The United States Navy in World War II: From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa

By Mark E. Stille

• Mark Stille has written a useful summary of America's naval war with a focus on the warships involved. The emphasis is overwhelmingly on America's war against Japan rather than the two-ocean war that was in fact fought by the United States Navy, aligning with the common perception in the United States that Japan was the main enemy notwithstanding the acceptance of the Germany-first strategy agreed to with its allies. That war was overwhelmingly a naval war from the perspective of the Americans (Japan's war in China does not come into play with this maritime account) and, as Stille's narrative makes clear, was won by America's vast economic and material resources for which Japan had no answer.

  Stille's book is organized into nine chapters plus an introduction. The first addresses American naval strategy and tactics during World War II, the second examines United States Navy operations, and the last is an assessment as to the effectiveness of the United States Navy throughout the conflict. The bulk of the book in the remaining six chapters explores the individual ship types that made up the United States Navy: battleships, carriers, cruisers (heavy and light), destroyers, and submarines. As is common with Osprey Publishing in general, the illustrations, diagrams, and photographs are lavishly provided and to a very high quality.

  The introduction sets the scene for the United States in terms of noting the armed neutrality period just ahead of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the country into the maelstrom of World War II. The tit-for-tat period in the Atlantic where German U-boats and United States Navy destroyers engaged in an undeclared war is useful to recall, as it largely explains Hitler's inexplicable act of folly in declaring war on the United States after Pearl Harbor, thereby simplifying the American President Roosevelt's geopolitical difficulty with entering the European war. The introduction also touches on the interwar treaties and naval limitation agreements that constrained navalism and promoted disarmament. These restrictions had a material effect on United States Navy preparations for war as it did for the Royal Navy and the other belligerents. The passage of the Two-Ocean Navy Act in July 1941 was a key milestone in unleashing America's latent material superiority, with the ships authorized under that act providing the instruments of victory over Japan and, to a lesser extent, Germany.

  The two chapters on United States Navy strategies and tactics and on naval operations are useful guides as to America's conduct of the war against Japan. Stille notes the early mindset of United States Navy senior leadership that, unsurprisingly, was not always up to the strain of modem war and often lacked the imagination and insight necessary to conduct successful operations against Japan. War, however, is a stem teacher and very quickly the peacetime cobwebs and preconceptions were shaken off and the United States Navy got down to business. Admiral Yamamoto's declaration prior to the breakout of the war that he would have it all his way for six months but after that was unlikely proved all too true. After Midway in June 1942, Japan was consistently on its back foot and was increasingly on the defensive and reactive to American initiatives. This is not to underestimate the difficulties the USN faced after Midway, which Stille summarizes well.Indeed, at one point later in 1942, the United States Navy was down to one operational carrier, USS Enterprise. Thereafter, however, the material potential of the United States was evident and, notwithstanding the bitter battles that followed, by early 1943 the outcome was not in doubt.

  Stille's summary of the campaigns and battles is well done with the only caveat being the limited discussion on the other ocean of the two ocean war. There is barely a mention of the Royal Navy side of that conflict, let alone any mention of any Royal Canadian Navy's role in the Atlantic. The conclusion to the book with its assessment as to the United States Navy’s role and effectiveness is by and large fair. Nevertheless, assigning the overall outcome of the war to the United States Navy is perhaps too much. While the destruction of Japan was essentially an American affair with limited and unnecessary (and unwelcome) assistance from Britain, the defeat of Germany was at the hands of the Red Army with no more than useful assistance from the Western allies, the most important component of which was supplies. These, to be sure, were largely supplied by sea, but the greater role in that regard was via the Royal Navy.

  The chapters on the warship types are to the normal very high standard of the Osprey Publishing series. The reliance on earlier Osprey booklets on these vessel classes is noted in the publishing details at the front of the book and, if one has a complete collection of these, one likely does not need this compilation. That noted, it is an extremely useful compendium to have at hand in one place. Production standards are high, with numerous ship diagrams and contemporary photographs, accompanied by tables of basic performance data as well as dates of construction and final disposition. One is struck by the sheer scale of the United States Navy as represented in these tables and the achievement of the American shipbuilding industry during the war. Major warships, as well as vast numbers of destroyers, untold quantities of landing craft, assault vessels, and auxiliary ships were churned out at an astonishing pace. All were essential for the conduct of the war by the Western Allies in both theatres—Europe and Pacific. The quality of most of the designs and construction standards were second to none.

