Battleship Duke of York: An Anatomy from Building to Breaking

By Ian Buxton and Ian Johnston

Naval history over the centuries is replete with strategic and operational analyses. In recent decades the impressive output of David Brown and Norman Friedman (among others) has documented the parallel and symbiotic evolution of both naval architecture as a science, and the design development of various warship classes as driven by operational imperatives. Rarely, however, has the actual building and breaking of a particular warship been as completely and as uniquely illustrated as in this volume.  

 That this was possible stems from two happy circumstances: first, the 'remarkable foresight of John Brown Shipyard's management in very early establishing an in-house photographic department to record the progress of construction; and second, the preservation of this exceptional and unique consolidated record of Clydebank shipbuilding during the later decimation of the British shipbuilding industry. Of this treasure trove, over 600 photographs were of the present vessel. This record was augmented by pictures of the scrapping at Faslane between February 1958 and March 1960, photographs taken by the first author while serving a naval architect apprenticeship at the Dumbarton shipyard of William Denny & Co., and by warship enthusiast Tom Ferrers-Walker, who travelled regularly from Birmingham to record the progress. The result is a book which provides a remarkable visual (almost visceral) sense of the complexity of the shipbuilding and ship-breaking process of the era.    

The book does not dwell on the operational history of the ship. Duke of York was the third vessel of the five-ship King George V class and had a lifespan of only sixteen years, being caught in the post-war modernization funding crunch. Brief chapters on the shipyard's history, its labor/employment practices, costs, and procurement/contracts/ specifications set the scene for the meat of the book, the chapters on armament, armor, construction, plans, and breaking. The chapters on labor/trades, costs, procurement, and specifications/ contract provide fascinating insight into the business of ship procurement and production.    

The chapter on armament is lavishly illustrated with excerpts from the colored plan and section drawings in the armament handbooks. Each quadruple 14-inch mounting cost £700,000, weighed 1200 tons (excluding the guns), and employed a crew of 107. Each gun was 54 feet long and fired a 1,590-pound shell. The heaviest single component of the mounting was the 200-ton rotating turntable, requiring the ship to be repositioned in the fitting-out berth under the single crane capable of lifting such a weight. The complexity of the mounts was such that they took longer to build than the ship and so armament orders for the last three ships of the class were placed in January 1937, even though Duke of York was not laid down until May 5, 1937. It was launched and named on February 28, 1940. The mountings were not shipped until June 1941 (a one-year delay), and the ship was reported complete ready for trials October 31, 1941.    

The main chapter of photographs covers the construction and is accompanied by excerpts from daily progress reports. Together these paint a fascinating picture of incremental progress, but also of varying perspectives on issues, in-progress design changes, and impact of local and global wartime events.    

Of particular interest to this reviewer was to note the numerous design changes during the build progress: extra berthing for an additional 90 officers and men; switching of degaussing cable runs from external to internal; additional splinter protection around magazines (installed after launch); rudder modifications and support strengthening installed during a docking immediately after sea trials); and breakwater alterations based on weather damage to King George V.    

There is also a chapter of plans, featuring double-page-spread general arrangements in full color, a four-page fold-out inboard profile, as-fitted drawings, plate expansions of fore and aft sections, and a large-scale body plan/docking drawing showing side blocking locations and placement of breast shores to prevent hull distortion due to the exceptional loads of gun mountings and armor.    

The final chapter covers the scrapping process at Faslane, illustrating how it was progressively dismantled while afloat and gradually edged into the shallows where the final cutting-up was completed at low tide.    

Overall, this book contains a wealth of visual and factual detail which will fascinate anyone interested in the technical details of large warship construction in the World War II era. The more one dwells on the magnitude and complexity of the process, the more one is moved to retrospective admiration and wonder, not only at the engineering and fabrication feat, but also at the sheer managerial and logistical challenge of orchestrating such an endeavor in the pre-computer era. This volume will be a unique and most valuable addition to any library concerned with the history of warship construction.  

