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showing 579 library results for '2017'

Chatham in the great war. "Chatham played a very important part in the nation's Great War effort. It was one of the British Royal Navy's three 'Manning Ports', with more than a third of the town's ships manned by men allocated to the Chatham Division. The war was only 6 weeks old when Chatham felt the affects of war for the first time. On 22 September 1914, three Royal Naval vessels from the Chatham Division, HMS Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue, were sunk in quick succession by a German submarine, U-9. A total of 1,459 men lost their lives that day, 1,260 of whom were from the Chatham Division. Two months later, on 26 November, the battleship HMS Bulwark exploded and sunk whilst at anchor off of Sheerness on the Kent coast. There was a loss of 736 men, many of whom were from the Chatham area. On 18 August 1914, Private 6737 Walter Henry Smith, who was nineteen and serving with the 6th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, became the first person to be killed during wartime Chatham. He was on sentry duty with a colleague, who accidentally dropped his loaded rifle, discharging a bullet that strook Private Smith and killed him. It wasn't all doom and gloom, however. Winston Churchill, as the First Lord of the Admiralty, visited Chatham early on in the war, on 30 August 1914. On 18 September 1915, two German prisoners of war, Lieutenant Otto Thelen and Lieutenant Hans Keilback, escaped from Donnington Hall in Leicestershire. At first, it was believed they had escaped the country and were on their way back to Germany, but they were re-captured in Chatham four days later. By the end of the war, Chatham and the men who were stationed there had truly played their part in ensuring a historic Allied victory."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 914.223"1914/1918"
Anne Bonny : the infamous female pirate /Phillip Thomas Tucker. "The story of the most famous female pirate in history provides a remarkable personal odyssey from a time when women were almost powerless and at the lowest level of the social order on both sides of the Atlantic. This new biographical work fills considerable gaps in Anne Bonny's life beyond her mythology to rescue an actual person for posterity. Born in scandal in Ireland then emigrating to the American Colonies, she turned her back on the rigid South Carolina plantation lifestyle to find a sense of personal freedom, Anne Bonny sailed the Caribbean's pristine waters during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early eighteenth century. Few accurate records exist about these law-breakers, whose lifestyles called for hanging. Fortunately, Anne Bonny was a notable exception to the rule, as she was caught off the Jamaican coast and tried by a court of law, whose records have fortunately survived. So, who was the real Anne Bonny? A heartless prostitute, a bloodthirsty psychopath, or a compassionate woman of faith and courage? Such a fundamental question has not been adequately answered by historians for 300 years. Anne Bonny: The Infamous Female Pirate takes a fresh look at the life of Anne Bonny to present a corrective view into not only her story but also the seldom explored, but incredibly rich, field of women's history."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92BONNY
History of the Royal Navy : women and the royal navy /Jo Stanley "'Never at Sea' was the motto of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in its two-stage life from 1917-1919 and 1939-1994. Yet most of its members - commonly known as Wrens - wanted to serve on the ocean wave. This book considers the history and identity of the Wrens and shows how they developed from port-bound cooks, clerks, telegraphists, radar plotters and mechanics to fully-fledged members of the naval service. Using previously-unpublished first-hand material, this book explores the very different periods in the twentieth century history of women associated with the Royal Navy. It shows how Wrens moved from the exceptionalised and chaperoned ladies of WW1 to the reality of the twenty-first century's highly respected female submariners and warship commanders. Jo Stanley provides the first accessible gendered analysis of Wrens and their successors and positions the women of the Royal Navy as above all, women who wanted mobility: the right to join the fleet."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.353(42)-055.2
The Royal Navy at Dunkirk : Commanding officers' reports of British warships in action during Operation Dynamo /Martin Mace "The fact that the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from Dunkirk in May-June 1940 has achieved the status of a legend. Whilst the part played by the 'Little Ship's in that miracle is equally well-known, the role of the Royal Navy's warships -- the destroyers, minesweepers and personnel ships -- is often overlooked. Indeed, more than 300,000 troops out of a total of 338,226, were evacuated from the harbour at Dunkirk in these vessels. In the weeks after Operation Dynamo, the Admiralty issued an order requiring the Commanding Officers of those British warships involved to submit a report detailing their actions. Described in their own words, with the events still fresh in their minds, the result is a vivid record of the chaos, improvisation, skill and bravery that all combined to rescue the basis of an army that helped carry Britain through the dark months and years that followed. It is a record that forms the basis of this book."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542.1"1940"