  Stille has delivered a fine book that is a good introduction to America' maritime war as well as a top-notch discussion on warship types that fought that war. It is not an academic work per se, lacking the apparatus of notes and providing but a slender bibliography, albeit one that can certainly be explored for additional detail. It is also light on providing context with allies such as Great Britain and Commonwealth forces such as Canada, and skims over the European Theater in general. Notwithstanding these caveats, I unhesitatingly recommend it.

  
  

• Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2021
• 7-3/4” x 10”, hardcover, 304 pages
• Images, maps, tables, bibliography, index. $35.99
• ISBN: 9781472848048

Reviewed by: Mark Casey, St. Louis, Missouri 

More Lives than a Ship's Cat: The Most Highly Decorated Midshipman in the Second World War

By Jeremy Stoke

• Most naval memoirs spotlight the exploits of well-known commanders who participated in one or several historic battles. In a refreshing departure More Lives Than a Ships Cat focuses upon a young sailor whose Military Occupational Specialty was not combat. He was a clerk who earned the distinction of being The Most Highly Decorated Midshipman in the Second World War. Of obscure Ashkenazi roots, Gordon Alexander (Mick) Stoke was the last to be admitted into the Paymaster Branch Class at Dartmouth Royal Naval College, but finished with a first in his group. That was in January 1940. Paymasters spend much of their time ciphering and deciphering signals for the commander, and are concerned with accounting, distributing pay, secretarial work, victualling, clothing, stores, and performing secretarial work for senior officers. This was an unlikely path to become a highly distinguished naval officer. Yet Stoke excelled as a student, athlete, and valued junior officer, rising through the ranks from midshipman, the lowest officer rank in the Royal Navy, to lieutenant at an astonishing pace. His last "flimsy" (efficiency report) of 1945 typified what his commanders thought of him. "An outstanding Officer in every way, of marked ability, and assurance. Has a larger reserve of energy and has shown great initiatives in several jobs. He has an excellent knowledge of his many duties   a first­class Captain Secretary who should go far in the Service. Physically fit, keenly interested in games and has a good knowledge of French and Spanish. Thoroughly recommended for grant of seniority."

  Mick, as he was known, was Mentioned in Dispatches several times early in his career, and later awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) and DSC (Distinguished Service Cross for Gallantry), the Atlantic Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, Arctic Star, Arctic Emblem, the Soviet Russian Convoy Medal, and a Star and Silver Pacific Medal. The stars indicated the war theatres in which he saw action during World War II. Remarkably he survived multiple devasting torpedo attacks while serving onboard HMS Glasgow, Queen Elizabeth, Carlisle, and Hardy. The last event occurred in the icy waters about fifty miles south of Bear Island inside the Arctic Circle. He also survived extraordinary heavy and sustained bombing raids while stationed onboard these ships and acting as an onshore-based naval coordinator participating in the desert siege of Tobruk in 1941, at the bleak Algerian port Bone during Operation Torch at the end of 1942 on into 1943, and later supplying logistical support for the Sicilian and Salemo invasions. Stokes was stationed onboard HMS Kempenfelt, the British destroyer that laid claim to being the closest to the shore delivering supporting artillery fire to the D-Day invasion at Juno Beach. He later acted as a liaison officer to the United States Navy from a British aircraft carrier in the Pacific toward the last days of the war during which he had served from age nineteen to twenty-four. After his military service he became a successful businessman receiving the 1981 Queen's Award for Export (for British businesses who excel at international trade, innovation, and development). The former navy paymaster died at the age of seventy in 1991.

  Jeremy Stoke, the author and Mick's son, had access to a broad array of primary source documents, letters to his parents and wife, and a variety of naval logs, newspapers, official releases, and other papers. Stoke skillfully takes his readers from his father's induction into the navy and through fifteen detailed, largely action-packed chapters that end with his deployment to the Pacific and marriage to Second Officer WRNS Doreen Le Poidevin. There are vivid descriptions of life at sea, clear sailing in the heat and sandstorms in North Africa, ice-filled pitching seas in the Arctic, or cruising upon the extremely far reaches of the war in the South Pacific. All of this while enduring multiple attacks on his ships by planes strafing decks, bombs dropped on or around them, avoiding mines, U-boats, suffering torpedo attacks, and a few unfortunate sinkings.