• Barnsley, Seaforth Publishing, 2021
• Anapolis, Naval Institute Press, 2021
• 10” x 11-3/4”, hardcover, 284 pages
• Photographs, drawings, tables, appendices, sources, index. $80.00
• ISBN: 9781526777294

Reviewed by: David Halloran, St. Louis, Missouri

From War to Peace: The Conversion of Naval Vessels after Two World Wars

By Nick Robins

The subject of Nick Robin’s, From War to Peace is a synopsis of the many ways that people have transformed warships (and boats) into civilian watercraft. While the conversion of civilian watercraft to warships is generally well-documented, the transformation of military ships into peacetime services is less well known. Warships were not built with post-armistice alterations in mind, and therefore structural adaptation for commercial service carried incredible financial risks with it. Hence, this book’s core theme is an assessment of the economic impact of watercraft conversion, which it does by telling the stories of the many successes and failures of renovations of classes of warship or individual military craft. Whether a success or a failure, each instance illuminates the ingenuity of maritime entrepreneurs. Following two introductory chapters explaining the cultural phenomenon and technical challenges of converting military watercraft for civilian use, eleven chapters follow in a more-or-less chronological order, describing modifications from the nineteenth century through to the post-Second World War period. A concluding chapter serves as an analysis of the “value of conversion.”

The number of ships outlined in the relatively short work is immense. It covers the conversion of every type of craft from aircraft carriers and large landing craft (e.g., LSTs, LCDs, and LSMs), to bomb vessels, cruisers, corvettes, convoy escorts and rescue ships, minesweepers, military launches, naval salvage tugs, gunboats, patrol boats, subchasers, smaller landing craft (e.g., LCTs, LCGs, and LCMs), torpedo boats, and air-sea rescue boats. These ships and boats were converted into an equally long list of general and specialized craft types, from generic passenger ferries, cargo ships, liners, immigrant ships, ferries, and oil tankers, to polar exploration craft, commercial tugs, dredges, hulks, accommodation ships, excursion craft, pleasure yachts, trawlers and fishing vessels, floating restaurants, weather-watching ships, and tank cleaning vessels. 

Technical details abound. Descriptions of wartime construction efforts, armament specifications, propulsion configuration, and service history are contrasted with post-modification specifications that emerged with new peacetime utilizations. These details are critical for communicating the “spectrum” of conversion activities people chose to complete. As Robins notes, while converted vessels could cost one-half to two-thirds of the cost of a purpose-built craft, the modifications could lead to considerable blowouts in spending. Hence, conversions ranged from minor reconfigurations to complete rebuilds. Some conversions were outright failures, and others led to incredible commercial success. Another consequence of the decision to convert rather than construct was that use-lives might be affected. A newly built ship may be expected last twenty five years, but a converted craft was more likely to have a much shorter service life. While the work describes many incredible conversions, the author also visually demonstrates transformations with a multitude of “before” and “after” photographs wherein the reader witnesses a veritable external metamorphosis of many ships. Other details outlined in ship biographies discuss the trajectories of craft during wartime and peacetime service, the peculiarities of regional markets causing conversion or leading to economic catastrophe or triumph, business and entrepreneur histories, and the circumstances of a vessel’s wrecking, abandonment, or scrapping.

Robins’s work heavily emphasizes conversions made in the United Kingdom, though it regularly mentions United States-based construction and modification (understandable considering the role of lend-lease agreements during the Second World War). However, the author also periodically embeds information regarding the conversions of German and Canadian ships, and mentions many other nations, especially when converted ships ended up in their service (e.g., Sweden, Bermuda, Australia, Panama, and Greece); Hence, From Peace to War, should have broad appeal to readers of naval and maritime history.

• Barnsley, Pen & Sword History, 2021
• 7-3/4” x 10”, hardcover, 176 pages
• Photographs, bibliography, index. $42.95
• ISBN: 9781399009584

Reviewed by: Nathan Richards, East Carolina University

Anson's Navy: Building a Fleet for Empire, 1744 to 1763

By Brian Lavery

When the Royal Navy of Great Britain of the Age of Sail is envisioned, it tends to be recalled through the glories of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In this period, the Royal Navy ruled the seas with famous victories such as the Glorious First of June, Camperdown, the Nile, and Trafalgar. In short, what is most readily recalled is Nelson's Navy, which Lavery touched on in an earlier book. However, before Nelson could command his formidable forces, they had to be created, and Lavery traces their origins to the often-overlooked middle of the eighteenth century and the forceful series of changes pushed through by George, Lord Anson.

