Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

Art and the war at sea 1914-45 / edited by Christine Riding. "While many publications have engaged with the events, artists and poets associated with war fought on land, the cultural history of the war at sea has been neglected. This original book redresses this imbalance by being the first study to focus on the art of war in the first half of the 20th century from a distinctly naval and maritime perspective. Drawing on the first-class collections of paintings, works on paper (including drawings, photography and posters) and archival material, such as private papers, journals and memoirs, held at the National Maritime Museum, London, the artistic response to the war at sea is analysed in the context of specific focus points such as the major arenas of naval conflict; life on board ships, aircraft carriers and submarines; the experiences of prisoners of war and the response of artists to the commemoration and legacy of key maritime events. Featuring the work of established and lesser known artists, this publication will make an invaluable contribution to war art scholarship while also presenting a little known aspect of a major museum collection. Contents: Preface; Introduction, Christine Riding; Chapter 1: Pictorial Narratives of the War at Sea: Wyllie, Eurich and Wilkinson, Pieter van der Merwe; In Focus: The Sinking of the Lusitania, Robert J. Blyth; Chapter 2: The Face of War: Officers and Ratings, Melanie Vandenbrouck; In Focus: 'Something wrong with our bloody ships today': The Battle of Jutland, Andrew Choong Han Lin; Chapter 3: Above and Below Deck, Melanie Vandenbrouck; In Focus: Weary Watching and Waiting: Daily Life in the Battle Fleets of the First World War, Jeremy Michell; Chapter 4: From Service to Captivity: The Artist as Eyewitness, Melanie Vandenbrouck; In Focus: White Ensigns and Red Dusters: The Royal and Merchant Navies in Wartime, John Graves; Chapter 5: Art, Artists and the Home Front, Amy Miller and Christine Riding; In Focus: Merchant Navy Comforts, Amy Miller; Public Memorials, Symbolic Spaces, Christine Riding; In Focus: Rozanne Hawksley: War, Memory and Commemoration, Amy Miller; Endnotes; Bibliography; Picture credits; Index."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 2 copies available.

The Royal Flying Corps, 1914-18 / Peter G. Cooksley. "During the First World War Britain's Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) fought alongside one another in the greatest conflict mankind had ever experienced. This period was also one of dramatic technological advances, in which both air arms made significant contributions to the development of air interception and strategic bombing. The RFC and RNAS were the precursors of arguably the finest, most efficient, and certainly the oldest, independent air arm in the world - the Royal Air Force. In the late nineteenth century, both the British Army and the Royal Navy were seriously considering the viability of air support, mainly for reconnaissance and surveillance duties. By 1912, the Royal Flying Corps was formed, combining the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers and the Naval Air Organization, and embracing a Central Flying School and Royal Aircraft Factory. Two years later, just over a month before the outbreak of the First World War, the Royal Naval Air Service was created as an independent unit. At this stage it was already predicted that battles for supremacy of the air by armed aircraft were only a matter of time. The Royal Flying Corps 1914-1918 explores a wide range of subjects, from aircraft, airships, balloons and motor vehicles to pay, rank, the women's branches, uniforms and even the origins of the RAF's eagle badge. Peter Cooksley's authoritative text is complemented by many previously unpublished photographs, line drawings and maps." -- Provided by the publisher. 2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.449(42)

The man who discovered Antarctica : Edward Bransfield explained - the first man to find and chart the Antarctic mainland /Sheila Bransfield. "Captain Cook claimed the honour of being the first man to sail into the Antarctic Ocean in 1773, which he then circumnavigated the following year. Cook, though, did not see any land, and he declared that there was no such thing as the Southern Continent. Fifty years later, an Irishman who had been impressed into the Royal Navy at the age of eighteen and risen through the ranks to reach the position of master, proved Cook wrong and discovered and charted parts of the shoreline of Antarctica. He also discovered what is now Elephant Island and Clarence Island, claiming them for the British Crown. Edward Bransfield's varied naval career included taking part in the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 onboard the 50-gun warship HMS Severn. Then, in 1817, he was posted to the Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron off Valparaâiso in Chile, and it was while serving there that the owner and skipper of an English whaling ship, the Williams, was driven south by adverse winds and discovered what came to be known as the South Shetland Islands where Cook had said there was no land. Bransfield's superior officer, Captain Shirreff, decided to investigate this discovery further. He chartered Williams and sent Bransfield with a Master's Mate, two midshipmen and a ship's surgeon into the Antarctic - and the Irishman sailed into history. Despite his achievements, and many parts of Antarctica and an Antarctic survey vessel being named after him, as well as a Royal Mail commemorative stamp being issued in his name in 2000, the full story of this remarkable man and his historic journey, have never been told - until now. Following decades of research, Sheila Bransfield MA, a member of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, has produced the definitive biography of one of Britain's greatest maritime explorers. The book has been endorsed by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, whose patron the Princess Royal, has written the Foreword."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92BRANSFIELD