  Lieutenant Stoke makes frequent prideful references in his letters to his family about winning rugby matches and other sporting competitions amid the serious terrors of war. All the while the young man was advancing his academic studies and earning praise from his superiors, thus advancing his naval career at a rapid pace. There are occasional breaks in the narrative where he describes his thoughts in personal letters while keeping within the confines of wartime security. In tum, Mick very humanly yearns for letters from his family and from Doreen, later his future wife. He has strong opinions about the German enemy, but also waxes mildly polemical about the French, Algerians, Egyptians, Italians, and the Americans. He expresses dismay at American racial prejudice he observed and particularly their attitude to the war. "They are mainly preoccupied with Japan and consider Germany is mostly a subsidiary war.... The newspapers concentrate so much on American news that British achievements only get attention if they are really startling and then it will be headlines for only a day"

  Cleverly titled, well written, fast moving, More Lives Than a Ships Cat is a riveting look at British naval history from an unusual, intimate point of view. Mick Stoke's extraordinary life appears as an uncommon version of everyman. I highly recommend Stoke's work for maritime historians concerned with the Royal Navy during World War II.

  
  

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2022
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xxi + 265 pages
• Photographs, maps, appendices, bibliography, index. $49.95
• ISBN: 9781399071369

Reviewed by: Jennifer Nelson, University of Iowa

The Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean 1942 - 1944: The Fleet that had to Hide

By Charles Stephenson

• On 12 February 1942, Vice Admiral James Somerville assumed command of the Eastern Fleet, the designation for the Allied naval forces in the Indian Ocean. The vessels under his command consisted of the greatest agglomeration of British naval power in World War II up to that point, including three aircraft carriers, five battleships, seven cruisers, fifteen destroyers, and over a hundred aircraft. Yet when the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a raid in the Indian Ocean just two months later, Somerville ultimately chose not to engage the enemy and instead withdrew his forces, granting a strategic victory to his opponents.

  Though Somerville's decision has received far less attention than the more dramatic fall of Singapore, it was no less momentous a demonstration of the decline of British power in the region. As Charles Stephenson explains, it was a consequence of a series of decisions, some made decades earlier, which left the Royal Navy poorly prepared to defend its longstanding naval supremacy from the aircraft of the Kida Butai. His book offers a description of the developments that led to such a humiliating decision, and how the Eastern Fleet rebounded from its nadir to challenge Japanese domination in southeast Asia.

  Stephenson underscores the extent of this fall by opening his narrative with the Grand Fleet's triumphant acceptance of Germany's High Seas Fleet's surrender at the end of the First World War. Though the Royal Navy had maintained Britain's naval supremacy in yet another global conflict, no sooner had it done so than it faced the prospect of a new and financially ruinous naval arms race, this time with its wartime allies. Yet the successful post­ war effort to restrain capital ship construction through arms limitation treaties was offset by the growing role played by new technologies, in particular the airplane. Here Stephenson highlights the irony of the Semphill Mission's all­ too-successful efforts to lay the groundwork for Japanese naval aviation, one that the Royal Navy would soon have cause to regret.

  This might have mattered less had Great Britain developed naval aviation into the powerful arm it became for the Japanese in World War II. Instead, the combination of the centralization of military aviation in the Royal Air Force and the decision to employ aircraft carriers as a component of the battle fleet instead of its centerpiece ensured that the Fleet Air Arm was well behind its Japanese and American counterparts in this area by the end of the 1930s. Though the limits of British carrier aviation were soon evident in the war against Nazi Germany, it was not until Japanese aviators sank the capital ships of Force Z in December 1941 that the consequences of this became clear. As a result, when Somerville faced the Japanese in April 1942, it was with a fleet that was gravely outmatched by the strike power of their aircraft carriers. Given these circumstances, Stephenson regards Somerville's decision to withdraw as the correct one, even though it conceded much of the Indian Ocean to the Japanese.

  It would be over a year and a half  before Somerville attempted to challenge their presence in its waters. With many of the capital ships reassigned to the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, the remaining vessels were occupied with training, escort duties, and providing support for amphibious landings. While the wide-ranging scope of Stephenson's narrative in these chapters turns his book into more of a general account of the entire Indian Ocean theatre during World War II, he never loses sight completely of the activities of the diminished Eastern Fleet, much of which involved adapting to the new model of naval warfare pioneered by the Japanese and the Americans in the Pacific. The main obstacle the fleet faced in doing so was with their planes, as the inadequacy of British models made the use of American carrier aircraft in the region essential for success. This put the Royal Navy in direct competition with the United States Navy for available production, however, which constrained operations until the spring of 1944.