While the Royal Navy had achieved note in both the Anglo-Dutch Wars and the War of Spanish Succession, it was an outdated and lumbering beast heading into the 1730s and 1740s. Ill-suited to the changing face of warfare, Lavery sees Lord Anson's successful circumnavigation and capture of a richly-stocked Spanish treasure ship in 1744 as being a moment of renewed pride for a flagging naval service.

More importantly, combined with his victorious command at the First Battle of Finisterre three years later, in 1747, Anson was propelled rapidly up the ranks, reaching First Lord of the Admiralty from 1751 to 1756 and 1757 to 1762. While he entered the office with no major reforms in mind, Anson repeatedly rose to the task of repairing notable deficiencies within the Royal Navy, including the need for new ships of the line, officer pools deficient in talent, and a lack of modernized naval tactics.

Over the course of thirteen chapters, Lavery weaves together a multitude of factors that served to affect the reformed shape of the modernizing Royal Navy. From an ongoing mixture of rivalry and collaboration between the navy boards and the Admiralty to the internal workings of Parliament and the quality of available men and ships, Anson's challenge is shown in its nearly Sisyphus-like nature. While less detailed than some die-hard naval enthusiasts might prefer, the flowing prose allows readers to engage with the monumental work that Anson achieved without becoming lost in the haze of minutia. In this way, the book quickly proves its worth as an addition to almost any shelf, particularly when paired with Lavery's two most similar titles Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men, and Organisation, 1793-1815, and Churchill's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation, 1939-1945. Those of a more scholarly inclination will doubtlessly appreciate the extensive bibliography, which encompasses multiple centuries of primary and secondary sources, as well as the general layout which allows for a smooth narrative flow. Those of a more casual enthusiast mindset likewise will appreciate that the book does not come to be bogged in the minutia but rather focuses on delivering an easy-to-understand level of information which can then be used to supplement additional research into the era of Anson.

• Barnsley, Seaforth Books, 2021
• Anapolis, Naval Institute Press, 2021
• 10” x 11-1/2”, hardcover, 208 pages
• Illustrations, drawings, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $70.00
• ISBN: 9781399002882

Reviewed by: Michael Toth, Texas Christian University

Maritime London: An Historical Journey in Pictures and Words

By Anthony Burton

This book, as the title suggests, explores the maritime world of London from its humble origins as Roman settlement, through its rise to one of the great global entrepôts, and into its continued maritime tradition today. Burton defines maritime London as the waterways of the Thames River and all other waterways used by Greater London, a history involving mariners, shipbuilders, watermen, lifesaving organizations, and countless others who made London one of the premier ports in the world.

Beginning with bronze age maritime archaeological discoveries and Roman Londinium, Burton weaves a narrative of a town whose very identity was built on the water. Medieval and early modern naval warfare transformed London from a modest port town into a shipbuilding and naval center for the English crown. Burton uses written documents, pictorial and archaeological evidence to convey the rise of London shipbuilding and maritime traffic into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Local river traffic too represented an important part of life in the London area. Ferries and barges carried people and cargo in an era when the river formed a highway through London and the surrounding port towns. Royal processions and competitions used these vessels too, tying London’s culture to its riverfront.

“The story really begins with improvements to Britain’s rivers” writes Burton at the beginning of his chapter on canals, which he argues revolutionized Greater London’s waterways. Systems of locks and canals reached new towns and connected the Thames to the surrounding countryside, enabling canal barges to transport freight and passengers and make rough and mobile livelihoods for entire households. The rise of steam engine propulsion followed canal building to the Thames, a technological revolution that Burton shows through London’s great shipbuilding accomplishments of the nineteenth century namely HMS Warrior and Isambard Brunel’s Great Eastern. The latter portion of the book shifts away from the great ships built and sailed by maritime London to the city’s port. The city’s overcrowded docks were expanded in the nineteenth century, and Burton charts the struggle of dockworkers and the port, which ultimately declined with the rise of container ships that needed wider berths.