Italian naval camouflage of World War II / Marco Ghiglino. "This is a major new study of Italian naval camouflage schemes developed and used during World War Two. When Italy entered the War in June 1940, the Regia Marina (Italian navy) was a force still under development and both Italian warships and merchant ships faced the War in their peace colours; and nor had any pre-war plans been made for camouflaging ships. At that time all the principal warships were painted in a light matt grey ('grigio cenerino chiaro'), which had been adopted in the 1920s and early '30s. With the advent of War, and the start of convoy traffic to Libya, the need to camouflage ships for purposes of deception, rather than outright concealment, became apparent and the first initiatives were undertaken. In the first part of the book, employing contemporary schematic drawings, photographs and his own CAD profiles, the author describes the development of the varied schemes that were adopted for the capital ships, such as Caio Duilio and Littorio, cruisers, destroyers and torpedo boats, landing craft and merchant ships; even the royal yacht and small tugs were given camouflage schemes. In the second, and longest, part he depicts all the ships and their schemes, at different dates, with both sides of a ship shown where possible, in his own beautifully rendered schematic profiles, all in full colour, and it is this section with more than 700 drawings that gives the reader a complete and detailed picture of the whole development of Italian naval camouflage. He also looks in detail at the Greek theatre where there were many exceptions, influenced by the German presence and by the camouflage schemes of captured vessels. This major new reference book will prove invaluable to historians, collectors, modelmakers and wargamers and follows in the wake of the hugely successful Seaforth editions covering German and British camouflage schemes of the Second World War."--Provided by the publisher 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.773

Churchill's admiral in two world wars : admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes of Zeebrugge and Dover GCB KCVO CMG DSO /Jim Crossley. "Roger Keyes was the archetype of 19th to 20th century Royal Navy officers. A superb seaman, inspiring leader and fearless fighter he immediately caught the eye of senior figures in the naval establishment as well as the up and coming politician, Winston Churchill. The relationship between these two brave men survived disappointment, disagreement and eventually disillusion. Unlike some of his contemporaries Keyes was unable to make the transition from sailor to politician and was inclined to embarrass his friends and allies by his intemperate language and total lack of political acumen. Always eager to lead from the front and hurl himself at the enemy his mind set tended to be that of a junior officer trying to prove himself, not that of a senior Admiral. Trained in some of the last of Britain's sailing warships, Keyes served in submarines in the North Sea, destroyers in China and as a senior staff officer in the disastrous Gallipoli campaign. As commander of the Dover Patrol he planned and led the highly controversial Zeebrugge Raid and successfully combated U-boats passing along the English Channel. In World War II he begged to be given a combat command but, in spite of their close personal friendship, Churchill realised that he was too old to be suitable for a front line role and his undisguised contempt for many senior Naval and Airforce officers made him extremely unpopular in official circles. To his credit, Churchill did not let his personal friendship and admiration of Keyes blind him to his temperamental and intellectual limitations. Both men were big enough not to let professional conflict destroy mutual personal admiration and friendship."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92KEYES

