Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

British Hawkins Class cruisers : an odyssey through two world wars /Aidan Dodson "The story of the Hawkins class therefore weaves strands that include the technical development of the cruiser in the UK and abroad, the early use of aircraft at sea, international naval diplomacy and treaty-making between the wars, the evolution of the cadet training regime in the Royal Navy, the way in which the vital southern and eastern trade routes were kept open, and the contribution of naval forces to the success of the invasion of Europe. This impeccably researched book provides detailed descriptions and analysis of the ships and their development, and the narratives of their careers, all tied together with a wide-ranging collection of photographs and line drawings."--Provided by the publisher. 2024. • FOLIO • 1 copy available.

1945 : the second world war at sea in photographs. "The final year of the Second World War was very quiet in terms of naval operations, as European leaders turned their minds towards peace with the promise of unconditional German surrender. From January to May in Europe, the German navy was involved in a large-scale evacuation of refugees, but the Soviet submarines were working very effectively at this time, so German losses remained high. The majority of the fighting at sea took place in the Pacific, and from April to June, the Allies were fighting in the Battle of Okinawa, the largest amphibious assault in the Second World War Pacific theatre. The Americans used Okinawa as their base to attack mainland Japan, and over 70,000 Japanese soldiers died. The last actions of the Battle of the Atlantic took place in May, and the German U-boat fleet surrendered en masse in the same month. This is the last in a series of year-by-year books covering the major naval events of the Second World War."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545.9(42)"1945"

Steel and Ice The U-boat Battle in the Arctic and Black Sea 1941-1945. "As the land war raged along the Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945, an equally fierce and unrelenting war ensued on the seas. From German Wolf Pack attacks on Russian convoy traffic and military vessels to close-quarter combat undertaken by small U-boats transported by land and river to the Black Sea, the Kriegsmarine wrestled for control of the seas fringing an embattled Soviet Union. Combined with the fortitude of U-boat crews who fought in some of the harshest weather conditions found at sea, ingenuity on behalf of German military engineers also facilitated the transfer of U-boats from Germany to Romania. From there, the Kriegsmarine engaged Soviet military might and pioneered the use of submarine-based rocket firing technology against land targets. The struggle between the Kriegsmarine's U-boats and the Red Navy lasted from the opening salvos of Operation Barbarossa to the final chaotic days of Germany's defeat." --Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545.1(43)

HMS Argus / Charles E. Mac Kay "The history of HMS Argus ex Conte Rosso an Italian Liner and the development of the Fleet Air Arm from 1914. Includes Russia, Chanak Crisis, Shanghai Intervention, Aircraft Deck Landing Training at Toulon and the Clyde. Operations Benedict and Torch and the invasion of Europe. It details the resupply of aircraft to Malta, these were called "Club Runs" for the Royal Navy. This is an in-depth study covering the complete history of her evolution to her scrapping at Inverkeithing Fife. Her partially restored ship covers are included. A5 size, 175 pages with over 300 pictures many of them rare."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.822.7

The warship Mary Rose : the life and times of King Henry VIII's flagship /David Childs. "This book tells the full story of the construction and career of the ship, placing it firmly within the colourful context of Tudor politics, Court life and the developing administration of a permanent navy. However it also brings the story down to the present day, with chapters on the recovery and the new ideas and information thrown up by the massive programme of archaeological work since undertaken."--Dust jacket. 2007. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82Mary Rose

Into the minefields : British destroyer minelaying : 1916-1960 /Peter C. Smith. "During the early years of World War I the existing minelaying vessels in service with the Royal Navy were found to be far too slow to penetrate into the strategically important waters around Holland, Denmark, Germany and Sweden under the cover of darkness and survive. As a result, a flotilla of fast destroyers was created that could be readily converted from their normal role into minelayers."--Provided by the publisher. 2005. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.829.3(42)"1916/1960"

British battlecruisers, 1914-18 / Lawrence Burr. "Early British battlecruisers were not a failed design as is so often claimed, but a very successful and revolutionary one that was critical to, and instrumental in, Britain winning the naval war of 1914-18. This book contains new information on these innovative ships, using previously untapped evidence from the wrecks of the sunken battlecruisers and detailed analysis of admiralty records to show why Admiral Fisher's famous battlecruiser concept was a revolution that drew together technological breakthroughs, global communications and intelligence gathering to create the first worldwide rapid-response task force."--Provided by the publisher. 2006. • PAMPHLET • 1 copy available. 623.82(42)"1914/1918"

British naval armaments / edited by Robert D. Smith. "A series of key articles on the general development of artillery in the period 1600-1900. Discusses the mechanisms of loading and firing and also specific guns."--Provided by the publisher. 1989. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.421.2(42)"16/19"