The narrative could include more about maritime London’s role in the vast British Empire, but Burton’s chapter on lifesaving and firefighting shows a side of a maritime city that is often overlooked, a testament to the breadth of this history on the Thames area. Additionally, the book features over 130 pictures and illustrations of the ships, canals, and people that made London a maritime metropolis. Burton ties many of these illustrations into the larger narrative so that their number does not distract the reader. Maritime London’s gripping story and valuable visual additions will be of interest to British, maritime, and urban history enthusiasts alike.

• Barnsley, Pen & Sword Transport, 2022
• 8-3/4” x 11-1/4”, hardcover, 144 pages
• Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $60.00

Reviewed by: Anthony Peebler, Texas Christian University

HMS Terror: The Design, Fitting, and Voyages of the Polar Discovery Ship

By Matthew Betts

The Arctic and Antarctic, as some might say, are some of last frontiers to be explored on this planet. The history of polar survey expeditions is extensive with a multitude of famous vessels that have ventured into the treacherous environment. When discussing these histories, HMS Terror must be included among the ships that took part in those voyages. Canadian archaeologist Matt Betts has brought together a comprehensive assembly of resources to give a chronological history of HMS Terror that shed insight on its life as a British bomb ship, its success as a polar exploration vessel, and the disaster that befell the ship in 1848. Detailed plans have been organized that show the ship in its various configurations throughout its life, as well the first set of lines plans that show the ship as it was in 1845. These plans are used as a reference in this book as Betts offers an extensive guide to modeling Terror in this later design.

The book is organized into three sections with the first that includes four chapters dedicated to the history of HMS Terror from 1812 to 1848. The second section details the construction of Terror from 1835 to 1845. It includes both plans and historical accounts that allow for an easy understanding of the material. In the third section, Betts outlines his step-by-step methodology for creating a 1:48 scale model of the vessel in its 1845 configuration. In the eighth chapter he discusses his role in the AMC television series ‘The Terror,’ and the 1:1 model of the ship that were based off his plans. The book concludes with discussing the rediscovery of Terror in 2017 and summary of the Canadian Underwater Archaeology Team’s report on the site.

Scholars of history, maritime archaeology, nautical archaeology, avid ship modelers, and enthusiasts of the subject will want to add this book to their libraries. As mentioned previously the book is laid out in a chronological fashion. The scanned images of the original plans, and digitized plans are of high quality and easy to read. Betts has designed a scantling table that goes into minute detail that should prove useful to modelers of this vessel. He is transparent with the challenges he faced in modeling the ship and offers several workarounds for those that might face similar issues. The bibliography is separated into primary and secondary sources, making it easy for the reader to locate documents of interest to them. Coupling the history of Terror and the construction of a scaled model allows the reader to become closer to the vessel, to truly understand the purpose of the vessel. 

• Barnsley, Seaforth Publishing, 2022
• Anapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2022
• 7-3/4” x 10”, hardcover, 240 pages
• Illustrations, drawings, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index. $31.95
• ISBN: 9781526783135

Reviewed by: Raymond Phipps, East Carolina University

Atlantic Linchpin: The Azores in Two World Wars

By Guy Warner

Roughly 870 miles west of Lisbon, nine volcanic islands collectively known as the Azores rise from the Atlantic Ocean. Settled by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century, the islands became a crucial victualing station for maritime empires well through the Age of Sail. As World War I raged on, both the Allied and Central Powers recognized the islands’ importance in controlling the commercial sea lanes vital to continuing the war effort. Guy Warner’s Atlantic Linchpin: The Azores in Two World Wars is the product of his research into the military history of the Azores during the two global conflicts, as well as their unique role in the development of the airplane for commercial and military applications.