French battleships of World War One / John Jordan & Philippe Caresse. "When war broke out in August 1914 France had only two dreadnoughts in service, with a second pair running trials. The main body of the elite Armâee Navale was made up of the eleven battleships of the Patrie and Danton classes, both of which were intermediate designs with two main gun calibres. Older ships included survivors of the notorious Flotte d'echantillons ('fleet of samples') of the 1890 programme and their successors designed during the 1890s. This book traces the development of French battleships from 1890 to 1922, and also covers the extensive modifications made to the survivors during the interwar period. The structure follows that of previous books in this highly successful series, with Part I by John Jordan devoted to design, followed by historical chapters by Philippe Caresse covering 1900 to 1945. It is liberally illustrated throughout with line drawings and labelled schematics, plus photographs from the extensive Caresse collection, many of which are previously unpublished. This is the most comprehensive account of these ships published in English or in French, and is destined be the standard reference for many years to come."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.821.2(44)
England's maritime heritage from the air / Peter Waller. "England has a long and involved relationship with the sea. It has provided a final line of defence against invasion, the route over which the country's global trade has travelled, the source of a bountiful harvest of fish and seafood that has sustained the population, the essential links in the empire that saw Britain emerge as the world's first 'Great Power', and, more recently, it has fostered the leisure industry. For many, the sea was to provide their final view of their homeland as emigration took them to far-flung corners of the world, while for others, perhaps fleeing religious or political persecution, the sea offered them a route to safety. For almost a century the photographers from the Aerofilms company recorded Britain from the air. Alongside the photographs taken of the great castles and abbeys of the country, the views als recorded industrial and commercial activity - including the docks and ports that were an essential part in maintaining Britain's place in the world. In this book, Peter Waller has delved through the collection of Aerofilms photographs held by Historic England to explore the country's maritime heritage. Selecting 150 images, the author looks at how the docks and ports have evolved since the years immediately after World War I, how traditional patterns of trade have changed, how the Royal Navy has shrunk and how the leisure industry has come to dominate."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 77.047(26)
Nowherelands : an atlas of vanished countries, 1840-1975 /Bjorn Berge ; translated ... by Lucy Moffatt. "A multitude of countries that once existed have since been erased from the map. Varying vastly in size and shape, location and longevity, the fifty 'nowherelands' in this book are united by one fact: all of them endured long enough to issue their own stamps. Some of their names, such as Biafra or New Brunswick, will be relatively familiar. Others, such as Labuan, Tannu Tuva, and Inini, are far less recognizable. But all of these lost nations have stories to tell, whether they were as short-lived as Eastern Karelia, which lasted only a few weeks during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1922, or as long-lasting as the Orange Free State, a Boer Republic that celebrated fifty years as an independent state in the late 1800s. Their broad spectrum reflects the entire history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with its ideologies, imperialism, waves of immigration, and conflicts both major and minor. The motifs and symbols chosen for stamps have always served as a form of national self-presentation, an expression of the aims and ambitions of the ruling authorities. Drawing on fiction and eye-witness accounts as well as historical sources, Bjorn Berge's witty text casts an unconventional eye on these lesser-known nations. Nowherelands is a different kind of history book that will intrigue anyone keen to understand what makes a nation a nation."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 912.44
Le port de la libertâe : Brest, au temps de l'Indâependance amâericaine /Jean-Yves Besseliáevre, Alain Boulaire, Olivier Corre, Lenaèig L'Aot-Lombart, Marjolaine Mourot ; prâeface d'Olivier Poivre d'Arvor. "In March 1778, the Scottish privateer John Paul Jones landed at Brest. He is the first officer of the young American navy to whom Louis XVI entrusts a ship. France has just joined the United States in fighting against the British Crown. The freedom of the young American nation gets ready on the docks of Penfeld ..."--Provided by the publisher. [2016] • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.49"1778/1781"(42:44)
Four Antarctic years in the South Orkney Islands : an annotated translation of cuatro aänos en las orcadas del sur /Josâe Manuel Moneta, assistant in the 1923 expedition, assistant leader in 1925, leader of the 1927 and 1929 expeditions (9 July 1900-30 March 1973) ; translators Kathleen Skilton and Kenn Back ; editor Robert Keith Headland. "One man's fascinating record of four winters in the Antarctic during the 1920s, the period of transition from the isolation of the Heroic Age to the beginnings of radio communication with the world outside. The Argentine Josâe Manuel Moneta (1900-1973) chronicles in words and photographs the many and varied aspects of life on a Southern Ocean island which few visit even today. Seals and penguins provide much of the food; coal and paraffin are used for heating and lighting, and electricity is a new introduction. A relief ship comes just once a year. Josâe Manuel Moneta's account of the South Orkney Islands was originally written in Spanish and published in twelve editions from 1939 to 1963. This is the first English translation, by Kathleen Skilton and Kenn Back, of what is still the only autobiographic account of the South Orkney Islands. For this edition, R.K. Headland has added copious supplementary material ranging from maps and notes to a bibliography and an index."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(99)"192"
