Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

Zeebrugge : the greatest raid of all /Christopher Sandford. "The combined forces invasion of the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on 23 April 1918 remains one of Britain's most glorious military undertakings; not quite as epic a failure as the charge of the Light Brigade, or as well publicised as the Dam Busters raid, but with many of the same basic ingredients. A force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines set out on ships and submarines to try to block the key strategic port, in a bold attempt to stem the catastrophic losses being inflicted on British shipping by German submarines. It meant attacking a heavily fortified German naval base. The tide, calm weather and the right wind direction for a smoke screen were crucial to the plan. Judged purely on results, it can only be considered a partial strategic success. Casualties were high and the base only partially blocked. Nonetheless, it came to represent the embodiment of the bulldog spirit, the peculiarly British fighting âelan, the belief that anything was possible with enough dash and daring. The essential story of the Zeebrugge mission has been told before, but never through the direct, first-hand accounts of its survivors - including that of Lieutenant Richard Sandford, VC, the acknowledged hero of the day, and the author's great uncle. The fire and bloodshed of the occasion is the book's centrepiece, but there is also room for the family and private lives of the men who volunteered in their hundreds for what they knew effectively to be a suicide mission. Zeebrugge gives a very real sense of the existence of the ordinary British men and women of 100 years ago - made extraordinary by their role in what Winston Churchill called the 'most intrepid and heroic single armed adventure of the Great War.'"--Provided by the publisher 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.458(493.3)

Voices of the Windrush generation : the real story told by the people themselves /David Matthews. "Voices of the Windrush Generation is a powerful collection of stories from the men, women and children of the Windrush generation - West Indians who emigrated to Britain between 1948 and 1971 in response to labour shortages, and in search of a better life. Edited by journalist and bestselling author David Matthews, this book paints a vivid portrait of what it meant for those who left the Caribbean for Britain during the early days of mass migration. Through his own, and many other stories, Matthews explores: why and how so many people came to Britain after World War II, their hopes and dreams, the communities they formed and the difficulties they faced being separated from family and friends while integrating into an often hostile society. We hear how lives were transformed, and what became of the generations that followed, taking the reader right up to the present day, and the impact of the current Windrush deportation scandal upon everyday people. At once a nostalgic treasure trove of human interest, which unearths the real stories behind the headlines, and a celebration of black British culture, Voices of the Windrush Generation is an absorbing and important book that gives a platform to voices that need to be heard."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 325.14(42:729)

The man who caught Crippen : The amazing life of Henry Kendall /Joe Saward "Captain Henry Kendall was a mariner who lived from 1874 to 1965. He was a hero of his age and in 1910, as captain of the SS Montrose, sent a celebrated wireless message from his ship to Scotland Yard, as he headed out into the Atlantic Ocean: "Have strong suspicions that Crippen, London cellar murderer and accomplice, are among saloon passengers." Inspector Walter Dew of the Metropolitan Police raced to Liverpool and boarded a faster ship to Canada. In the newspapers each day the world watched... as the power of radio communication was proved for the first time, in the most dramatic fashion. The story made Kendall a household name. Four years later, at almost exactly the same spot as Crippen had been arrested, in the St Lawrence Estuary, close to the Father Point lighthouse, the RMS Empress of Ireland, which Kendall was commanding, was hit by a heavily-laden coal frieghter, with an ice-breaking bow. The liner sank in just 14 minutes, killing 1012 people. By a quirk of fate Kendall survived - although he had no desire to do so... Kendall's life reads like a work of fiction. He went to sea as a cabin boy at 15. He survived attempted murder, shipwrecks, torpedoes, icebergs, scorpion bites, cannibals, sharks, fevers, flying bombs and even a marauding leopard. The captain of an Atlantic liner by the age of 32, he played a key role in rescuing 800 refugees when the Germans invaded Belgium in 1914, using one liner to tow another out of Antwerp, despite attempts to stop the two ships leaving. The whole story has been researched in the course of the last 20 years and follows the amazing tale of "The Grand Prix Saboteurs", about the motor racing champions who became British secret agents in Occupied France during WWII."--Provided by the publisher. 2010 • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Knock John ship / James Dodds "As a child in Brightlingsea I always thought that our old German piano came from the wreck on the Knock John. However it is more probable it came from the later wreck of the Hawksdale in 1899, which was said to have had 500 pianos on board. My Great Grandfather William Pannell would have purchased it at the auction of salvaged goods. He even built his house from the stone ballast from another wrecked ship. It would be interesting to know how many items from the Knock John Ship survive in Brightlingsea to this day. Some forty odd years ago my baby-sitter found a bale of military cloth hidden under her floor boards. Could this have come from the Knock John? I learnt to sail on an ex-stowboating smack the Shamrock, and while serving my apprenticeship as a shipwright I illustrated several books for Hervey Benham, a wonderful local marine writer. Hervey's book the Salvagers is were I started my search for the true identity and date of the Knock John Ship, with the idea that she was carrying pianos. Now a professional artist, I am living back in Brightlingsea with my family in a house built by my great grandfather, and first owned and lived in by the Captian of his smack the Waterlily. This book marks the return to my roots and the fascinations of my youth. I hope you will find the story of the Knock John ship as fascinating as I do."--Provided by the Publisher. 2001. • PAMPHLET • 1 copy available. 629.123KNOCKJOHN

