Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

Very special ships : Abdiel class fast minelayers of World War Two /Arthur Nicholson. "Very Special Ships is the first full-length book about the six Abdiel-class fast minelayers, the fastest and most versatile ships to serve in the Royal Navy in the Second World War. They operated not only as offensive minelayers - dashing into enemy waters under cover of darkness - but in many other roles, most famously as blockade runners to Malta. In lieu of mines, they transported items as diverse as ammunition, condensed milk, gold, and VIPs. Distinguished by their three funnels, the Abdiels were attractive, well-designed ships, and they were also unique - no other navy had such ships, and so they were sought-after commands and blessed with fine captains. To give the fullest picture of this important class of ships, the book details the origins and history of mines, minelayers, and minelaying; covers the origins and design of the class; describes the construction of each of the six ships, and the modified design of the last two; tells in detail of the operational careers of the ships in the second World War, when they played vital roles in the battle of Crete and the siege of Malta, plied the hazardous route to Tobruk, and laid mines off the Italian coast. The post-war careers of the surviving ships is also documented. Written to appeal to naval enthusiasts, students of World War II and modelmakers, the author tells the story of these ships through first-hand accounts, official sources, and specially- commissioned drawings and photographs."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.829.2(42)"1939/1945"

Norden i Napoleonskrigene : krig pêa sj² og land /Knut Arstad (red.) [2014]. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.49"1793/1815"(42:44)

Greenwich and its lost hospitals : havens of maritime welfare /Gordon C Cook "The Royal Hospital (RH) was built near the site of the Palace of Placentia and erected by King William III (1650?1702) as a memorial for his consort, Queen Mary II (1662-94) who died of smallpox. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and functioned until 1870 as a hospital for retired mariners of the Royal Navy. The Dreadnought Hospital was the 'flagship' of the Seamen's Hospital Society (SHS) between 1870 and its closure in 1986. The SHS was a charitable foundation launched in 1821 to care for members of Britain's Mercantile Marine and later others also. Having been accommodated on three successive hospital ships, it moved to dry land in Greenwich in 1870. Between 1929 and the outbreak of war in 1939, the SHS published a Quarterly Magazine from which extracts highlighting Greenwich and these two major hospitals are brought together in this book."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.292GREENWICH

Churchill's thin grey line : British merchant ships at war 1939-1945 /Bernard Edwards "The first British casualties of the Second World War were not members of either the Royal Navy, the Army or the Royal Air Force but British merchant seamen on the liner Athenia, torpedoed by U-30 on 3 September 1939. For the duration of the War, Britain's merchant fleet performed a vital role, carrying the essential supplies that kept the country running during the darkest days and then made victory possible. Their achievements came at a terrible cost with 2,535 British oceangoing merchant ships being sunk and, of the 185,000 men and women serving in the British Merchant Navy at the time, 36,749 sacrificed their lives. A further 4,707 were wounded and 5,720 ended up in prisoner of war camps. Their casualty rate of 25 percent was second only to RAF Bomber Command's. Using casebook examples, this well researched book tells the inspiring story of those brave civilian volunteers who fought so gallantly to defend their ships and the cargoes."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545:656.61(42)

Channel pilot : Isles of Scilly and south coast of England, from Cape Cornwall to Bognor Regis, and north-west and north coasts of France, from Pointe de Penmarc'h to Cap d'Antifer Great Britain. Hydrographic Department 1977 • FOLIO • 3 copies available. 527.83

Steel's prize pay lists : containing accounts of prize and head money paid, and now payable, for prizes taken or destroyed during the last war... Steel, David, 1802? • RARE-BOOK • 2 copies available. 094:623.82(42)

50 years of naval flying 1914-1964 Great Britain. Ministry of Defence (Navy) 1964 • PAMPHLET • 6 copies available. 623.74(42)