The Amistad rebellion : an Atlantic odyssey of slavery and freedom /Marcus Rediker. "The dramatic story of a courageous rebellion against slavery On 28 June 1839, the Spanish slave schooner La Amistad set sail from Havana to make a routine delivery of human cargo. After four days at sea, on a moonless night, the captive Africans that comprised that cargo escaped from the hold, killed the captain, and seized control of the ship. They attempted to sail to a safe port, but were captured by the US navy and thrown into a Connecticut jail. Their legal battle for freedom eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, where former president John Quincy Adams took up their cause. In a landmark ruling, they were freed and eventually returned to Africa. The rebellion became one of the best-known events in the history of American slavery, celebrated as a triumph of the US legal system in books and films, most famously Steven Spielberg?s Amistad. These narratives reflect the elite perspective of the judges, politicians, and abolitionists involved. In this powerful and highly original account, Marcus Rediker reclaims the rebellion for its instigators: the African rebels who risked death to stake a claim for freedom. Using newly discovered evidence, Rediker reaches back to Africa to find the rebels? roots, narrates their cataclysmic transatlantic journey, and unfolds a prison story of great drama and emotive power. Featuring vividly drawn portraits of the Africans, their captors, and their abolitionist allies, The Amistad Rebellion shows how the rebels captured the popular imagination and helped to inspire and build a movement that was part of a grand global struggle for emancipation. The actions of that distant July night and inthe days and months that followed were pivotal events in American and Atlantic history, but not for the reasons we have always thought. The successful Amistad rebellion changed the very nature of the struggle against slavery. As a handful of Africans steered a course to freedom, they opened a way for millions to follow. This stunning book honours their achievement."--Provided by the publisher. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.133"1839"

S.S. Nerissa, the final crossing : the amazing true story of the loss of a Canadian troopship in the North Atlantic /by William Dziadyk, Lieutenant Commander, R.C.N. (retired). "There are so many stories, of Canada's heroic participation in the Second World War, that are yet to be told. This is one of those stories. The S.S. Nerissa was the only ship transporting Canadian Army troops which was lost to enemy action during the entire war. The details were highly classified until almost 50 years after the sinking. The tragic loss of this ship on 30 April 1941, resulted in the third largest loss of life for a ship sunk by U-boats in the approaches to the British Isles. The deaths of 81 Merchant Navy seamen; 83 Canadian, 12 British, and 3 Norwegian military personnel; 11 Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) American pilots; and 17 civilian passengers touched not only Canadian families at the time, but also many families in the allied nations and the neutral United States. Yet, the loss of the Nerissa is hardly mentioned in official war records or by historians [...] and the tragic human losses are largely unknown to our current generation. Nerissa usually sailed independently, not in escorted convoys. This book focuses on her final wartime crossing of the North Atlantic. Documented are: events that led up to the sinking by U-552 (Erich Topp) [...] and the survivors' deadly 10 hour struggle in the open ocean awaiting rescue. (Of the ship's 8 lifeboats, only 1 was successfully launched, 1 was upright but flooded, 4 were capsized and 2 sank with the ship). The circumstances of the sinking of a troopship caused a public relations dilemma on the Canadian home-front. The book includes eye-witness accounts from many of the 84 survivors and some stories of those that perished. After so many years, their stories still deserve to be told. Much of the material is based on analysis of: testimony, recollections and/or official reports taken from survivors; and Canadian, British and German source documents which have since been declassified."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

England's shipwreck heritage : from logboats to U-boats /by Serena Cant. What do characters as diverse as Alfred the Great, the architect Sir Christopher Wren, diarist Samuel Pepys and the Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins have in common? All had some involvement in shipwrecks: in causing, recording or salvaging them. This book examines a variety of wrecks from logboats, Roman galleys and medieval cogs to East Indiamen, grand ocean liners, fishing boats and warships - all are woven into the history of shipwrecks along the coastline of England and in her territorial waters. Wrecks are not just physically embedded in this marine landscape - they are also an intrinsic part of a domestic cultural landscape with links that go beyond the navy, mercantile marine and fishing trade. Evidence of shipwrecks is widespread: in literature, in domestic architecture and as a major component of industrial archaeology. Shipwrecks also transcend national boundaries, forming tangible monuments to the movement of goods and people between nations in war and peace. In peacetime they link the architecture and monuments of different countries, from shipyards to factories, warehouses to processing plants; in time of war wrecks have formed a landscape scattered across the oceans, linking friend and foe in common heritage. England's Shipwreck Heritage explores the type of evidence we have for shipwrecks and their causes, including the often devastating effects fo the natural environment and human-led disaster. Ships at war, global trade and the movement of people - such as passengers, convict transports and the slave trade - are also investigated. Along the way we meet the white elephant who perished in 1730, the medieval merchant who pursued a claim for compensation for nearly 20 years, the most famous privateer for the American revolutionary wars and the men who held their nerve in the minesweeper trawls of the First World War. 2013. • FOLIO • 2 copies available. 656.61.085.3(42)"05/19"

