Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

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)

German light cruisers of World War II : Emden-Kèonigsberg-Karlsruhe-Kèoln-Leipzig-Nèurnberg /by Gerhard Koop and Klaus-Peter Schmolke. "The warships of the World War II era German Navy are among the most popular subject in naval history with an almost uncountable number of books devoted to them. However, for a concise but authoritative summary of the design history and careers of the major surface ships it is difficult to beat a series of six volumes written by Gerhard Koop and illustrated by Klaus-Peter Schmolke. Each contains an account of the development of a particular class, a detailed description of the ships, with full technical details, and an outline of their service, heavily illustrated with plans, battle maps and a substantial collection of photographs. These have been out of print for ten years or more and are now much sought after by enthusiasts and collectors, so this new modestly priced reprint of the series will be widely welcomed. This volume is devoted to the six ships from Emden to Nèurnberg that were built between the wars. They were primarily intended for commerce-raiding, but the war gave them few opportunities for such employment, although they did provide useful support for key naval operations in the Baltic and North Sea. Two were lost in the 1940 Norway campaign, but the remainder survived for most of the conflict."--Provided by the publisher. 2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.822.34(43)"1939/1945"

My ancestor was a woman at war / by Emma Jolly. Jolly, Emma. [2013?]. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 929.3-055.2

French armoured cruisers, 1887-1932 / John Jordan & Philippe Caresse. ''Of all the threats faced by the Royal Navy during the first years of the twentieth century, the one which stood out was the risk to Britains sea lines of communication posed by France s armoured cruisers. Fast, well-armed and well-protected, these ships could have evaded any attempted blockade of the French ports and, supported by a worldwide network of overseas bases, could potentially have caused havoc on the trade routes. Between 1898 and 1901 the French laid down thirteen ships, and completed nine in 1903 4 alone. This book has as its subject the French armoured cruisers built from the late 1880s until shortly before the outbreak of the Great War, beginning with the revolutionary Dupuy-de-Lãome, the worlds first modern armoured cruiser, and ending with the impressive six-funnelled Edgar Quinet and Waldeck-Rousseau. The primary focus of the book is on the technical characteristics of the ships. Detailed and labelled drawings based on the official plans are provided by John Jordan, and each individual class of ship is illustrated by photographs from the extensive personal collection of Philippe Caresse. The technical section is followed by a history in two parts, covering the Great War (1914-18) and the postwar years, during which the surviving ships saw extensive deployment as station cruisers overseas and as training ships. This is the most comprehensive account published in English or in French, and is destined be the standard reference for many years to come.''--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.8253094409041

Coastal defences of the British Empire in the Revolutionary & Napoleonic eras / Daniel MacCannell. "Far more than an architecture book, Coastal Defences of the British Empire in the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras is a sweeping reinterpretation of the Martello towers, Grand Redoubts, Royal Military Canal and other new defence infrastructure. Lavishly illustrated with period maps, views, portraits, cartoons and newly commissioned colour photographs, it includes not only these structures' forerunners, and plans that were never executed, but also the grand strategy that informed them. At its best, this saw Britain's position as a vast land battle, with the deadly threat of the French-held Antwerp navy yards on its own 'left wing', and Lisbon as the enemy's 'weak left' to be 'turned'. The book also takes in the astonishingly inventive, bold and bloody small-boat wars that raged from the Baltic and Channel coast to Chesapeake Bay and Lake Ontario, and provides vivid pen-sketches of the now-obscure and sometimes deeply flawed strategic visionaries, engineers, inventors, and fighting men who held the line as - even after Trafalgar - the forces of an ever more powerful French empire circled like sharks. Along the way, it traces a fundamental change in the nature of war and society: from a ponderous game of fortresses and colonies played by rulers, to murderous 'foot by foot' defence of the whole territory of the nation by 'both sexes and every social type'."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.4509171241

Dressed to kill : British naval uniform, masculinity and contemporary fashions, 1748-1857 /Amy Miller. "A unique exploration of naval identity, period fashion and masculinity. Dressed to kill is a unique and detailed analysis of naval uniform and its historical, social and economic contexts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This fully updated and expanded second edition examines the significance of male fashion and uniform in the forging of a national, hierarchical and gendered identity. By drawing upon extensive archival research, Amy Miller provides a greater explanation of the political and social changes that impacted not only what the Royal Navy wore, but why. Parliamentary records, newspapers and museum archives give a greater contextualisation of the relationship that naval uniform represented - that of a confluence of politics and economics, fashion and popular culture. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this second edition of Dressed to Kill includes an extensive catalogue of uniforms from the rich collection of the National Maritime Museum and a selection of patterns that examine the construction of the garments."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 2 copies available.