From cabin 'boys' to captains : 250 years of women at sea /Jo Stanley "Traditionally, a woman's place was never on stormy seas. But actually thousands of dancers, purserettes, doctors, stewardesses, captains and conductresses have taken to the waves on everything from floating palaces to battered windjammers. Their daring story is barely known, even by today's seawomen. From before the 1750s, women fancying an oceangoing life had either to disguise themselves as cabin 'boys' or acquire a co operative husband with a ship attached. Early pioneers faced superstition and discrimination in the briny 'monasteries'. Today women captain cruise ships as big as towns and work at the highest level in the global maritime industry. This comprehensive exploration looks at the Merchant Navy, comparing it to the Royal Navy in which Wrens only began sailing in 1991. Using interviews and sources never before published, Jo Stanley vividly reveals the incredible journey across time taken by these brave and lively women salts."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 2 copies available.

From Antarctica to the gold rushes : in the wake of the Erebus : Alexander Smith, polar voyager, astronomer & goldfields commissioner 1812-1872 /John Ramsland. "Commander Alexander Smith served the Royal Navy with fearless resolution for seventeen years on the quarterdeck, encountering many adventures on the high seas - an intrepid voyager in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Under the command of Captain James Clark Ross, he became a heroic polar explorer in the north Atlantic and was chosen as First Mate for the epic 1839-1843 British Antarctic Expedition aboard HMS Erebus. The Ross expedition was the first to go where no human being had gone before despite competition from Charles Wilkes' American and Dumont d'Urville's French expeditions. Retiring from the Royal Navy, he was appointed Goldfields Commissioner in Castlemaine during the Australian gold rushes in 1853 and developed a fine reputation as a botanist and naturalist...an extraordinary but forgotten life."--Back cover. 2011. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(99)"1839/1843":92SMITH, ALEXANDER

The transformation of British naval strategy : seapower and supply in Northern Europe, 1808-1812 /James Davey. After the Battle of Trafalgar, the Navy continued to be the major arm of British strategy. After decades of practice and refinement it was expert at executing operations - fighting battles, blockading and convoying - across the globe. And yet, as late as 1807, fleets were forced from their stations due to an ineffective provisioning system. The book is a detailed study of national policy, administrative and political reform and strategic viability. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.02(42)"1808/1812"

The Book of Common Prayer and administration of the sacraments and other rites and ceremonies of the Church, according to the use of The Church of England : together with the psalter or psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches; and the form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of bishops, priests and deacons. Church of England. [post 1900]. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 264-13

Admiral Lord Keith and the naval war against Napoleon / Kevin D. McCranie ; foreword by James C. Bradford and Gene A. Smith. "Lord Keith, a Scottish Admiral who rose to prominence serving His Majesty from 1761 to 1815, ended his career by overseeing Napoleon's surrender in 1815. Born George Keith Elphinstone, Keith at one time or another held nearly every important command in the British navy, and his story illustrates the navy's history during the Age of Fighting Sail. [...] Keith eventually commanded four major fleets - the Eastern Seas, the Mediterranean, the North Sea and the Channel. Though he never led a fleet into battle, Keith supported joint operations with the British army and its allies while simultaneously maintaining command of the sea and ensuring the free passage of commerce. [...] Documents Keith's dealings with the British government, the Royal Family, the Admiralty, the French government, the French navy, the British army and Britain's allies."--Provided by the Publisher. 2006. • BOOK • 2 copies available. 355.49"1793/1815"(42:44)

Shipbuilding and ships on the Thames : proceedings of the fourth symposium, held on 28 February 2009 at the Museum of London Docklands /ed. by Roger Owen. 2012. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 629.12(282.242.1)