Operation Rising Sun : the sinking of Japan's secret submarine I-52 /David W. Jourdan ; foreword by James P. Delgado. "In 1944 Allied codebreakers learned the Imperial Japanese Navy had dispatched the cargo submarine I-52 to occupied France with tons of military supplies and payment - in gold - for German assistance. I-52 undertook the mission as part of the Yanagi missions, a military program meant to alleviate Japan's desperate need for military material and technical knowledge. After tracking I-52 from Asia to the Atlantic, the Allies destroyed the vessel in a battle that ended the Yanagi missions and left I-52 an unlikely treasure ship on the seafloor. David W. Jourdan adds to the history of I-52 with a spellbinding account of his efforts to find the sunken submarine. One of the first joint American-Russian research expeditions, the search for the wreck combined a team effort, exhaustive detective work, and a dramatic battle with the sea. The effort paid off when the group found I-52's nearly intact hull three miles down. The expedition also earned an unexpected historical dividend when it uncovered one-of-a-kind recordings of American Avenger torpedo bomber attacks on an enemy submarine. Part war tale and part seagoing adventure, Operation Rising Sun tells the story of the two very different missions to find submarine I-52."--Provided by the publisher. [2020] • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.54/293

Military power and the Dutch Republic : war, trade and the balance of power in Europe, 1648-1813 /Marc van Alphen, Jan Hoffenaar, Alan Lemmers, Christiaan van der Spek ; translated by Paul Arblaster & Lee Preedy. "In 1667, the year of the Raid on the Medway, the Dutch Republic was at the pinnacle of its might and fame. A century and a half later little of this glory remained and Napoleon wiped the country off the political map. This book provides a military explanation for the 'miracle' of the seventeenth century and the demise that ensued. How were the army and navy in the Dutch Republic organised and financed? What tactics were employed and how did military leaders operate? Where did the Republic's troops come from and how was society involved? How did the tens of thousands of anonymous sailors and soldiers live, and how were they regarded by civilians?"-- [2021] • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 355.00949209/03

Hitler's secret commandos : operations of the K-Verband /by Helmut Blocksdorf ; translation by Geoffrey Brooks. "Hitler's Secret Commandos is the history of the K-Verband naval commando unit, established in 1943 to reek havoc amongst invading allied forces involved in amphibious landings or actions, against German-occupied coasts. Following the Italian and British example, the basic idea was for a small, exceptionally well-trained and absolutely reliable commando force using the maximum element of surprise. Midget U-boats, and small torpedo-carrying craft along the lines of the "explosive boats" used by the Italian Navy, were designed for individual operations while a naval assault troop was formed for missions against important enemy operational targets near the sea after being landed from naval vessels offshore. Using German archive material, first-hand accounts and other published material this is the first comprehensive history of the K-Verband. It charts the development, structure, selection, training and equipment the Commando unit used together with a detailed narrative of the operations undertaken. The material has been translated from a German text, previously published in Germany with wide acclaim."--Provided by the publisher. 2008. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545943

One firm anchor : the Church and the merchant seafarer /R.W.H. Miller. "One Firm Anchor uncovers nineteen centuries of contact between the churches and the seafarer. This extensive introductory history goes beyond anything previously written on the subject in scope and detail. Until now, much has been written of the sea, but little about the relationship of the seafarer to Christianity. R.W.H Miller adeptly sets out the origins of seafaring mission in the Early Church and the medieval era. The early modern period is also considered, leading to a detailed exploration of the developments in the nineteenth century that saw the foundation of The Missions to Seamen, the British Sailors' Society, the Apostleship of the Sea and the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. Particular attention is given to the work of the Catholic Church during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These developments are set against the backdrop of the economic, technical, and cultural developments of each period and society. Miller reveals the role of key figures, such as G.C. Smith, John Ashley, Francis Goldie SJ and Peter Anson, whose determination and vision instigated real change. One Firm Anchor is both a triumph of scholarship and a lively narrative of heroic ministry and (occasionally) erring clergy, and will appeal to historian, academic, and student alike."--Provided by the publisher. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 2:656.61.071.22