Spoils of war : the fate of enemy fleets after the two World Wars /Aidan Dodson, Serena Cant. "The fates of defeated navies offer fascinating insights into both the intent of victorious powers and the plight of conquered nations. This book traces the histories of navies and ships of defeated powers in two World Wars, from the months leading up to the relevant armistices or surrenders through to the final execution of the post-war settlements. In doing so, it discusses the way in which the victorious powers reached their final demands, how these were implemented, and to what effect. The later histories of ships that saw subsequent service are also described. The authors have drawn on material from archival and in some cases archaeological sources, many never previously published, and in doing so a wide range of long-standing myths are busted, many of them deriving from numerous errors and misunderstandings that have passed into the 'standard sources'. The fascinating and highly original narrative is accompanied by lists of all navy-built enemy ships, and some significant ex-mercantile vessels, in service at the end of the various hostilities and includes key dates in their careers and their ultimate fates, the latter checked as far as possible in archival sources. This story, completely overlooked until now, offers a new and compelling insight for all those interested in the naval history of the two World Wars."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 359.8352

Better conceiv'd than describ'd : the life and times of Captain James King (1750-84), Captain Cook's friend and colleague /Steve Ragnall. Better Conceiv'd than Describ'd is the first full biography of James King - the interesting, though tragically short-lived, Royal Navy Officer in the reign of George III. Captain James King's adventurous life saw him lay claim to Alaska in the name of George III, fight as a frigate captain in the American War of Independence and test the marine chronometer that revolutionised navigation. Starting in the small town of Clitheroe (in Lancashire), and taking us to the edges of the then known world on a great voyage of discovery, this book shows the development of James King not only as a sailor but also as an astronomer sponsored by the Board of Longitude, while also examining the death of Captain Cook at the hands of the Hawaiians. With cameo appearances from Horatio Nelson, the infamous William Bligh, society artist Sir Joshua Reynolds, diarist Fanny Burney and statesman Edmund Burke, this is a 'who's who' of Georgian society and shows the importance of patronage in the second half of the 18th century. 2013. • BOOK • 2 copies available. 92KING, JAMES

Combat divers : an illustrated history of special forces divers /Michael G. Welham. "Combat divers are an elite within an elite. Every special forces combat diver is required to pass selection twice - first into the elite military unit and then a combat diving qualification. The combat dive units themselves are tiny and the operations highly classified. The role of a military diver is inevitably a lonely and a dangerous one, whether clearing mines or striking from the sea against enemy-held targets. Fully illustrated with rare and unusual images, Combat Divers reveals their little-known yet fascinating operations, from Dutch Special Forces combat divers covertly operating against Somali pirates to the actions of Soviet Spetsnaz divers in Swedish territorial waters during the Cold War. It also examines how the most famous units, such as the US Navy SEALs and the Royal Navy's SBS, are currently operating and adapting to threats in a multitude of theatres. Combat Divers gives an insight into specialist kit and vehicles presently used and equipment that is being developed and trialed throughout the world. Covering a variety of kit, from dry deck shelters to mini-submarines and swimmer delivery vehicles, former Royal Marines Commando Michael G. Welham draws on his own extensive diving experience to reveal exactly how this equipment is used by special forces dive teams. As their kit and equipment constantly evolve, so does the nature of their work and even the team element. Combat Divers also details the first female combat divers and includes their own first-hand accounts about their groundbreaking roles within their respective units to create a fascinating history of these elite special forces operatives."--Provided by the publisher. 2023. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 359.21:629.024

Duel in the deep : the hunters, the hunted, and a high seas fight to the finish /David Sears. "In autumn 1943 the Battle of the Atlantic, World War II's longest seagoing campaign, reached a new crescendo. Anti-submarine aircraft and ships using new tactics, technologies, weaponry dominated a seascape where German U-boats once ruled supreme. But then unexpectedly, in eerie, mid-ocean darkness, an elemental hull-to-deck, sailor-to-submariner duel erupted. On Halloween Eve, U.S. Navy destroyer Borie, an outmoded, thin-skinned 'tin can' of World War I vintage, set out alone to track down an elusive U-boat. Borie had thus far toiled in the war?s backwaters, her crew of young reservists anxious to prove its mettle. When Borie trapped U-405 on the surface, that chance arrived. As Borie's deck guns unleashed withering fire and U-40's skipper angled his submarine to launch torpedoes, Borie's young skipper - a salesman in civilian life - resorted to the original (and once the only) means of sinking a submarine: ramming, full speed ahead, consequences be damned. Borie's slashing collision with U-405 ignited a swashbuckling, no-holds-barred brawl of cannons, machine guns, small arms, and even knives and spent shell casings. In the wreckage-strewn aftermath, desperate sailors on both sides fought for survival in a heaving, frigid, unforgiving sea. Duel in the Deep weaves together high-stakes strategy and lethal gamesmanship with poignant human backstories, pounding air/surface/subsurface action, epic heroism, and wrenching sacrifice."-- 2023. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.54/293