  The test of the reconstituted Eastern Fleet came that April. With the assistance of an American carrier, the fleet attacked military and industrial targets at Sabang and Surabaya in the Dutch East Indies. Intended as diversions, their impact on the war was minimal given the ongoing degradation of the Japanese air and naval forces further east. Nevertheless, the strikes provided valuable experience for the newly trained personnel, preparing them for their subsequent employment in the final campaigns against Japan as part of the British Pacific Fleet.

  In his introduction, Stephenson states that his goal with this book is to provide a narrative history of the Eastern Fleet. He makes no claims to advance any radical thesis, and his work relies exclusively upon published sources and the secondary literature familiar to specialists in the field. Yet this undersells his success in describing a major factor in the eclipse of British naval power in the twentieth century. While his digressions into such tangential topics as espionage activities in Goa can distract from this, the book overall serves as a good introduction to British naval operations that are far too often given scant coverage in general accounts of the naval history of World War II.

  
  

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2020
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, ix + 320 pages
• Photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $42.95
• ISBN: 9781526783615

Reviewed by: Helen Jamieson, University of Alabama

Warships After London: The End of the Treaty Era in the Five Major Fleets 1930 - 1936

By John Jordan

• This work is a sequel to Jordan's 2011 Warships After Washington and continues his analysis of the building and modernization programs carried out by the world's five major navies during the second half of the Treaty Era. Building upon his previous work and utilizing the same style for continuity, Jordan examines the six main types of vessels affected by the London Treaty's design limitations. Each nation's rationale and design process is well covered, showcasing the advancement of technology, the reactionary elements to foreign design, and the comparative results. Standardized charts, simplified blueprints, and photographs are located throughout for increased understanding, bolstered by an acronym and abbreviation glossary and unit conversion tables. A postscript on the failed 1936 treaty, an appendix transcribing the 1930 treaty, endnotes, bibliography, and an index compliment Jordan's analysis to round out the text.

  The book begins with an introductory examination of the 1930 London Treaty, the participant nations, and the implications of its acceptance (or in the case of France and Italy, partial acceptance) on the existing and planned vessels of each country. To avoid retreading his earlier examination, the ramifications of the Washington Treaty are briefly spoken of when necessary, with parenthetical references to relevant chapters in Warships After Washington placed where readers may desire a more detailed analysis.

  This is followed by the core six chapters of his work, essentially self-contained studies on Capital Ships, Aircraft Carriers, Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines, and Small Combatant and Auxiliary Vessels of the London Treaty Era. Each section follows a pattern of brief introduction to the constraints and patterns imposed by the treaty before delving into each nation's resultant actions. This usually consists of initial ship designs by the countries, with reactionary actions discussed in chronologically placed subsections. The delicate balancing act of creating effective designs within the bounds of allowed tonnage and stipulations is thoroughly covered, to include proposed designs that were ultimately rejected such as America's plans for a sub­ category (b) Flying Deck Cruiser.

  Funding is often exposed as the general limiter of each nation's ambitions, with additional constraints unique to each nation coming into play. The two-ocean nature of America's navy saw vessel beam and displacement additionally constrained by the width of the Panama Canal, while tensions between France and Italy centered around the former 's "perceived need to police ... overseas territories" leading to both a refusal to accept full parity and a miniature naval arms race.

  Technological advancement is often touched upon within the work, as its evolution greatly affected vessel design and rebuilding. The section on battleship modernization is particularly impressive in this regard, showing how reduced numbers of more modem propulsion systems could result in faster, more efficient ships all while freeing tonnage for increased armor and armament.

  The dangers of trying to fit too much armor, armament, and equipment on too small a hull are also made clear, as some of the built designs were clearly over-gunned and overweight. This was particularly true for the interwar destroyers of America and Japan, where disproportionately heavy armament on small hulls led not only to gross over-tonnage, but structural weakness as well.

  Each chapter contains its own conclusions subsection, where Jordan analyzes the overall logic and goal of the chapter's ship designs, with discussion of their eventual practicality and evolution under the treaty-free restraints of World War II.

