detailed analyses of key naval operations in Gallipoli, Dieppe, the Pacific, Normandy, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, the Falklands and the Middle East. It includes over 220 archive photographs and a glossary explaining naval acronyms, abbreviations and terminology. Wars are decided definitively through the occupation of an enemy's territory - a task for military forces, which may have to be transported by sea. This authoritative volume covers the complete history of amphibious warfare vessels: the ships that travel from shore to shore, and the craft that move from ship to shore. Through the use of historical examples, it highlights the many activities necessary for a successful operation, from surveying and minesweeping to fire support, fighter direction and tri-service control. With over 220 photographs from museums and historical sources, the book provides enthusiasts with a lively guide to this fascinating subject.

First published in 1920 and originally delivered as the Lees Knowles Lectures in November 1919, this book looks at Pepys' legacy as a naval administrator. Respected Pepys scholar J. R. Tanner examines the ways in which Pepys applied business principles to various facets of naval organization, all while working under a king whose aversion to business-related matters was well known. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Pepys or the history of the British Navy.

A comprehensive overview of the strategy, operations and vessels of the United States Navy from 1941 to 1945. Although slowly building its navy while neutral during the early years of World War II, the US was struck a serious blow when its battleships, the lynchpin of US naval doctrine, were the target of the dramatic attack at Pearl Harbor. In the Pacific Theatre, the US was thereafter locked into a head to head struggle with the impressive Imperial Japanese Navy, fighting a series of major battles in the Coral Sea, at Midway, the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa in the struggle for supremacy over Japan. Having avoided the decisive defeat sought by the IJN, the US increased industrial production and by the end of the war, the US Navy was larger than any other in the world. Meanwhile in the west, the US Navy operated on a second front, supporting landings in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and in 1944 played a significant part in the D-Day landings, the largest and most complex amphibious operation of all time. Written by an acknowledged expert and incorporating extensive illustrations including photographs, maps and colour artwork, this book offers a detailed look at the strategy, operations and vessels of the US Navy in World War II.

An influential work on naval strategy, The Influence of Sea Power on History (1890) by Alfred Mahan, an American naval officer, had been instrumental in reshaping military tactics in navies all around the world. Its central idea was that a nation's success was determined by its 'sea power' - its ability to command the oceans with a large fleet. Frederick Thomas Jane (1865-1916), the founding editor of All the World's Fighting Ships and All the World's Airships (which continue to this day), here recounts historical battles to argue that other factors were as crucial, if not more, in determining military outcomes. In this daring and astute critique of Mahan's work, Jane proposes that 'fitness to win' played an essential role in securing victory. First published in 1906, this work is a thought-provoking contribution to the debate that influenced the naval arms race in the period before the First World War.

Charles Napier (1786 1860) served in the Royal Navy for sixty years. A brave yet controversial commander, he became one of the most popular naval officers in Britain for his role in many battles during the Napoleonic, Anglo-American, Syrian and Crimean wars. He also served as an MP in Parliament. In this two-volume work, originally published in 1836, Napier gives a first-hand account of the Portuguese Civil War, in which he was a key participant. Between 1828 and 1834, a conflict of succession occurred between two brothers, the progressive constitutionalist Don Pedro and the authoritarian absolutist Don Miguel. In 1833, Napier led the Liberal fleet which defeated Don Miguel. He remained in Portugal for some time after the surrender to fight pockets of Miguelite resistance. In Volume 1, Napier explains the origins of the war and takes the story through to the victory of Don Pedro.

Charles Napier (1786 1860) served in the Royal Navy for sixty years. A brave yet controversial commander, he became one of the most popular naval officers in Britain for his role in many battles during the Napoleonic, Anglo-American, Syrian and Crimean wars. He also served as an MP in Parliament. In this two-volume work, originally published in 1836, Napier gives a first-hand account of the Portuguese Civil War, in which he was a key participant. Between 1828 and 1834, a conflict of succession occurred between two brothers, the progressive constitutionalist Don Pedro and the authoritarian absolutist Don Miguel. In 1833, Napier led the Liberal fleet which defeated Don Miguel. In Volume 2, Napier recalls his post-victory campaign to defeat pockets of Miguelite resistance in the north of the country.

