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.

  
  

• Compiled by John Grehan
• Barnsley: Frontline Books, 2022
• Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2022
• 6-1/4” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, ix + 237 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

The Harwich Striking Force: The Royal Navy's Front Line in the North Sea 1914 - 1918

By Steve R. Dunn

As World War I ramped up on the continent, the Royal Navy fought to secure the English Channel and thwart German efforts to disrupt Allied shipping in the Atlantic. This task largely fell to Admiral Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt and the Harwich Striking Force. Under his command, the Striking Force combatted German minelaying operations in the North Sea, engage enemy naval forces, and pioneered naval aviation capabilities. Steve Dunn’s The Harwich Striking Force: The Royal Navy’s Front Line in the North Sea 1914-1918 chronicles the valiant efforts of Tyrwhitt’s command keeping the Imperial Navy at bay throughout the Great War. 

Naval forces stationed at Harwich occupied many roles during the war, reflective of a Royal Navy adapting to modern naval warfare. The Striking Force performed observation duty as a vanguard of the Grand Fleet stationed up north. As the war progressed, they transitioned to blockading and counter U-boat measures. After Zeppelin and naval bombardments in east England, the public scrutinized the Royal Navy and their inability to defend the British coastline, consigning the Harwich Striking Force to shoreline patrol. Later in the war, Tyrwhitt’s charges performed convoy duties for the Dutch ‘beef fleet’. 

Most notably, according to Dunn, the Harwich Striking Force pioneered naval aviation combat in the North Sea. At Cuxhaven, the German military established an airbase from which Zeppelins and other bombers could reach England. Tyrwhitt’s carriers HMS Engadine, Riviera, and Empress launched seaplanes on Christmas morning 1914 determined to neutralize the German threat stationed there. While ultimately unsuccessful, the sortie helped usher in a new era of naval warfare which Dunn brilliantly contextualizes through quotes from Churchill and Tyrwhitt expressing their enthusiasm for this new method of attack.

Dunn’s success in The Harwich Striking Force lies in his ability to craft a narrative that is totally encompassing of the naval force stationed in the Essex town. On the grand scale, Dunn’s work details the Force’s victories at Heligoland Bight and Dogger Bank, the tragedy felt after the sinking of each of Tyrwhitt’s ships, and the frustration felt by Tyrwhitt battling Admiralty bureaucracy which hindered his ability to combat the enemy. Yet, Dunn’s thorough research also gives the reader a glimpse into minute details of life in Harwich during the war, including how the town changed to accommodate the fleet and life as a sailor stationed there. 

Few possess more knowledge of the Royal Navy during World War I than Steve Dunn. His research has led him to publish works on the Dover Patrol, the blockade of Germany, and naval efforts in the Baltic. With The Harwich Striking Force: The Royal Navy’s Front Line in the North Sea 1914-1918, Dunn sought to shed light on the all but forgotten efforts of Admiral Tyrwhitt and his command. His knowledgeable perspective of the Royal Navy in this conflict lets him place their triumphs within the larger background of the Great War. For readers seeking knowledge on a lesser known aspect of naval combat during World War I, The Harwich Striking Force is an excellent starting point. 

• Barnsley: Seaforth Books, 2022
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, 336 pages
• Photographs, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. $42.95
• ISBN: 9781399015967

Reviewed by: Will Nassif, University of South Carolina

Warship 2022

By John Jordan

Warship has been a leading reference book with regard to the design and development of combat ships, for over forty years. The editor, John Jordan, has been in the role since 2004 and over the years has overseen the publication of a wide range of informative articles written by an international field of contributors. This publication for 2022 is no exception.

The twelve feature articles in the 2022 offering come from the pens (or keyboards) of fourteen contributors from across the world, including one by the editor. Two of the articles are on a British theme: an account of offensive operations in the Channel (Operation TUNNEL) between September 1943 and April 1944; and a technically-rich article on post-war radar development in the Royal Navy. The remaining articles are of an international flavor, with six of them covering generic design issues: the beginnings of Soviet naval power; the development of the small cruiser in the Imperial German Navy; the development of Italian scouts between 1906 and 1939; Soviet battleship designs from 1939 to 1941; and a look at modern European frigate designs. A further four articles looking in detail at specific ship designs: the Imperial Japanese Navy carriers Sōryū and Hiryū; the French battleship Jauréguiberry (translated from the original French by the editor); the Australian Bathurst class of World War II minesweepers; and France’s prototype ocean escort, C65 Aconit. The twelfth article places the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy dockyard at Yokosuka into a historical context, with a fascinating insight into the roles played by the British and the French as the Japanese sought to modernise in the 1860s. While the articles cover a wide range of issues covering a protracted time period—from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day—they all have one thing in common: they are well-researched, well-presented, and provide a wealth of detail, including extensive bibliographies.