  His postscript acts as a conclusion to the era, examining the world events that put a strain on the treaty system, and its eventual collapse with America's March 1937 invocation of the escalator clause against Japan and the June 1938 raising of battleship displacements by Britain and France . Jordan's well-reasoned arguments and insights paint a clear picture throughout the work of ship design, counter-design, and the strains of diplomatic planning verses technological reality.

  Jordan has provided an excellent examination of the interwar naval vessels of Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy. His concise, easy-to-read style and subdivision of the work into vessel types has created a convenient comparative study for those interested in ship design, interwar international agreements, and treaty vessels' service before or during World War II. His efforts to standardize profile drawings and data have created a greater level of accessibility for foreign designs than previously available, making Warships after London a welcome addition to the historiography of international naval ship design.

  
  

• Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing, 2020
• Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2020
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, 320  pages
• Photographs, diagrams, tables, appendix, notes, bibliography, index. $48.95
• ISBN: 9781526777492

Reviewed by: Michael O'Brien, San Francisco, California

The Royal Navy In Action: Art from Dreadnought to Vengeance

By John Fairley

• This attractive book uses paintings and drawings to illustrate Royal Navy operations from early actions in the opening weeks of the Great War to strikes in 2021 by the new carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, against ISIS bases in Syria. The paintings—there are ninety-six of them in color and eight line drawings—are drawn from museums and private collections. They are grouped thematically and described by John Fairley, a television producer and author who served in the RNVR in the late 1950s. A former journalist, his text is a very readable but eclectic, running dialogue peppered with interesting details. How many of us, for example, are aware that Prince Andrew (long before his reputation was ruined) piloted the first helicopter to arrive to rescue survivors from the requisitioned container ship Atlantic Conveyer off the Falklands in 1982? Another example is how Fairley describes how war artist, Norman Wilkinson, returning from a weekend's trout fishing in Devon in 1917, was suddenly inspired to conceive that dazzle paint could confuse an attacking U-boat (29).

  Good war art can convey the essence of a situation in a dramatic manner. The author quotes World War II artist who believed that five hundred years in the future war art would mean far more than contemporary records.

  This collection includes several examples of striking paintings that communicate the core of a story. Outstanding cases in point are Richard Eurich's image of survivors from a torpedoed ship, Philip Connard's depiction of the control room of World War I submarine during an attack, and Charles Pears’s two paintings of convoys to North Russia another of the battleship Howe. There are several striking works by William Wyllie who gained a major reputation during his lifetime. These include arresting images of survivors and dead bodies floating in the flotsam left by the sinking of Lusitania, and lovely studies of the Grand Feet at sea and during the Battle of Jutland. An interesting painting by Stephen Bone offers a three-dimensional perspective looking up the conning tower of a submarine.

  While most of the paintings depict well-known events, Fairley included two evocative watercolors by G.L. Parnell of a British fleet created in the Caspian Sea in 1919. Most of the pictures are of ships, but Anthony Gross's view of a board game in progress in the claustrophobic mess deck of a troop ship during the artist's long voyage around Africa gives a vivid sense of cramped living conditions.

  The narrative does not describe every incident depicted; nor does it discuss every war artist. Two fine paintings of World War convoys by Herbert John Everett convey a palpable sense of how ships out on the ocean move and look. Apparently, the artist spent time at sea as a merchant ship officer which may explain his extraordinary ability to put the viewer out on the water.

  The Royal Navy in Action presents a compelling collection of marine art spanning the years 1914-2021. Some paintings by well-known British artists like Eurich, Wilkinson, and Wyllie have appeared in other books, but most are less well known and fresh. These dramatic and evocative depictions have been superbly chosen and attractively reproduced. They are supported by a running text describing actions by the Royal Navy over the last century.

  
  

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2022
• 8-3/4” x 11-1/2”, hardcover, x + 150 pages
• Illustrations, appendices, picture credit. $60.00
• ISBN: 9781399009492

Reviewed by: Margaret Evans, University of Southern California

Yamato - Flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy

By Daniel Knowles

• Yamato and its sister ship, Musashi, were the largest battleships ever created that put to sea during wartime. Neither vessel, however, was employed for the purpose for which it had been designed: to engage and destroy the principally intended targets: American battleships. The two were built in secrecy by the Japanese in late 1937 and 1938 respectively, using sophisticated domestic naval construction. American naval experts repeatedly dismissed accurate information about the two ships that proved the Japanese had mastered innovative technologies. There was widespread assumption in the United States Navy that Japanese workmanship was inferior to that of the United States. This was the result of racial and cultural prejudice combined with strict Japanese concealment that thwarted American naval intelligence leading up to World War II. In many ways, this makes Knowles's book an international, maritime ghost story. The plans for Yamato were drafted in strictest secrecy and few photographs were taken of the completed vessel, either at anchor or underway. Upon sinking, Yamato s remains lay hidden under over 1,100 feet of water until 1985, when the broken hull was discovered. After the war, blueprints and pictorial documents were destroyed by the defeated Japanese government.