On 2 July 1812, Captain David Porter raised a banner on the USS Essex proclaiming 'a free trade and sailors rights', thus creating a political slogan that explained the War of 1812. Free trade demanded the protection of American commerce, while sailors' rights insisted that the British end the impressment of seamen from American ships. Repeated for decades in Congress and in taverns, the slogan reminds us today that the second war with Great Britain was not a mistake. It was a contest for the ideals of the American Revolution bringing together both the high culture of the Enlightenment to establish a new political economy and the low culture of the common folk to assert the equality of humankind. Understanding the War of 1812 and the motto that came to explain it - free trade and sailors' rights - allows us to better comprehend the origins of the American nation.

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.

From muddy creek to naval-industrial powerhouse; from constructing wooden walls to building Dreadnoughts; from maintaining King John's galleys to servicing the enormous new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers: this is the story of Portsmouth Dockyard. Respected maritime historian Paul Brown's unique 800-year history of what was once the largest industrial organisation in the world is a combination of extensive original research and stunning images. The most comprehensive history of the dockyard to date, it is sure to become the definitive work on this important heritage site and modern naval base.

The Imperial Japanese Navy was a pioneer in naval aviation, having commissioned the world's first built-from-the-keel-up carrier, the 'Hosho'. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, it experimented with its carriers, perfecting their design and construction. As result, by the time Japan entered World War 2 and attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor in 1941, it possessed a fantastically effective naval aviation force. Carriers would roam the Pacific with near impunity, destroying their opponents at will. This book covers the design, development and operation of IJN aircraft carriers built prior to and during World War 2. Pearl Harbor, Midway and the first carrier vs carrier battle, the battle of the Coral Sea, are all discussed.

For most of the twentieth century Britain possessed both the worlds largest merchant fleet and its most extensive overseas territories. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Royal Navy always showed a particular interest in the cruiser a multi-purpose warship needed in large numbers to defend trade routes and police the empire. Above all other types, the cruisers competing demands of quality and quantity placed a heavy burden on designers, and for most of the inter-war years Britain sought to square this circle through international treaties restricting both size and numbers. In the process she virtually invented the heavy cruiser and inspired the large 6in-armed cruiser, neither of which, ironically, served her best interests. For the first time this book seeks to comprehend the full policy background, from which a different and entirely original picture emerges of British cruiser development. After the war the cruisers role was reconsidered and the final chapters of the book cover modernisations, the plans for missile-armed ships and the convoluted process that turned the through-deck cruiser into the Invincible class light carriers. With detailed appendices of ship data, and illustrated in depth with photos and A D Bakers specially commissioned plans, British Cruisers truly matches the lofty standards set by Friedmans previous books on British destroyers. **'This is a sumptuous volume, providing a most authoritative and comprehensive review of British cruisers in the twentieth century. The book is beautifully laid out to Seaforth's traditional high standard.'** _Scuttlebutt_

Sir Howard Douglas (1776 1861) fought in the Napoleonic wars in Spain, taught at the Royal Military College, served as lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, lord high commissioner of the Ionian Islands, and as a Conservative M.P. for Liverpool. A military scholar, fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Royal Society and associate of the Institution of Naval Architects, he wrote widely on bridges, systems of defence and attack, and on Britain's North American provinces. Written in retirement, when Douglas became an unofficial advisor to a succession of prime ministers, this work addresses the use of steam to propel ships, with detailed analysis of design, steering, propeller and paddle engineering and considerations of speed and manoeuvrability. The book goes on to examine tactics, including breaking the line, fuel economy and fleet arrangement. Built upon by others, this important work, first published in 1858, remains of interest to military historians.