As German U-boats wreaked havoc across the Atlantic during World War I, Portuguese and American military leaders responded by establishing naval bases on the island of Ponta Delgada. U.S. Navy vessels escorted merchant vessels and countered the U-boat threat through regular patrols and rescue operations. By 1918, Ponta Delgada hosted the U.S. Marines Aeronautic Company and the first successful flights in the Azores. Planes like the Curtiss R-6 flew hundreds of missions in support of the Allied U-boat countermeasures. 

In the fall of 1943, Operation Alacrity brought the Royal Air Force to Lagens Airfield on the island of Terceira. Aircraft from Lagens brought greater air coverage to merchant convoys bound to and from the United Kingdom. By December, U.S. aircraft in the form of two Consolidated Liberators and two Douglas C-54 Skymasters were stationed at Lagens. The Allied aircraft stationed there again played a pivotal role in preventing German U-boats from halting the merchant convoys bringing the sorely needed supplies and materials to continue the war effort. 

The greatest component of Warner’s work is the exhaustive primary source material conveyed to the audience. Warner frequently includes direct quotes from those stationed on the Azores, as well as the local inhabitants. These consist of soldiers’ personal journal entries recounting successful attacks on German submarines and reflections upon garrison life on the islands. To capture the islanders’ perspective, he references several newspapers which expressed the gratitude of the locals towards the Allied soldiers. Including these primary sources gives the audience a glimpse into the efforts of British, American, and Portuguese personnel into constructing and maintaining these remote outposts.

In contrast, these quotes often take away from the author’s own voice and perspective on the source material. So many lengthy direct passages from journals, newspapers, or other accounts can overwhelm readers. Especially those exploring the topic for the first time. Yet, this remains the solitary criticism of Warner’s work and, in fairness, the second half of the book possesses less block quotes than the first. 

Warner’s extensive research conducted on the military and aviation history of the Azores culminates in Atlantic Linchpin. His thorough examination of personal accounts and government documents permits him to brilliantly describe the careful planning and politicking behind the military operations on the islands. He compliments the grander narrative of the formation of American and British aviation presence there with passages from local newspapers and soldiers’ journal entries, portraying the intersection of military and island life. Atlantic Linchpin: The Azores in Two World Wars remains an excellent companion for anyone interested in learning about the naval and aeronautical roles these islands played in, and between, both World Wars. 

• Barnsley, Seaforth Books, 2021
• 7” x 19”, hardcover, 160 pages
• Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $44.95
• ISBN: 9781399010900

Reviewed by: William Nassif, University of South Carolina

On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era

By Claude Berube

While much has been said about the presidency and times of Andrew Jackson, Claude Berube finds a serious gap regarding the question of the Navy and naval policy under a man who rose to note on the shoulders of his militia service in the War of 1812. He contends that the eight-year period under Jackson saw the beginnings of what would become the modern United States Navy. In particular, with the creation of the Naval Academy, he argues that an increasingly professionalized officer pool emerged. This pool brought ideas and innovativeness, which would serve them well in two wars (the Mexican-American and American Civil Wars) and produce thinkers like Alfred Thayer Mahan. This professionalization was crucial for several reasons, the most important being that the Age of Sail was rapidly transitioning into the Age of Steam. While many still held a deep traditional affection for the stately ships of the line, the increasing reliability of steam made its rise to primacy inevitable. With this new technology came a need for well-trained and knowledgeable commanders, and while not touched on by Berube, an equal need for skilled enlisted engineers. To Berube, Jackson was a man who was not generally overly fond of the Navy, almost certainly in part because of the lack of significant direct control that he could exert on far-flung commanders. Yet, he recognized the significance of waterborne trade in promoting the nation's well-being and the need for a strong navy to protect and promote it. Thus, he worked to strengthen the national navy, albeit without increasing the debt.

Berube has made rich use of many sources, the two most significant of which are the records of the Congressional and Senate Naval Committees and the court-martial records of the period. This allows him to show how there was ongoing serious debate around the Navy and how to supply and expand it- some of which never made it into the broader Congressional chambers- but also demonstrates how the Navy was moving towards being a more formalized and standardized service. In particular, by increasingly standardizing punishments for various infractions, the Navy was, in a sense coming into maturity as a modern professional military service where all persons could have a generally shared experience regarding how things were supposed to work.