J. Samuel White & Co., shipbuilders / David L. Williams and Richard P. De Kerbrech. "J. Samuel White & Company was the oldest firm on the Admiralty List and built 252 ships for the Royal Navy alone. The yard's closure in 1966 ended 300 years of shipbuilding during which time the company had gained acclaim from mercantile and naval customers alike. Famed early on for fast Revenue cutters and naval brigs, in its final years Royal Navy destroyers earned it great distinction. Highly innovative, it developed and patented many pioneering products while other innovations included semi-diesel engines, heat exchangers, air conditioners and compressors, besides a range of marine thruster units. Not only did the company build ships and boats but it also constructed a range of marine aircraft. During the First World War, White's production accounted for 100 ships, including twenty-seven destroyers, and 201 seaplanes. Production during the Second World War added up to 317 ships, among them twenty-six destroyers and a large minelayer. Illustrated with photographs of these and many of the company's other products, this book tells the story of J. Samuel White and its subsidiary concerns, a business built on a reputation of quality which earned it the slogan: "White's-built - well-built!"."--Back cover. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 629.12WHITE

Shipping company losses of the Second World War / Ian M. Malcolm. During the Second World War, the Merchant Navy suffered a higher percentage loss than any of the British armed forces, but despite this extraordinary fact few people today are aware of it. In total, 33,000 merchant seamen died, while others were severely injured both physically and mentally. This book is an important volume attempting to dispel the ignorance, and for the first time brings together a wealth of information concerning ship losses, including such details as ships' names, their captains, the route they were lost on, date and positions when lost, loss of life, and many other particulars. A former wartime Merchant Navy man himself, Malcolm presents a compendium of shipping company losses that is staggering in scale. This work will be of great value to shipping enthusiasts and anyone interested in the war at sea."--Provided by the publisher. 2013 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 342.537(100)"1939/1945"

1918 : the First World War at sea in photographs /Phil Carradice. "The year 1918 was dominated by the Armistice and the end of the fighting in the War to End All Wars. However, before that both the U-boat war in the North Atlantic and the British blockade of Germany continued unabated. The Royal Navy attempted to block the German naval forces in the Belgian port of Zeebrugge into the harbour with a raid on St George's Day and the Royal Naval Air Service was amalgamated into the Royal Flying Corps to form the RAF on 1 April. The Royal Navy was also involved in the British intervention against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. After the Armistice came, the Royal Navy's work was not finished. The German surface fleet was interned in Scapa Flow from 23 November, only for the ships' crews to scuttle their vessels on 21 June 1919. The U-boat fleet also surrendered. Finally, in November 1920, there was the solemn task of transporting the body of the Unknown Warrior across the Channel from Boulogne to Dover for burial in Westminster Abbey. Phil Carradice takes us through the First World War at sea in photographs, showing us the horror of war and telling the story of some of the key moments of the conflict."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.459(42)"1918"

Lighter-than-air : the life and times of Wing Commander N.F. Usborne, RN, pioneer of naval aviation /Guy Warner. A biography of Royal Navy officer Neville Usborne, who played a key role in the development of lighter-than-air aviation by the British military in the lead-up to and during the First World War. The book provides an account of Ubsorne's early life and his Navy career before his early death in 1916, alongside a detailed history of lighter-than-air flight, particularly in a military context, from the mid-19th century onwards. Includes black and white illustrations throughout. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92USBORNE

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." 2025. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.8260941

The Holy Bible, containing the Old Testament and the New Bible. English. Authorised 1792 • RARE-BOOK • 1 copy available. 094:22

Two years in New South Wales : a series of letters, comprising sketches of the actual state of society in that colony ... Cunningham, P 1827 • RARE-BOOK • 1 copy available. 094:919.44

The fortune hunters : or, two fools well met ... Carlile, James 1714 • RARE-BOOK • 1 copy available. 094:820-2

Rules and regulations [for examination for lieutenant] Great Britain.-Admiralty 1816 • RARE-BOOK • 1 copy available. 094:355.51

The private papers of John, Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty 1771-1782 : volume 1 Montagu, John 1932 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92Montagu

Profile warship : vol 3 1973 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82

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