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Royal Navy Torpedo Vessels - 1870 - 1914 (Hardcover)
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Royal Navy Torpedo Vessels - 1870 - 1914 (Hardcover)
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The self-propelled or locomotive torpedo was probably the greatest
game-changer in the history of naval warfare. For the first time
the largest warship could be sunk by a weapon carried by the
smallest, and most navies were quick to see the potential. Although
the 19th-century Royal Navy had a reputation for technological
conservatism, it was an early adopter' of the torpedo and was
instrumental in the development of the small fast craft that became
the delivery system of choice, the steam torpedo boat. Britain's
most important contribution to torpedo warfare, however, was the
invention of its antidote, the torpedo boat destroyer, or
destroyer' as it came to be called. This often-told story has
overshadowed the earlier but no less significant history of the
torpedo boat itself in the Royal Navy, an injustice set to right by
this new book. Torpedoes were derived from earlier underwater
explosive devices - mines, spar and towed torpedoes, and the like -
so the first chapter briefly reviews their history before moving on
to Robert Whitehead's revolutionary invention that made the
self-propelled torpedo a practical weapon. The Admiralty was so
impressed it purchased the rights to Whitehead's device, and
thereafter the Royal Navy made much of the early running in torpedo
boat design. In this they were greatly assisted by existing
boatbuilders like Thornycroft and Yarrow who already specialised in
small fast craft. The core of this book is a detailed developmental
history of British torpedo craft, from the early experiments like
Vesuvius and Polyphemus, through the 1st Class TBs to the so-called
Coastal Destroyers of the early 20th century. There are also
separate chapters on 2nd Class boats, on Torpedo Gunboats and on
the Torpedo Depot Ships' Hecla and Vulcan. The book concludes with
a number of appendices devoted to background issues like
quick-firing guns and reports on performance of the boats in
various circumstances. As it fills a surprising gap in the
technical history of British warships, this book will be welcomed
by naval enthusiasts, modelmakers and historians.
General
Imprint: |
Seaforth Publishing
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Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
February 2023 |
Authors: |
Les Brown
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Dimensions: |
260 x 216mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover
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Pages: |
200 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-399-02285-9 |
Categories: |
Books
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LSN: |
1-399-02285-7 |
Barcode: |
9781399022859 |
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