In stepping away from the overt land focus of typical Age of Jackson research, Berube has ensured that his contribution to the field will not soon be overshadowed. Future historians will almost certainly refer to the paths of inquiry that it has opened up. Further, by placing the origins of the professionalized Navy in this period, he also brings the navy into the broader military history discussion, which often overlooks the contributions and importance of maritime events, particularly in the Early Republic. Long known for his land-based military accomplishments, Jackson now might be seen as possessing some Live Oak in his grove of Hickory.

• Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama Press, 2021
  
• 6-1/4” x 9-1/4”, hardcover, xiii + 234 pages
  
• Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $54.95
  
• ISBN: 9780817321079
  

Reviewed by: Michael Toth, Texas Christian University

Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read

By Rebecca Alexandra Simon

With the thousands of publications about the histories of different male pirates from throughout history, it is refreshing to read one focused on the female. Rebecca Alexandra Simon has published what she describes as the first full length biography of the pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Beyond telling the stories of these female pirates, Simon sets the goal of giving insight into the world these women existed in, specifically regarding their gender, and how they continue to be cultural icons today.

Staring with a discussion on period politics Simon gives early insight into the lives of not only Bonny and Read, but also their mothers. Interestingly, both Bonny and Read come from similar situations where the mothers conceived their daughters out of wedlock and chose to conceal their daughters by dressing them as boys.

As Simon describes the exciting duels, love trysts, and drama that unfolds in these women’s stories, she continues to include engaging discussions on the world that these events unfolded in. Early in her life when Bonny joins the military, Simon includes information about the different ongoing military conflicts that Bonny would have participated in. This information illustrates the world that shaped Bonny in her early years, unknowingly training her to become a pirate later in her life.

Simon dedicates almost a whole chapter exclusively to a discussion on the politics surrounding piracy and how they would affect the lives and pirating careers of Bonny and Read. The detailed look at the world of pirates during this time helps draw a contrast between the worlds they had grown up and the ones they were now entering.

Ultimately, both women end up on the ship of Jack Rackham (aka Calico Jack). During her discussion on Bonny and Read’s careers with Rackham, Simon gives an intriguing look at the geography, economics, and politics that would have influenced Rackham’s choices.

Simon’s final chapter concludes with a discussion on some of the more prominent publications on Bonny and Read over the last three hundred years. She starts with an intriguing description of the history of Captain Charles Johnson’s General History of Pirates, and ends her chapter with a look at the modern television series “Black Sails.” She finishes with the conclusion that Bonny and Read’s, “memory is alive and well and will remain so for years to come.”

In conclusion, Simon’s publication and writing style is one that will hold the reader’s attention. The information that Simon provides to create context for the narratives is intriguing and greatly adds to the stories. The publication would be improved with a few more citations regarding some the facts presented. Ultimately, Simon has successfully met the goals that she set out for herself of giving insight into the world these women existed in, specifically regarding their gender, and how they continue to be cultural icons today.

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword History, 2022
  
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xxii + 181 pages
  
• Illustrations, appendices, notes bibliography, index. $32.95
  
• ISBN: 9781526791306
  

Reviewed by: Christine Brin, North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort

Secret Projects of the Kriegsmarine: Unseen Deigns of Nazi Germany’s Navy

By Nico & Alessio Sgarlato


I was expecting to read about the German Navy's secret and unseen successful projects leading up to and including World War 2 for new combatant craft. However, my takeaway after reading this book was the large number of cited designs, while often creative, had serious flaws ending in either incomplete or failed outcomes. This came as a surprise to me given that the Germans have a long-standing reputation for excellent engineering that, among other endeavors, produced a wide variety of novel and successful military aircraft, rockets, land-based vehicles and armament systems. On the other hand, perhaps these numerous failures were typical for ALL combatants but (to my knowledge) few, if any, books have been written addressing this aspect of warfare. Probably the winners of such conflicts are unlikely to confess or reveal their less successful efforts?