  Imperial Japan had won a decisive naval victory in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-1905 by applying the tenets put forth in Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783. Mahan argued that naval dominance was achieved through the employment of a fleet of powerful battleships. The last great battleship clash among these powerful vessels was the 1916 Battle of Jutland during World War I. The Japanese hierarchy was content to use the old but successful naval engagement playbook.

  Japan saw the United States as an imminent threat in the Pacific that sought to dominate the region and control its natural resources. The Japanese reasoned that if they built huge battleships too large to fit through the Panama Canal the Americans were unlikely to match them in size because their east coast shipyards were the main builders. Deploying them it would necessitate sailing around Cape Hom or the Cape of Good Hope, plus creating a resupply logistical nightmare. Also, the Yamato class vessels were to be equipped with superior armor and possess greater fire power than the United States could reasonably muster. It was believed that this would enable the Imperial Japanese government to dominate the western Pacific. They gambled that, although the United States was far more industrialized and had greater access to more natural resources, they were strategically vulnerable because they were heavily engaged in an Atlantic War front.

  The 71,659-ton Yamato and Musashi were armed with nine 18.1-inch guns that fired 3,200-pound shells with a range of up to 27 miles. In comparison, American battleships were armed with 16-inch guns that fired shells weighing 2,700 pounds with a maximum range of approximately 22 miles. Therefore, there was a five-mile range difference, but speed of aim adjustment, accuracy, and rate of salvo delivery were arguably the most important factors in a sea battle.

  Each battleship met its end about six months apart. Musashi was sunk on 24 October 1944 in the battle of Leyte Gulf. Yamato met its demise during Operation Ten-Go after being struck by two torpedo hits and many aircraft bombs on 7 April 1945. Both vessels were destroyed in battle, but not due to a combat of big guns fired from huge ships. Their demise was a quasi­ metaphor for the emergence of the new age of naval warfare, dominated by air power. The aircraft carrier had emerged as the new capital ship. 

  Yamato is a slim book with an abundance of excellent illustrations. Knowles provides an assortment of technical information about the ship assembled in a coherent way and background data to place the Pacific conflict in its historical perspective. The author vividly narrates the battles of Leyte Gulf and Ten-Go mostly from the Japanese standpoint, but also integrating it with the American counter-narrative or viewpoint. A major problem is the use of only one confusing map to illustrate the locations of the warship maneuvers and counter-maneuvers in these naval battles. Still, Daniel Knowles's book is a valuable addition to the library of maritime historians, especially those interested in the design, building, and demise of the largest and most powerful battleships to ever put to sea.

  
  

• Stroud: Fonthill Media
• 7” x 10”, hardcover, 192 pages
• Photographs, tables, appendices, notes, bibliography index. $49.00
• ISBN: 9781781558140

Reviewed by: Jeremy Costlaw, Little Rock, Arkansas

Okinawa - The Last Naval Battle of WW2: The Official Admiralty Account of Operation Iceberg

By John Grehan

• After the fighting at Okinawa ended, the Admiralty called for a summary of the battle to be written for internal Royal Navy consumption. It is that secret report, which was never intended to be seen by the public, that is published here for the first time.

  This report details the Royal Navy’s contribution to Operation Iceberg, the invasion and capture of Okinawa. The Royal Navy’s component, designated Task Force 57, for this operation was significant: huge – four carriers equipped with close to 250 aircraft, two battleships, six cruisers, and fourteen destroyers, along with sixty-two support ships of the fleet train formed into four self-defending logistic support groups. All in all, this contribution represented roughly a quarter of the total naval force deployed against Okinawa.

  The book follows the format of an after-action report, starting with a brief resumé of general situation. This is followed by a description of Allied plans, available ground and naval forces, and the expected size and locations of enemy forces. More detailed expositions under each these headings follow. Next comes detailed descriptions of the conduct of the entire campaign, not solely the Royal Navy’s experience, including the destruction of the Japanese battleship Yamato. There are multiple appendices covering equipment used and orders of battle, along with an index of vessels.