Rising sun, falling skies : the disastrous Java Sea campaign of World War II /Jeffrey R. Cox. In the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese juggernaut quickly racked up victory after victory. Desperate to secure resource-rich regions in the Pacific and ensure their continued dominance of South East Asia, Japanese forces were determined in their efforts to conquer Malaya, Singapore and the oil-rich islands around Java Sea - Borneo, Sumatra and Java itself. In the face of this seemingly unstoppable tide stood a small Allied force - American, Australian, British and Dutch. Thrown together by circumstance; cut off from reinforcements or in many cases retreat; operating with old, obsolete equipment and dwindling supplies, there was little hope of victory. Indeed, the month-long Java Sea Campaign, as it subsequently became known, quickly evolved from a traditional test of arms into a test of character. In the face of a relentless enemy and outnumbered, outgunned and alone, they defiantly held on, attempting to buy weeks, days, even hours until a better line of defense - and offense - could be established. These were the men of the US Asiatic Feet, the British Far Eastern Fleet, the Royal Netherlands Navy's East Indies Squadron and the Royal Australian Navy. And their supporting units like Patrol Wing Ten, the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service, the US Army Air Force's 17th Pursuit Squadron and submarines of all these fine nations. A campaign that has been too often either ignored by historians or criticised for poor command decisions, this is the story of the sailors and the airmen at the sharp end, and how they fought and endured the first months of the War in the Pacific. 2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542.5"1942"

Passage to destiny : the sinking of the troopship Khedive Ismail in the sea war against Japan /Brian James Crabb. "This is the full story of the loss of the troopship SS Khedive Ismail in convoy KR8 in February 1944. 1,296 people lost their lives in the space of the 100 seconds it took to sink the ship, including seventy-seven women (the single worst loss of female personnel in the history of the British Commonwealth). Carrying 1,511 personnel from the Army and the Royal and Merchant Navies, the Khedive Ismail sank on Saturday 12 February 1944 when torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-27 in the Indian Ocean. Only 209 men and 6 women survived the ordeal. The submarine was then depth-charged to the surface by the destroyers Paladin and Petard and the book includes an account of their difficult but successful attempt to sink her, a campaign which forced the Navy to attack the submarine through some of the survivors (this incident inspired a similar detail in the novel The Cruel Sea). This compelling read draws on many eyewitness accounts and previously unpublished Admiralty papers, many of which were not released for forty years because of their sensitivity, for the sinking of the Khedive Ismail was the third worst Allied maritime shipping disaster of the Second World War. The book includes many appendices, including the names of the entire ship's complement and includes over 140 illustrations. The painting on the front cover is by maritime artist Robert Blackwell. This is the revised second edition of the book. The first appeared in 1997, but has long been out of print. This new edition includes a great many more photographs and many more eye-witness accounts, and more appendices, and there is a comprehensive index. The ship was built at Greenock in Scotland and launched in 1922 as the SS Aconcagua (owned by a South American company). She was sold in 1935 to an Egyptian line and renamed in honour of the famous nineteenth-century ruler of Egypt. In 1940 she was requisitioned to serve as a troop carrier and took part in many convoys in the Indian Ocean before being sunk in 1944." 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545:656.61.086.2

The impact of the Russo-Japanese War / edited by Rotem Kowner. "The Russo-Japanese War was the major conflict of the earliest decade of the twentieth century. The struggle for mastery in northeast Asia, specifically for control of Korea, was watched at the time very closely by observers from many other countries keen to draw lessons about the conduct of war in the modern industrial age. The defeat of a traditional European power by a non-white, non-western nation became a model for imitation and admiration among people under, or threatened with, colonial rule. Examining the wide impact of the war and exploring the effect on the political balance in northeast Asia, this book focuses on the reactions in Europe, the United States, East Asia and the wider colonial world, considering the impact on different sections of society, on political and cultural ideas and ideologies, and on various national independence movements."--Provided by the publisher. 2007 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.49"1904/1905"(47:52)