Having said this, I feel that any student or enthusiast of all things warfare may find this an interesting read given the numerous and detailed examples of the challenges facing a technically advanced military (such as Germany's). The authors are to be commended for their research and the amazing amount of related information. At times I even felt that there might have been too much detailed information provided, but I also feel the authors needed to share what they had discovered. In my view, this is not necessarily a book for a large market but is certainly commendable for its detailed and authentic research plus unusual subject matter.

• Barnsley: Greenhill Books, 2022
  
• 6-3/4” x 9-3/4”, hardcover, ix + 182 pages
  
• Photographs, drawings, bibliography. $63.00
  
• ISBN: 9781784386970
  

Reviewed by: Robert Johnson, Largo, Florida

Shipping on the Thames & the Port of London During the 1940s-1980s: A Pictorial History

By Malcolm & Reg Batten

Reg Batten was a professional photographer who worked for a London photography business. He had a lifetime interest in shipping; especially that on the nearby Thames River. After retiring in the mid-1970s he began to visit the Port of London to photograph its marine activity. He continued to do so until 1983. Now his son Malcom has organized Reg’s photographs as well as some of his own in a handsome picture history published by Pen & Sword Transport.

The photos in the 223-page book are organized topically into chapters; each chapter dealing with a different type of shipping. There are also a number of brief essays on topics relating to the docks and the shipping that visited them. The book is printed on glossy paper and the photographs that usually take up half or all of this large format book are crisp and clear. The range of dates given in the book’s title, 1940-1980s is somewhat of a misnomer. Readers will find few photographs of subjects before the 1970s.

After the usual introductory remarks, the book begins with an essay about The Port of London Authority, (PLA) the organization founded in 1909 to manage the huge collection of enclosed docks along the Thames River; the largest in the world. The book includes a series of maps showing the docks. It took considerable effort on my part to mentally stitch these together into an understandable whole. Entered and exited by a series of locks these very large impoundments allowed vessels to dock, unload and load unaffected by tides in the river. While the essay nicely explains the history and organization of the PLA, I wish that the author had included more technical details of the operation of the locks and impoundments that they served. Another interesting essay described in better detail the central hydraulic system that the PLA built to operate the hundreds of cranes along the waterfront.

By far the largest chapter deals with photographs of “Cargo Shipping;” Thames barges, general cargo ships, tankers, coasters, colliers, container ships, and so on. Most of these pictures are formal portraits taken from the bow or stern quarter. This is understandable as Mr. Batten would not have had access to take photographs on board. Of interest to ship modelers is the overall appearance of these working vessels. While it seems that many modelers want to add realism with dirt and rust, most of those that Mr. Batten photographed appear to be well maintained. Of particular interest to me are several photographs of the Lykes LASH (Lighter Aboard Ship) vessels. These American-flagged ships competed against container ships in the 1980s.

The rest of the book includes chapters on Passenger Ships, Service Vessels, and other miscellaneous visitors to the port. I especially enjoyed the more detailed photographs of the smaller service vessels. Most spectacular are the photographs of the very large floating cranes owned and operated by the PLA. One is shown lifting the steam locomotive Flying Scotsman into the hold of a ship for a voyage to Australia. One of these large floating cranes would be an unusual and interesting subject for an ambitious modeler.

Economic change is often bittersweet, and the book reflects this. The vibrant activity around the docks and the coming and going of handsome, well-maintained ships has been replaced with upscale high-rise housing incorporating vestiges of the area’s industrial past, entertainment venues, and even an airport. But the Port of London has not died. Where it once sprawled for twenty plus miles along the Thames from the Tower of London to Tilbury, it has now been concentrated at its downstream end around Tilbury.

Readers with an interest in late twentieth-century shipping will appreciate this wonderful collection of photographs taken during the time when the industry was being transformed from transportation of traditional break-bulk to containerized cargo.

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Transport, 2022
  
• 9-3/4” x 11-1/4”, hardcover, 228 pages
  
• Extensive photographs, maps. $60.00
  
• ISBN: 9781399018401

Reviewed by: C. Roger Pellett, Duluth, Minnesota