Whilst maritime studies tend to reflect the dominance of large navies, history shows how relatively small naval forces can have a disproportionately large impact on global events. From Confederate commerce raiders in the nineteenth century, to Somali pirates today, even the most minor of maritime forces can become a key player on a global stage. Examining a broad range of examples, this volume addresses the roles and activities of small navies in the past and the present at the national, regional and international level. In particular, it focusses on the different ways in which such forces have identified and addressed national and international security challenges and the way in which they interact with other navies and security agencies. In addition the collection also investigates the relationship of such navies with non-governmental organisations, institutions and bodies in pursuit of broader maritime goals, be they political, financial or environmental. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach drawing on the best new research from the fields of international relations, security studies, strategic studies and maritime history, the book examines the diversity of experience amongst different smaller navies and also establishes areas of similarity. Divided into two sections, part one begins with a number of chapters that are theoretical in nature, whilst part two provides case studies that offer a more regional focus, including analysis of the challenges facing contemporary navies and historical case studies designed to reveal the experience of small navies over time. By adopting an approach that combines historical considerations with analysis of current events, the collection offers a unique perspective on the role that small navies have played in wider nautical affairs and their continued impact upon global maritime strategies.

Paul Harris Nicolas (1790 1860) served as a second lieutenant in the Royal Marines at the Battle of Trafalgar. Promoted to first lieutenant in 1808, he took part in the Battle of the Basque Roads in 1809. For these actions he would later be awarded the Naval General Service Medal with two clasps. After effectively retiring from military life in 1814, he picked up both paintbrush and pen, producing a notable watercolour of the scene at Trafalgar, and publishing an engaging account of the battle in 1829. His most important work, however, is this comprehensive two-volume history of the Royal Marines, based on diligent research and first published in 1845. Volume 1 begins with the genesis of the corps in the late seventeenth century. The bulk of the volume covers the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic period, concluding with the opening phase of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Paul Harris Nicolas (1790 1860) served as a second lieutenant in the Royal Marines at the Battle of Trafalgar. Promoted to first lieutenant in 1808, he took part in the Battle of the Basque Roads in 1809. For these actions he would later be awarded the Naval General Service Medal with two clasps. After effectively retiring from military life in 1814, he picked up both paintbrush and pen, producing a notable watercolour of the scene at Trafalgar, and publishing an engaging account of the battle in 1829. His most important work, however, is this comprehensive two-volume history of the Royal Marines, based on diligent research and first published in 1845. Volume 2 continues the narrative of the Battle of Trafalgar and mainly covers the period of the Napoleonic Wars. The rest of the volume takes the story through to the end of the First Opium War in 1842.

This edited volume explores stability, security, transition and reconstruction operations (SSTR), highlighting the challenges and opportunities they create for the US Navy. The book argues that SSTR operations are challenging because they create new missions and basing modes, and signal a return to traditional naval methods of operation. Mission accomplishment requires collaboration with a wide range of actors representing governmental, non-governmental and commercial organizations, which often creates politically and bureaucratically charged issues for those involved. However, although from a traditional warfighting perspective, stability operations might be viewed as having little to do with preparing for high-intensity conventional combat, these kinds of operations in fact correspond to traditional missions related to diplomacy, engagement, maritime domain awareness, piracy and smuggling, and intervention to quell civil disturbances. SSTR operations can be therefore depicted as a return to traditional naval operations, albeit operations that might not be universally welcomed in all quarters.