Catalogue of the Library : vol 2: biography 1969 • BOOK • 6 copies available. 92
Pirate women : the princesses, prostitutes, and privateers who ruled the Seven Seas /Laura Sook Duncombe. "In the first-ever Seven Seas history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside -- and sometimes in command of -- their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in common: a desire for freedom. History has largely ignored these female swashbucklers, until now. Here are their stories, from ancient Norse princess Alfhild and warrior Rusla to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs; from Grace O'Malley, who terrorized shipping operations around the British Isles during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; to Cheng I Sao, who commanded a fleet of four hundred ships off China in the early nineteenth century. Author Laura Sook Duncombe also looks beyond the stories to the storytellers and mythmakers. What biases and agendas motivated them? What did they leave out? Pirate Women explores why and how these stories are told and passed down, and how history changes depending on who is recording it. It's the most comprehensive overview of women pirates in one volume and chock-full of swashbuckling adventures that pull these unique women from the shadows into the spotlight that they deserve."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 341.362.1-055.2
Decolonizing the map : cartography from colony to nation /edited by James R. Akerman. "Almost universally, newly independent states seek to affirm their independence and identity by making the production of new maps and atlases a top priority. For formerly colonized peoples, however, this process neither begins nor ends with independence, and it is rarely straightforward. Mapping their own land is fraught with a fresh set of issues: how to define and administer their territories, develop their national identity, establish their role in the community of nations, and more. The contributors to Decolonizing the Map explore this complicated relationship between mapping and decolonization while engaging with recent theoretical debates about the nature of decolonization itself. These essays, originally delivered as the 2010 Kenneth Nebenzahl Jr. Lectures in the History of Cartography at the Newberry Library, encompass more than two centuries and three continents - Latin America, Africa, and Asia ranging from the late eighteenth century through the mid-twentieth. Contributors study topics from mapping and national identity in late colonial Mexico to the enduring complications created by the partition of British India and the racialized organization of space in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. A vital contribution to studies of both colonization and cartography, this is the first book to systematically and comprehensively examine the engagement of mapping in the long - and clearly unfinished - parallel processes of decolonization and nation building in the modern world."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 526
Successful Enquiry Answering Every Time : Thinking your way from problem to solution /Tim Buckley Owen "Successful Enquiry Answering Every Time is designed to guide information professionals through all the stages of research, from finding out what the enquirer really wants, to providing a polished, value-added answer. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 001.811:025.5
HMS Victory pocket manual 1805 : Admiral Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar /Peter Goodwin. "This new addition to the best-selling Conway pocket-book range features Admiral Nelson's fully preserved flagship HMS Victory, the most tangible symbol of the Royal Navy's greatest battle off Cape Trafalgar on October 21st 1805. In the HMS Victory Pocket Manual, Peter Goodwin adopts a fresh approach to explain the workings of the only surviving 'line of battle' ship of the Napoleonic Wars. And, as Victory was engaged in battle during only two per cent of her active service, the book also provides a glimpse into life and work at sea during the other ninety-eight per cent of the time. This volume presents answers to questions such as: 'What types of wood were used in building Victory?'; 'What was Victory's longest' voyage?'; 'How many shots were fired from her guns at Trafalgar?'; 'How many boats did Victory carry?'; 'What was prize money?'; 'What was grog?'; 'When did her career as a fighting ship end?', and 'How many people visit Victory each year?'. It gives a full history of the world's most famous warship through a highly accessible pocket-book format. The book Includes a pertinent and varied selection of contemporary documents and records to explain the day-to-day running of a three-decker Georgian warship. The leading historian of the sailing man of war, Peter Goodwin was technical and historical advisor to HMS Victory in Portsmouth for more than 20 years, and is in a unique position to investigate and interpret not only the ship's structure but also the essential aspects of shipboard life: victualling, organisation, discipline, domestic arrangements and medical care."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82VICTORY