  This is a compilation of the official Admiralty account of the naval battle. It is a meticulous record of events as they were noted at the time: what happened when, and who did it. As such, it is definitely very dry and terse; the description of the kamikaze attack on the American carrier Bunker Hill, for example, is two brief emotionless and arid paragraphs relating its impact (over four hundred of the crew dead and missing) that simply notes that “The ship had to be sent to the rear area for repair.” There are no tales of heroism or cowardice, just a narration of events and what happened next.

  Where there is inconsistency or a gap in knowledge from the contemporary record which has since been resolved, the editor provides sidebar notes and references. Other than that, this is an essentially unadulterated version of Battle Summary No.47, the Admiralty account of Naval Operations in Assault & Capture of Okinawa (Operation ICEBERG). It may never be an easy or enjoyable read, but for any researcher interested in learning what happened rather than what subsequent authors have opined, this is an essential starting point.

  
  

• Barnsley: Frontline Books, 2022
• 6-1/4” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xiv + 193 pages
• Photographs, tables, appendices, index. $54.95
• ISBN: 9781399091930

Reviewed by: Michael O'Brien, San Francisco, California

The French Fleet: Ships, Strategy and Operations 1870 - 1918

By Michele Consentino and Ruggero Stanglini

This book examines the development of the French Navy subsequent to the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and follows its evolution through until the end of World War I. The authors’ approach starts with scene setting chapters that address French foreign policy and the Navy, naval budgets and shipbuilding programs, industry and technology, and the organization which supported the structure and operation of the French Navy. This is followed by chapters on ship types ranging from battleships to minor combatants and auxiliary ships, naval aviation and an outline of the French fleet at war from 1914 to 1918.

The authors provide the strategic and doctrinal context to the French fleet’s development up until 1918. Much of the early history saw naval funding eroded to meet the higher priority accorded to the French army and social measures. However, renewed government interest in colonial expansion around 1880 raised the navy’s profile. The conquest of new overseas territories saw it charged with transport of troops, ensuring the lines of communications at sea, and dealing with real and potential adversaries. Colonial expansion created new rivalries with Britain and a deterioration of relations with Italy. These developments resulted in a push for a more effective use of resources; a reconsideration of fleet composition; and a need to identify the most useful type of warships. The result was a decreased emphasis on battleships, an increase in cruiser strength, and increased emphasis on troop transports and torpedo boats. This change in philosophy was similar to what the Jeune Ecole had been arguing for, namely a move away from expensive and vulnerable battleships to new technology, and an emphasis on torpedo boats, gunboats, and fast cruisers.

Limitations in the performance of the torpedo boats ultimately led to a more balanced approach being adopted to French naval force structure. The foray into small craft did, however, lead to a French fleet with some major deficiencies as it entered World War I. By August 1914 the French Navy had but forty-four. This shortage resulted in an order being placed with Japan for twelve destroyers in November 1916.

The French Navy devoted considerable resources to the development of submarines. A combination of a lack of strategic direction for submarine policy and an often-illogical industrial policy resulted in excessive spending on experimental boats. From 1863 the French Navy acquired a total a total of one hundred and eleven submarines of varying utility. Most of the boats were built before World War I, with submarine production slowing during the war, owing to the priority of other warships, especially escort vessels.

Industrial performance, especially in the early years, was problematic. Construction was slow and expensive in the Navy Arsenals, which provided most of the management, updating and shipbuilding. Owing to a lack of control by the central naval administration there were significant differences between warships of the same class entrusted to different arsenals. The resulting lack of standardization lasted until the end of the century, and had serious consequences for operations, training, and logistics.

This book is well written and researched, drawing on extensive primary and secondary sources. It analyses the French Navy’s development in a broad context addressing strategic, political, financial, naval administration, industrial and technological issues. The text is supported with numerous high-quality photographs which appropriately illustrate the ships being discussed. Coverage of the ship classes is extensive and provides an assessment in most cases of the pros and cons of their development, capabilities and performance. The authors do not hesitate to offer criticism of matters and provide sound justification for their views. Overall, this book is a welcome addition to the history of the French Navy.