Operation Dynamo : the evacuation from Dunkirk, 26th May - 4th June 1940 /edited by Tim Benbow. "In May 1940, as France collapsed in the face of the German blitzkrieg, the British army and some French forces fell back on the Channel coast. The advancing Germans pushed them back and then briefly paused, confident that this cornered remnant of the allied forces was trapped. Yet the German command had failed to appreciate just what sea power could do to deny them the full fruits of their apparent victory; at short notice an evacuation was improvised which, it was initially thought, might if all went well last two days and rescue 45,000 men. The heroic rear guard action of the troops ashore against the renewed German advance, the ability of the RAF to provide just enough air cover, the tireless efforts of naval crews and those manning the priceless 'little ships', and the organisational genius of Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay saw Operation Dynamo succeed beyond all realistic expectation: two days became nine, and over 338,000 men were saved. Operational disaster in the Battle of France did not become strategic defeat in the war, and albeit at great cost to the Navy, the British army survived to be rebuilt. Above all, Britain could continue to fight. This volume reproduces the complete text of the Battle Summary written shortly after the war by the Admiralty historical staff, comprising a detailed and authoritative account of these dramatic events. This is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction, newly written for this volume, that explains the context for the operation as well as an overview of further reading on the subject."--Publisher website. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542.1"1940"

Heligoland : Britain, Germany, and the struggle for the North Sea /Jan Rèuger. "On 18 April 1947, British forces set off the largest non-nuclear explosion in history. The target was a small island in the North Sea, thirty miles off the German coast, which for generations had stood as a symbol of Anglo-German conflict: Heligoland. A long tradition of rivalry was to come to an end here, in the ruins of Hitler's island fortress. Pressed as to why it was not prepared to give Heligoland back, the British government declared that the island represented everything that was wrong with the Germans: 'If any tradition was worth breaking, and if any sentiment was worth changing, then the German sentiment about Heligoland was such a one'. Drawing on a wide range of archival material, Jan Rèuger explores how Britain and Germany have collided and collaborated in this North Sea enclave. For much of the nineteenth century, this was Britain's smallest colony, an inconvenient and notoriously discontented outpost at the edge of Europe. Situated at the fault line between imperial and national histories, the island became a metaphor for Anglo-German rivalry once Germany acquired it in 1890. Turned into a naval stronghold under the Kaiser and again under Hitler, it was fought over in both world wars. Heavy bombardment by the Allies reduced it to ruins, until the Royal Navy re-took it in May 1945. Returned to West Germany in 1952, it became a showpiece of reconciliation, but one that continues to bear the scars of the twentieth century. Tracing this rich history of contact and conflict from the Napoleonic Wars to the Cold War, Heligoland brings to life a fascinating microcosm of the Anglo-German relationship. For generations this cliff-bound island expressed a German will to bully and battle Britain; and it mirrored a British determination to prevent Germany from establishing hegemony on the Continent. Caught in between were the Heligolanders and those involved with them: spies and smugglers, poets and painters, sailors and soldiers. Heligoland is the compelling story of a relationship which has defined modern Europe."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 943/.512

Hidden warships : finding World War II's abandoned, sunk, and preserved warships /Nicholas A. Veronico. "Hidden Warships profiles the search for and discovery of sunken World War II-era ships as well as the history behind the vessels, including over 150 historic and modern photos. This book follows the author's Hidden Warbirds series"-- 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82(100):656.61.085.3

The last days of the High Seas Fleet : from mutiny to Scapa Flow /Nicholas C. Jellicoe. "On 21 June 1919 the ships of the German High Seas Fleet - interned at Scapa Flow since the Armistice - began to founder, taking their British custodians completely by surprise. In breach of agreed terms, the fleet dramatically scuttled itself, in a well-planned operation that consigned nearly half a million tons, and 54 of 72 ships, to the bottom of the sheltered anchorage in a gesture of Wagnerian proportions. This much is well-known, but even a century after the 'Grand Scuttle' many questions remain. Was von Reuter, the fleet's commander, acting under orders or was it his own initiative? Why was 21 June chosen? Did the British connive in, or even encourage the action? Could more have been done to save the ships? Was it legally justified? And what were the international ramifications? This new book analyses all these issues, beginning with the fleet mutiny in the last months of the War that precipitated a social revolution in Germany and the eventual collapse of the will to fight. The Armistice terms imposed the humiliation of virtual surrender on the High Seas Fleet, and the conditions under which it was interned are described in detail. Meanwhile the victorious Allies wrangled over the fate of the ships, an issue that threatened the whole peace process. Using much new material from German sources and a host of eye-witness testimonies, the circumstances of the scuttling itself are meticulously reconstructed, while the aftermath for all parties is clearly laid out. The story concludes with 'the biggest salvage operation in history' and a chapter on the significance of the scuttling to the post-war balance of naval power. Published to coincide with the centenary, this book is an important reassessment of the last great action of the First World War."--Provided by the publisher 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.353(43)