Blood on the sea : American destroyers lost in World War II "Seventy-one United States Navy destroyers were lost in the Second World War. This book, in describing each battle, takes the reader on a breathtaking tour of American military action, on a multitude of fronts and on both sides of the globe. From the stormy North Atlantic to the calm Mediterranean; from the U.S. East Coast to the vast reaches of the Pacific, seldom has a book depicted more vividly the enormous scale of our simultaneous war against Germany and Japan - and the dedication of the young fighting men who prosecuted it."--Provided by the publisher. 1996 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.823.1(73)

Naval museum : courage, benvolence, manliness & virtue. "This book is about one of the most attractive of the many museums in Sweden, the Naval Museum in Karlskrona. Four writers have chosen to approach the museum and the collections from their own particular spheres of interest. We invite you to take part in a tour of both the history of the museum and the Swedish navy. You will meet such prominent individuals as the brilliant naval architect Fredric af Chapman and the Admiralty sculptor Johan Tornstrom, the man behind the magnificent figureheads in the museum. In addition, extracts from contemporary diaries serve to give a very personal aspect of naval history."--Provided by the publisher. 2009 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 069(485)

The Channel fleet and the blockade of Brest 1793-1801 Morriss, Roger 2001 • BOOK • 2 copies available. 355.49"1792/1801"(42:44)

"Beware raiders!" German surface raiders in the Second World War "This is the fascinating story of two German surface raiders and the havoc they caused amongst Allied shipping in World War II. One was the 8-inch gun cruiser Admiral Hipper, fast, powerful and Navy-manned: the other a converted merchant man, Hansa Line's Kandelfels armed with a few old 5.9s manned largely by reservists, and sailing under the nom de guerre of Pinguin. Contrary to all expectations, the amateur man-of-war reaped a rich harvest and went out in a blaze of glory. Her purpose-built sister, on the other hand, was hard-pressed even to make her mark on the war and ended her days in ignominy. The author emphasizes the striking contrast between the conduct of Ernst Kruder, captain of the Pinguin, whose concern it was to cause as little loss of life as possible, and the callous Captain Meisel of the Admiral Hipper, who has scant regard for the lives of the men whose ships he had sunk."--Provided the publisher. 2001 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.823(43)

The audacious Admiral Cochrane: the true life of a naval legend "Lord Cochrane was a dominant figure in the maritime history of the early nineteenth century. While still a child he held commissions in both the army and navy, and he made his name in 1800 when in command of a small sloop he captured a Spanish frigate. His subsequent naval career was at turns brilliant and controversial, the latter aspect inflamed by his political career as a radical and his attempt to have his own admiral court-martialed. [...] A brilliant tactician and supreme egoist, his own version of his life has been the established version for over a century and a half. But by going back to original documents, objective contemporary accounts, and the work of the few scholars who have investigated incidents in Cochrane's life, a different picture emerges: a complex figure, who saw things in stark contrast and who could exhibit extreme paranoia and jealousy."--Provided by the publisher. 2004 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92COCHRANE

Dèonitz and the wolf packs An overview of the Battle of the Atlantic, with particular focus on Admiral Karl Donitz and the wolf pack tactics used by the German U-Boats. The book focuses primarily on the German side of the battle, and takes the form of a chronological narrative of the events of the Battle of the Atlantic. It takes an in-depth look at the formation of the wolf pack tactics, their success over the course of the War and the impact of the tactic on the allied naval forces. The author also takes a look at how the allies responded to the use of this tactic, how they eventually overcame it, and the subsequent collapse of the power of the German Navy. The book includes detailed maps of wolf pack attack convoys, as well as a bibliography for further reading on the subject. 1996 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92Dèonitz

Profile Warships 28 : USS Indianapolis (CA 35), Heavy Cruiser 1932-1945 ;by William H. Cracknell, Commander, USN. "This Profile is about a notable American cruiser, the USS Indianapolis. Apart from being one of the 10,000-ton type built to conform to the Washington Treaty 1922, she has a more sinister claim to fame. She carried the first operational atomic bombs to the Far East for the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Having delivered her deadly load she was ropedoed just before the end of the war, and by a tragic series of mischances her loss went unreported for some time. The US Navy had come to regard the Pacific as its private preserve, and the loss of this ship just when the war seemed over is still regarded as their worst single-ship disaster."--Provided by the publisher. [1973?]. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Fitzroy : the remarkable story of Darwin's captain and the invention of the weather forecast A biography of Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865). Joining the navy at the age of 12, Fitzroy became a skilled hydrographer and was given command of the Beagle in 1828. He was famously joined on his second voyage on the Beagle by Charles Darwin. He served as a Member of Parliament for two years, was appointed as Governor of New Zealand in 1843 and on returning to Britain and active naval service in 1845, he developed his interest in meteorology. With the aim of saving lives at sea, he went on to develop the fundamental techniques of weather forecasting, designed a standard barometer and thermometer (a first weather station), invented the system of storm warnings, issued the first daily weather forecasts and became the founding director of the Meteorological Office. He died after committing suicide in 1865. 2003 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82BEAGLE

The Essential Visual HMS Victory / AJ Noon "Take a guided tour through HMS Victory, over 250 years old and a marvel of Georgian engineering. This book takes you up close and personal with the ship, detailing her key features, life onboard, and much more. Let me walk you through the ship deck by deck, telling you what you are looking at and how it was used. This is your own personal tour of HMS Victory, told in a way to engage the reader as if they had me alongside you through the ship. If you are a fan of Horatio Nelson, Hornblower, and Master and Commander, this book needs to be in your library. For every copy sold a donation will be made to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth, England, who maintain this amazing ship."--Provided by the publisher. 2021 • FOLIO • 1 copy available.