An Universal dictionary of the marine : or a copious explanation of the technical terms and phrases employed in the construction, equipment, furniture, machinery, movements, and military operations of a ship, illustrated with variety of original designs of shipping, in different situations; together with separate views of their masts, sails, yards and rigging. To which is annexed, a translation of the French sea-terms and phrases, collected from the works of Mess. Du Hamel, Aubin, Saverien, etc. / By William Falconer, author of The Shipwreck. Falconer, William, 1780. • RARE-FOLIO • 1 copy available. 094:629.12(038)

Representing slavery : art, artefacts and archives in the collections of the National Maritime Museum /edited by Douglas Hamilton and Robert J. Blyth. 2007. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 326.1:7

The German fleet at war, 1939-1945 / Vincent P. O'Hara. "The German Fleet at War relates the little-known history of the Kriegsmarine's surface fleet with a focus on the sixty-nine surface naval battles fought by Germany's major warships against the large warships of the British, French, American, Polish, Soviet, Norwegian and Greek navies. It emphasizes operational details but also paints a broad overview of the naval war. The book addresses the lack of information about the specifics of naval engagements in World War II and provides a database of naval engagements for comparison and analysis, but unlike most reference works, it has a continuous narrative and a theme. The result is a unique overview of the German and Allied navies at war that provides new appreciation of their activities and accomplishments."--Publisher description. 2011. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545.9(43)"1939/1945"

War with Japan Great Britain. Ministry of Defence (Navy) 1995 • BOOK • 8 copies available. 940.545.9(42:52)

Admiral Collingwood: Nelson's own hero "Admiral Lord Collingwood, the eldest son of a Newcastle merchant, went to sea in 1761, at the age of thirteen. In his nearly fifty years in the navy, keeping a diary throughout, he rose to become a fine seaman, a master of gunnery, a battle commander the equal of his friend - and rival in love - Nelson. He was also an accomplished writer and wit, a doting father, inveterate gossip, and consummate diplomat and strategist. Collingwood's service took him to Boston, where he lived and fought during the American Revolution; to Antigua, where he and Nelson both fell in love with Mary Moutray, and drew each other's portraits; to Corsica; Sicily; and Menorca, where he began as a young midshipman and ended his career as the effective viceroy of the Mediterranean, dealing with beys and pashas, kings and queens and an eighty-strong fleet. He was 'England's prime and sole minister acting upon the sea'. Max Adams, archaeologist, writer and broadcaster, fascinated by the story of the unjustly little known Newcastle hero, the admiral who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte in battle, paints a vivid, engrossing and often moving portrait in this debut biography. Based on Collingwood's letters and recently discovered log books, here is an intimate view not just of the man himself, but of his life and times, of shipboard ways and all too brief periods on shore with his family."--Provided by the publisher. 2005 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92COLLINGWOOD

List of the commissioned officers and passed clerks of Her Majesty's Royal Navy : • JOURNAL • 1 copy available.

British guided missile destroyers : county-class, type 82, type 42 and type 45 /Edward Hampshire. "In the years after World War II, new guided missile technology offered surface ships the chance to destroy airborne threats from afar, thereby preserving their role in naval warfare. This book examines the technology and combat performance of Britain's guided missile destroyers over half a century. Uniquely among modern destroyers, three of these classes have been tested in battle against the aircraft and missiles of another modern navy - in the Falklands War - as well as being deployed during the Gulf War. Written by an expert on British naval technology, this book assess the changing technology of the Royal Navy's destroyers over half a century, including an examination of the Royal Navy's newest and most capable warship, the Type 45."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.823.1(42)"19/20"

After the map : cartography, navigation, and the transformation of territory in the twentieth century /William Rankin. Rankin, William, 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 528.9"1891/2010"

Alone on a wide, wide sea : the story of 835 naval air squadron in the Second World War "This is the history of 835 Naval Air Squadron told by one of its surviving commanding officers. [...] Many people now feel that the work of the Merchant Navy in the Second World War has seldom been given the recognition it deserves; for without the merchant vessels which continually battled their way through the stormy waters of the Atlantic, Britain would soon have been starved of essential supplies. 835 Squadron, flying mainly from the aircraft-carrier Nairana, spent much of the war defending our Atlantic and Russian convoys from the attacks of German U-boats and aircraft. Barringer has gathered together a wealth of first-hand accounts by the crew of the Nairana and other members of the squadron and these give his story a compelling sense of immediacy."--Provided by the publisher. 1995 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.544.9(261.1)

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