Dictionary of Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships from 1905 / Thomas A Adams MBE

"Royal Fleet Auxiliaries are distinctive in the maritime world civilian-crewed Merchant Navy ships owned by the Crown working under naval orders. This Dictionary showcases both the famous and the often overlooked ships that have supported the Royal Navy during its prominence in the twentieth century. This reference work presents a detailed guide to vessels that in both peace and wartime were essential in the wide field of British maritime history - those that did battle in the Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean and Pacific Oceans and for the Falklands. This is a record of those ships along with details of marine and war losses from the traditional tankers taken up from commercial trade to the ships of today that are designed for the sophisticated and critical role of sea-going logistics support. The author is a recognised authority on the history and ships of the RFA. Comprehensively researched from official records, the ships are technically detailed from the Admiralty's policy and planning through to their engineering, aviation decks and defensive armament. This authoritative work fills an important gap in shipping literature with no previous publication on these ships coming close to including the level of detail provided."