Details Thomas Trotter's important contributions, as a naval surgeon and after, to the eradication of scurvy and typhus, to the study of addiction, and to improved health and safety in mines. Thomas Trotter, after studying medicine at Edinburgh, began his naval career as a surgeon's mate in 1779 and saw continuous service up to the peace of 1802, rising as a result of great abilities and the right patronage to become Physician to the Channel Fleet, and being present at the great battles of Dogger Bank in 1781 and the Glorious First of June in 1794. As Physician to the Channel Fleet, he was a major player in the conquest of scurvy and the control of typhus and smallpox in the navy. After the peace he settled in Newcastle where he produced pioneering work on alcoholism and neurosis, as a result of which he is regarded as one of the founders of the field of addiction studies. This book provides an intimate account of naval life in the great age of sail from the perspective of a surgeon, describing the impact of Enlightenment ideas and new medical techniques, and showing how improved health was a crucial factor in making possible the British fleet's great victories in this period. BRIAN VALE is a maritime historian, whose books include Independence or Death: British sailors and Brazilian Independence (Tauris 1996), A Frigate of King George, Life and Duty on a British Man-of-War (Tauris 2001) and The Audacious Admiral Cochrane (Conway 2004). GRIFFITH EDWARDS, Emeritus Professor at King's College, London, is one of the country's leading experts on addiction. His publications include Alchohol: the Ambiguous Molecule (Penguin 2000) and Matters of Substance (Penguin 2005).

Two of Jane Austen's brothers made successful careers in the Navy: Francis (1774 1865) rose to the rank of Admiral; Charles (1779 1852) to Rear-Admiral. Jane's naval heroes, most notably Captain Wentworth in Persuasion, as well as much of her knowledge of naval life and contemporary affairs during the Napoleonic Wars, owe much to the stories and letters of her brothers. Written by Francis Austen's grandson John Hubback and his daughter Edith, this double biography is informed by family tradition as well as research into contemporary documents. The Hubbacks, with their unique insight, suggest many family anecdotes and characteristics as possible sources for Jane's novels. Beyond its interest as a record of how her brothers' naval careers influenced her work, this book, first published in 1906, also remains of great interest to historians of the Navy in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Highly illustrated with colour images and specially commissioned maps throughout, this is a unique exploration of the pirate world.

Often romanticised in print and on the silver screen, real-life pirates were a brutal menace that plagued the high seas. In this book, Angus Konstam separates myth from reality, tracing the history of piracy through the centuries, from the pirates who plagued the Ancient Egyptians to the Viking raids and on to the era of privateers. He discusses the so-called 'Golden Age of Piracy' and colourful characters such as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, before examining the West's initial encounters with Eastern pirates off the Chinese coast and the phenomenon of the modern pirate..

Sir Herbert Richmond (1871-1946) was a prominent naval officer and historian who wrote extensively on maritime history. Originally published in 1920, this book forms part two of Richmond's three-volume series on the role of the Navy during the War of Jenkins' Ear, a prolonged conflict between Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748. The text offers a detailed analysis of developments and engagements in the war from approximately 1743 to 1746. Appendices and a variety of illustrative material are also provided. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in naval history and eighteenth-century history in general.

Originally published in 1914, this book uses the reports of Courts Martial to provide a description of conditions in the British Navy from 1680 down to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Through carefully selected quotations and rigorous analysis, the text reveals the development of a coherent system of justice within the Navy, one which was instrumental in its progressive modernization. Illustrations are provided, including a page of text and signatures from a report of Court Martial in 1694. This is a highly informative volume that will be of value to anyone with an interest in naval history.

Sir Herbert Richmond (1871-1946) was a prominent naval officer and historian who wrote extensively on maritime history. Originally published in 1920, this book forms part one of Richmond's three-volume series on the role of the Navy during the War of Jenkins' Ear, a prolonged conflict between Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748. The text offers a detailed analysis of the initial stages of the conflict and the reasons for the outbreak of war. Appendices and a variety of illustrative material are also provided. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in naval history and eighteenth-century history in general.

Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. Naval Warfare by James R. Thursfield was first published in 1913. The volume presents a variety of information on the nature of war at sea, including descriptions of the principle elements behind naval conflict and its historical development.

Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. The Royal Navy by John Leyland was first published in 1914. The book contains an account of the nature, character and development of the British Navy, revealing its roles in maintaining the security of the country and supporting the growth of the Empire.