The editor also has included a chapter on book reviews, and the book finishes with some evocative black and white images of the scrapping of the warships Agincourt, New Zealand, and Princess Royal at Rosyth between 1923 and 1925.

On the face of it, the topics chosen for inclusion in the publication appear random. However, given the length of time that editions of Warship have been produced, there is no doubt that the owner of the full set of this publication would have a bookshelf containing a comprehensive, wide-ranging, and informative collection of articles on a naval theme covering operations, ship design, equipment, and infrastructure.

The book is handsomely produced and is extensively furnished with a large number of black-and-white photographs. It also benefits considerably from some unusually clear line drawings of ship layouts, equipment, and charts, many of which have been drawn by the editor.

This is an enjoyable read with informative articles written by authoritative contributors. Recommended.

• Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2022
• 8” x 11”, hardcover, 224 pages
• Photographs, drawings, maps, tables, notes. $60.00
• ISBN: 9781472847812

Reviewed by: Jeremy Costlow, Little Rock, Arkansas

Alistair MacLean's War: How the Royal Navy Shaped his Bestsellers 

By Mark Simmons

“Alistair MacLean was a giant figure when I was growing up,” writes thriller writer, Lee Child, in his foreword to this book. Many adults and children growing up in the 1950s to 1970s would agree. For many of these readers, Alistair MacLean’s HMS Ulysses was probably the definitive Second World War naval novel, and he went on to write two more books—The Guns of Navarone and South by Java Head—that were directly linked to his wartime service in HMS Royalist, while many of his later books had obvious ties to his World War II experiences. Mark Simmons sets out to explore these links.

This is not a biography but does cover MacLean’s whole life from growing up in the manse in a Gaelic-speaking area of the Highlands to dying as an alcoholic in Switzerland. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of nineteen in 1941. After promotion to Able Seaman in August 1943, he joined the brand-new cruiser HMS Royalist in Scott’s Yard in Greenock. MacLean was to spend the rest of the war in Royalist. This covered the Arctic Convoys (March to May 1944), the Mediterranean and Aegean (July-October 1944) and the Far East (March-November 1945). Royalist returned to Portsmouth to pay-off in January 1946 and MacLean was discharged on 26 March 1946. 

After discharge, MacLean went to university in Glasgow for a degree in English Language & Literature, married a German girl (to some family dismay) and became a schoolmaster. While teaching he was persuaded to enter a short story competition in the Glasgow Herald, winning the £100 prize, which brought him to the attention of staff of the publishers, Collins.  They persuaded him to try writing a novel, which Maclean completed in ten weeks: HMS Ulysses. The book sold over a quarter-million copies in hardback within six months, a  record at the time, and within ten years, MacLean was earning the present-day equivalent of three million dollars annually.

The first half of this book is a detailed comparison of Maclean’s first three books with Royalist’s wartime operations. The mutiny that opens HMS Ulysses has resonance with the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931, which took place only thirty miles from MacLean’s father’s parish, so he must have been well aware of events at the time. The cruiser’s end while attempting to ram the German heavy cruiser Hipper is clearly based upon HMSGlowworm’s ramming of the same ship in 1940.

There are many other interesting parallels the author draws between MacLean’s experiences and the first three books. The actual island of Navarone is fictitious but the style and  tempo of operations in the Aegean in 1944 is very true to life. Although Maclean was not in the Far East when Singapore fell, he well knew the geography of the area, used in South by Java Head, and would have met many people who were directly involved since Royalist was in Singapore for the Japanese surrender and involved in repatriating some of the prisoners of war.

The final third of the book covers his writing years, the subsequent films, a brief interlude as a hotelier when he owned the Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor in the early 1960s, his move to Switzerland for tax reasons, and his subsequent decline into alcoholism. MacLean, it is clear, was actually a very private person, which may have partly led to his drinking.

Sadly, this book could have done with better editing; there are spelling errors and occasional infelicitous writing.  Nevertheless, this book is recommended to all those who remember MacLean’s books, especially the first three, for its examination of the historical background to HMS Ulysses, The Guns of Navarone, and South by Java Head.

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2022
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xiv + 193 pages
• Photographs, maps, glossary, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. $39.95
• ISBN: 9781399019385

Reviewed by: Jennifer Nelson, University of Iowa