The WRNS in wartime : the Women's Royal Naval Service, 1917-1945 /Hannah Roberts. "The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was created in 1917, re-formed in 1938 and maintained after 1945. This book determines for the first time the reasons for the expansion and contraction of the service and the impact key individuals had on it and in turn the influence it had on its members. Hannah Roberts offers new insights into a previously little studied British military institution, which celebrates its centenary in 2017. She shows how political and military decision-making within the fluctuating national security situation, coupled with a growing cultural acceptability of women taking on military roles, allowed for the growth of the service in World War II into realms never expected of women. Although it shared a similar pattern in its formation to the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and had a similar ethos to its Air Force counterpart, the WAAF, the WRNS took on a wider-ranging role in the war, in part due to the latitude afforded to the service because of its uniquely independent origins. From 1941 onward the WRNS spread internationally and subverted the combat taboo by adopting semi-combatant roles. Using twenty-one new oral histories and a multitude of archived personal documents, this book demonstrates the pivotal importance of the Women's Royal Naval Service in both the world wars."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 359-055.2
Isles of Scilly in the Great War / Richard Larn OBE "The Isles of Scilly, five inhabited islands 24 miles west of Lands End, were of low priority to the War Department when the First World War was declared. With no manufacturing capability, no industry other than flower growing and agriculture, no electricity or gas, no mains water supply, no wireless station, and a population of only 2,000, the islands did have one feature in their favour their location. Sitting at the cross roads of six major shipping routes, Scilly had been a recognised ship-park since 1300AD, where sailing ships anchored to safetly awaiting a suitable wind, to re-victual, pick up water or effect repairs. The Admiralty sought to make it a harbour for the Channel Fleet in the mid-1800s, and in 1903 spent 25,000 defending the islands with 6-inch gun batteries, only to take them away seven years later. When, in 1915, German U-boats moved from the North Sea into the Western Approaches, sinking large numbers of merchant vessels, Scilly was chosen to become a Royal Navy Auxiliary Patrol Station, and over time was sent 20 armed trawlers and drifters as escorts, mine-sweepers, mine-layers or anti-submarine vessels, along with 500 Royal Navy personnel. In 1917 Tresco Island became a Royal Naval Air Station, with 14 flying boats and over 1,000 personnel. The islands were suddenly at the forefront of the submarine war. This book details Scilly's contribution to the war effort, with attention to its civilian population, the heartbreak of losing forty-five of its sons, and the trauma of countless seamen rescued from torpedoed ships."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 914.237"1914/1918"
Going deep : John Philip Holland and the invention of the attack submarine /Lawrence Goldstone. "From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to The Hunt for Red October, readers the world over have demonstrated an enduring fascination with travel under the sea. Yet the riveting story behind the invention of the submarine-an epic saga of genius, persistence, ruthlessness, and deceit-is almost completely unknown. Like Henry Ford and the Wright brothers, John Philip Holland was completely self-taught, a brilliant man raised in humble circumstances, earning his living as a schoolteacher and choirmaster. But all the while he was obsessed with creating a machine that could successfully cruise beneath the waves. His struggle to unlock the mystery behind controlled undersea navigation would take three decades, during which he endured skepticism, disappointment, and betrayal. But his indestructible belief in himself and his ideas led him to finally succeed where so many others had failed. Going Deep is a vivid chronicle of the fierce battles not only under the water, but also in the back rooms of Wall Street and the committee rooms of Congress. A rousing adventure-surrounded by an atmosphere of corruption and greed-at its heart this a story of bravery, passion, and the unbreakable determination to succeed against long odds."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.462.7
The canal pioneers : canal construction from 2,500 bc to the early 20th century /Anthony Burton "This is the story of canals used for transport and the men who built them from the earliest times, up to the end of the ninteenth century. This is a very long history: stones for the pyramids of Egypt were brought to the site by canal and one of the most imposing canal systems ever built, the Grand Canal of China, was begun in the sixth century BC. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 626.1(42)
U-Boat assault on America : Why the US was unprepared for War in the Atlantic /Ken Brown "The Second Happy Time was the informal name given to that phase of the battle of the Atlantic when German U-boats attacked both merchant and US naval vessels along the American East Coat with impunity and inflicted massive losses. With tankers burning and petrol rationing in New York City, the US Navy seemed powerless to stop the deprivations of Hitler's marauding U-boats. Some referred to this episode as America's second Pearl Harbor. This new book seeks to explain how America responded to these deadly assaults and looks at the steps that the Navy Department took to train the men, harness the scientists and make the organisational changes that were required to defeat the German threat. A major focus will be on how the naval bureaucracy evolved in the face of the stresses of war. As well as looking at the ships and men who fought the battles at sea, the author explains the significance of the port of New York and its vulnerability to sabotage by pro-Nazi elements; he also explores the relationship between the US Navy and the New York Mafia. The influence of the major players is analysed, including Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews, the sexagenarian commander of the Eastern Sea Frontier; Fleet Admiral Ernest J King, Chief of Naval Operations, trying to balance global demands with a devastated navy; and Fiorallo La Guardia, the bombastic Mayor of New York."--Provided by the publisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.827.3(43:73)