James Fitzjames : the mystery man of the Franklin Expedition /William Battersby. A biography of James Fitzjames, captain of HMS Erebus and third in command on Franklin's 1845 expedition to find the North West passage. The author established that Fitzjames was the illegitimate son of a diplomat, Sir James Gambier, and was brought up by the Reverend Robert Conningham. Fitzjames joined the Royal Navy in 1825, served on the Euphrates expedition from 1834-37, fought in the Egyptian-Ottoman War (1839-40) as a gunnery lieutenant and then in the First Opium War before joining the Franklin expedition on which he died in 1848. The author draws on Fitzjames's personal letters and journals as well as official naval records. 2010. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(987)"1849":92FITZJAMES

Sailing for the Empire : the life of Admiral Sir John Corbett in letters and paintings. "This is the first major account of an important part of the life of the naval officer who rose to be the eminent Admiral Sir John Corbett, KCB, (1822-1893) and became Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies and at the Nore. He played significant roles in the expansion and management of the British Empire and ending the slave trade. His exploits are visually captured by the full-colour and black and white illustrations, many from his own skilled sketches and paintings. Corbett's informative detailed letters in particular provide an important insight into life in the Victorian navy in many parts of the world, and how senior officers recorded and communicated their experiences."-- 2024. • FOLIO • 1 copy available.

William Chicken, master mariner : an outline of the maritime life of a Victorian Londoner 1871-1934 /put together by his grandson, Bryan William Osman Chicken. A biography of William Chicken, who served in the British merchant marine between 1885 and 1920, written by his grandson. The book details Chicken's service on routes to Australasia, the United States, and the Caribbean, with a particular focus on his wartime service in HMAT A8 Argyllshire, transporting troops and supplies between Australia and the war theatre, as well as his post-navy career with a private lighterage firm. Numerous black and white illustrations throughout. 2017. • FOLIO • 1 copy available.

The war of the motor gun boats : one man's personal war at sea with the coastal forces, 1943-1945 /Tony Chapman. Autobiography of Tony Chapman, who served in Royal Navy motor gun boats in the latter years of the Second World War. The book provides a vivid account of duties and daily life during training as telegraphist, then in motor gun boats in the English Channel and North Sea, Mediterranean and Aegean, particularly during the liberation of Kos in May 1945. Includes black and white illustrations. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92CHAPMAN

Governor William Hobson : his health problems and final illness /Ronald V. Trubuhovich. Royal Navy Captain William Hobson (1792-1842) arrived in New Zealand in January 1840 charged with taking the consititutional measures required to establish New Zealand as a British Colony. Hobson became New Zealand's first resident Governor and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi signed in February 1840 by Hobson on behalf of the British Crown and Maori chiefs. Hobson suffered from ill health throughout his career culminating in a debilitating stroke within a month of the signing of the Treaty. In the months before his death Hobson was increasingly criticised in the New Zealand press for being unable to adequately represent the interests of the new settlement. He died of a second stroke in September 1842. 2015. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 92HOBSON

Trafalgar Captain : Durham of the Defiance /Hilary L. Rubinstein. A biography of Admiral Sir Philip Durham (1763-1845). Born in Fife, Durham joined the Navy in 1777, serving in HMS Trident. He went on to have a lengthy and successful naval career serving in the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He most famously commanded HMS Defiance at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 when he captured two enemy ships and survived serious wounds. He served as commander-in-chief of Portsmouth and as a Member of Parliament. 2005. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92DURHAM:355.49"1805"(42:44)

Charles Hare's great escape : the story of a Napoleonic prisoner of war /Katherine Gazzard. "This is the story of a young midshipman in the Royal Navy and his audacious escape from Napoleonic France. Only 13 years old when he was captured by the French, Charles Hare spent six years as a prisoner of war before making his break for freedom disguised in a French customs service uniform. This uniform is now in the collection of Royal Museums Greenwich, along with the autobiographical account of his escape. With detailed photography, this book takes a closer look at the uniform and brings to life the highs and lows of Hare's adventure. His tale is unique and deeply personal, but it also sheds light on wider histories of customs regulation, conflict and captivity." 2025. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.1296

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