• Barnsley: Seaforth Books, 2022
• 10” x 11-3/4”, hardcover, 320 pages
• Photographs, tables, appendices, bibliography, index. $79.95
• ISBN: 9781526701312

Reviewed by: Sebastian Robichaud, Louisiana State University

From Caligula to the Nazis: The Semi Ships in Diana's Sanctuary 

By John M. McManamon, S.J.

During his reign, the Emperor Caligula built two massive barges on Lake Nemi. Almost immediately after his assassination they sank. The boats fascinated posterity. Starting in the 15th century efforts began to refloat them. Four centuries later Mussolini succeeded. A museum by the lake displayed them. In 1944 the retreating Nazis burned museum and ships.

“From Caligula to the Nazis: The Nemi Ships in Diana’s Sanctuary,” by John M. McManamon SJ tells the full story of these ships, from their creation in Early Imperial Rome to their destruction in World War II.

He opens with the destruction of ships in May 1944. McManamon makes it clear the Germans deliberately set fire to the museum containing the ships, despite postwar denials. This act of historical vandalism was triggered by German pique at their former Italian allies. It served no military purpose.

McManamon then returns to the beginning, spending a chapter discussing the origins of the ships and the significance of their location. Nemi, especially Diana’s Grove, was a sacred place. Caligula’s construction of two immense party barges was a thumb in the eye of conventional Roman morality. McManamon explains why. That the barges sank after Caligula’s death was predictable.

From there he goes through four centuries of attempts to raise the barges, starting in the mid-1400s. Descriptions of the boats had come down from Roman times in literary references.  The fragmentary nature of the references tantalized scholars and nobility (often the same men) in pre-Renaissance and Renaissance Rome.

McManamon describes the various players and their efforts to raise the ships. By the 15th Century much of what was believed about the ships was wrong. Their construction was attributed to Trajan; the sacrilegious nature of their construction forgotten. Yet rumors of their fabulous nature fed interest in raising them.

McManamon shows why salvage technology was important. Early efforts at salvage, limited to free-diving and trawling damaged the artifacts rather than recovering them. It awaited the march of technology before 20th century efforts finally raised the ships. The final, successful effort required a massive government project.

“From Caligula to the Nazis” is a fascinating book. It is densely written, yet the story McManamon relates is captivating. It offers insights into several areas: Roman history and religion, marine archeology, and naval architecture. It is also a reminder that human ingenuity and curiosity are timeless. Both are present throughout the period covered by this book.

• College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2023
• 8-1/2” x 11-1/4”, hardcover, x + 218 pages
• Illustrations, diagrams, notes, bibliography, index. $65.00

Reviewed by: Mark Lardas, League City, Texas

A Maritime History of the American Revolutionary War: An Atlantic-Wide Conflict over Independence and Empire 

By Theodore Corbett

Comparatively little has been published about the American Revolutionary War from the maritime standpoint, with most existing histories concentrating almost entirely on the conflicts that took place on the American and Canadian mainland. This is in spite of the fact that it was a fleet naval battle, albeit one in which no American forces participated on either side, that in effect set the scene for the victory of the combined French and American forces at Yorktown and in consequence the final result of the war itself.

That lack has now largely been remedied with the publication of this volume. It covers in some detail the organization of the existing, powerful British Royal Navy as well as the establishment of the new American Continental Navy and its eventual demise, together with a wide ranging account of maritime action on both sides of the Atlantic, on the important thoroughfare of Lake Champlain, and in coastal waters. Theodore Corbett’s focus is as much on the smaller conflicts of such vessels as barges and privateers as on the more famous fleet actions. Not all operations in the war involved Americans at all, of course – the long Spanish siege of Gibraltar commencing in 1779 is an example; the French success at the Battle of the Chesapeake/the Virginia Capes is another, though one with far-reaching consequences. The great British victories over the fleet of Admiral de Grasse in the waters of the West Indies late in the war are briefly included, so in fact giving the subject Atlantic-wide coverage, as the title itself states. What is not dealt with here is the series of battles that was so hard-fought in Indian waters, far from the main focus of the revolution in the American colonies, to be sure, but still part of the same war that resulted from that conflict.

Any reader interested in the American Revolutionary War will nevertheless find this interesting work to offer a refreshingly different spotlight on the subject, and one that illuminates the maritime operations and issues of all sides involved.

• Barnsley: Seaforth Books, 2023
• 9-3/4” x 11-1/2”, hardcover, 267 pages
• Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $34.95
• ISBN: 97815300040419

Reviewed by: Roger Marsh, Killaloe, Republic of Ireland