British blockade runners in the American Civil War / Joseph McKenna. "Focusing on British involvement in the war, this history names the overseas bankers and manufacturers who, in need of cotton and other exports, financed and equipped the ships that ran the blockade. The author attempts to disentangle the names of the captains--many were Royal Navy officers on temporary leave--and tells their stories in their own words"-- [2019] • BOOK • 1 copy available. 973.7/5

The hospital on the Island del Rey : the King's Island, Port of Mahon /Amics de l'Illa de l'Hospital Fundacion Hospital de la Isla del Rey. "This book is a selection of 21 short, extremely readable and interesting published texts, their authors all being connoisseurs of Menorca's 18C history. Each author tells his story about the most important naval hospital in the Mediterranean from a different perspective. Together with the history of the Isla del Rey, fascinating anecdotes are found throughout the book and readers will be entertained and suprised to learn how the island was bought and eventually paid for, of advanced medical expertise and of how the island was use by other nations. Lastly a photographic tribute to the Friends of Hospital Island whos the trials and triumphs of the restoration programme over the last six years."--Provided by the publisher. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Maritime education and training : a practical guide /Robert L Tallack. 1997. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.88/071

Commerce raiding : historical case studies, 1755-2009 /Bruce A. Elleman and S.C.M. Paine, editors. The sixteen case studies in this book reflect the extraordinary diversity of experience of navies attempting to carry out, and also to eliminate, commerce raiding. Because the cases emphasize conflicts in which commerce raiding had major repercussions, they shed light on when, how, and in what manner it is most likely to be effective. The authors have been asked to examine the international context, the belligerents, the distribution of costs and benefits, the logistical requirements, enemy countermeasures, and the operational and strategic effectiveness of these campaigns. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.462"1755/2009"

The weight of vengeance : the United States, the British empire, and the War of 1812 /Troy Bickham. "In early 1815, Secretary of State James Monroe reviewed the treaty with Britain that would end the War of 1812. The United States Navy was blockaded in port; much of the army had not been paid for nearly a year; the capital had been burned. The treaty offered an unexpected escape from disaster. Yet it incensed Monroe, for the name of Great Britain and its negotiators consistently appeared before those of the United States. "The United States have acquired a certain rank amongst nations, which is due to their population and political importance," he brazenly scolded the British diplomat who conveyed the treaty, "and they do not stand in the same situation as at former periods." Monroe had a point, writes Troy Bickham. In The Weight of Vengeance, Bickham provides a provocative new account of America's forgotten war, underscoring its significance for both sides by placing it in global context. The Napoleonic Wars profoundly disrupted the global order, from India to Haiti to New Orleans. Spain's power slipped, allowing the United States to target the Floridas; the Haitian slave revolt contributed to the Louisiana Purchase; fears that Britain would ally with Tecumseh and disrupt the American northwest led to a pre-emptive strike on his people in 1811. This shifting balance of power provided the United States with the opportunity to challenge Britain's dominance of the Atlantic world. And it was an important conflict for Britain as well. Powerful elements in the British Empire so feared the rise of its former colonies that the British government sought to use the War of 1812 to curtail America's increasing maritime power and its aggressive territorial expansion. And by late 1814, Britain had more men under arms in North America than it had in the Peninsular War against Napoleon, with the war with America costing about as much as its huge subsidies to European allies. Troy Bickham has given us an authoritative, lucidly written global account that transforms our understanding of this pivotal war."--Dust jacket. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.48"1814/1815"(42:73)

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