The Royal Navy in Eastern Waters : Linchpin of Victory 1935-1942. /Andrew Boyd "This is the compelling story of how the Royal Navy secured the strategic space from Egypt in the west to Australasia in the east through the first half of the Second World War. This contribution, made while Russia's fate lay in the balance and before American economic power took effect, was critical. Without it, the war might have lasted longer and decisive victory proved impossible. After the protection of the Atlantic lifeline, it was the Royal Navy's finest achievement - a linchpin of victory. The book moves authoritatively between grand strategy, intelligence, accounts of specific operations, and technical assessment of ships and weapons. It challenges established perceptions of Royal Navy capability and performance and will change the way we think about Britain's role in the first half of the war. It also emphasises that Britain was not acting alone in this period and it underlines the importance of the American relationship to Britain's eastern policy. Andrew Boyd argues persuasively that it was the Admiralty, demonstrating a reckless disregard for risks, which was primarily responsible for the loss of Force Z in 1941, not Prime Minister Winston Churchill as traditionally suggested. However regrettable, this loss was not a sign of fundamental imperial failure but rather a temporary setback, eclipsed by Britain's strategic success in securing what really mattered. He demonstrates how the Royal Navy recovered quickly - coming close to a British Midway off Ceylon against the Japanese in 1942. Superbly researched and elegantly written, this book adds a hugely important dimension to our understanding of the war in the East."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.353(42)
Britain's maritime empire : Southern Africa, the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, 1763-1820 /John McAleer "A fascinating new study in which John McAleer explores the maritime gateway to Asia around the Cape of Good Hope and its critical role in the establishment, consolidation and maintenance of the British Empire in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Situated at the centre of a maritime chain that connected seas and continents, this gateway bridged the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which, with its commercial links and strategic requirements, formed a global web that reflected the development of the British Empire in the period. The book examines how contemporaries perceived, understood and represented this area; the ways in which it worked as an alternative hub of empire, enabling the movement of people, goods, and ideas, as well as facilitating information and intelligence exchanges; and the networks of administration, security and control that helped to cement British imperial power"-- 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 941-44
The fear of invasion : strategy, politics, and British war planning, 1880-1914 /David G. Morgan-Owen. "The Fear of Invasion presents a new interpretation of British preparation for War before 1914. It argues that protecting the British Isles from invasion was the foundation upon which all other plans for the defence of the Empire were built up. Home defence determined the amount of resources available for other tasks and the relative focus of the Army and Navy, as both played an important role in preventing an invasion. As politicians were reluctant to prepare for offensive British participation in a future war, home defence became the means by which the government contributed to an ill-defined British 'grand' strategy. The Royal Navy formed the backbone of British defensive preparations. However, after 1905 the Navy came to view the threat of a German invasion of the British Isles as a far more credible threat than is commonly realised. As the Army became more closely associated with operations in France, the Navy thus devoted an ever-greater amount of time and effort to safeguarding the vulnerable east coast. In this manner preventing an invasion came to exert a 'very insidious' effect on the Navy by the outbreak of War in 1914. This book explains how and why this came to pass, and what it can tell us about the role of government in forming strategy."--Provided by publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.41
London's triumph : Merchant adventurers and the Tudor city /Stephen Alford "Life in Europe was fundamentally changed in the 16th century by the astonishing discoveries of the New World and of direct sea routes to Asia. To start with England was hardly involved and London remained a gloomy, introverted medieval city. But as the century progressed something extraordinary happened. Stephen Alford's evocative, original and fascinating new book uses the same skills that made his widely praised The Watchers so successful, bringing to life the network of merchants, visionaries, crooks and sailors who changed London forever. In a sudden explosion of energy English ships were suddenly found all over the world - trading with Russia and the Levant, exploring Virginia and the Arctic, and fanning out across the Indian Ocean. London's Triumph is above all about the people who made this possible - the families, the guild members, the money-men who were willing to risk huge sums and sometimes their own lives in pursuit of the rare, exotic and desirable. Their ambitions fuelled a new view of the world - initiating a long era of trade and empire, the consequences of which we still live with today."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 382
Of ships and stars : maritime heritage and the founding of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich /Kevin Littlewood and Beverley Butler. An account of the founding of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, and its history to the 1960s. 1998. • BOOK • 5 copies available. 069(26:421.6)