The Royal Navy in the age of austerity 1919-22 : naval and foreign policy under Lloyd George /G.H. Bennett. "This book thoroughly explores and analyses naval policy during the period of austerity that followed the First World War. During this post-war period, as the Royal Navy identified Japan its likely opponent in a future naval war, the British Government was forced to 'tighten its belt' and cut back on naval expenditure in the interests of 'National Economy'. G.H. Bennett draws connections between the early 20th century and the present day, showing how the same kind of connections exist between naval and foreign policy, the provision of ships for the Royal Navy, business and regional prosperity and employment. The Royal Navy in the Age of Austerity 1919-22 engages with a series of important historiographical debates relating to the history of the Royal Navy, the failures of British Defence policy in the inter-war period and the evolution of British foreign policy after 1919, together with more mundane debates about British economic, industrial, social and political history in the aftermath of the First World War. It will be of great interest to scholars and students of British naval history."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.49(42)

William Watkins Ltd : London's First Major Towage Company /John E. Reynolds. ''William Watkins Ltd was founded in 1833 in London by John Rogers Watkins and his son William. Their first tug, Monarch, was said to be the finest on the river. As the tugs got more sophisticated they began towing ever larger ships across the Channel and with increasing range they sought tows in the outer estuary and further afield. By 1875, Anglia carried out tows from St. Helena and Suez, huge distances considering her coal consumption. Watkins proved themselves to be the premier company for ocean towage in this period. They continued to develop and innovate, building their first screw tug, Era, in 1869 and, by the 1880s, the screw tugs were fast replacing the paddle tugs on the Thames. At the outbreak of the First World War the British Government made Watkins an advisor on tugs during the conflict, their vessels ranging far and wide from the White Sea to the Gallipoli landings. They were again on the front line during the Second World War, from the Dunkirk evacuation to the 'D' Day landings. This comprehensive account charts the 140 year history of the Watkins family in towage, details all of the tugs that have been in their fleet through this period and discusses their work on the River Thames, during both world wars and around the world, with many photographs and personal accounts of life aboard.''--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. txt

Time and the French Revolution : the Republican calendar, 1789-year XIV /Matthew Shaw. "The French Republican Calendar was perhaps the boldest of all the reforms undertaken in Revolutionary France. Introduced in 1793 and used until 1806, the Calendar not only reformed the weeks and months of the year, but decimalised the hours of the day and dated the year from the beginning of the French Republic. This book not only provides a history of the calendar, but places it in the context of eighteenth-century time-consciousness, arguing that the French were adept at working within several systems of time-keeping, whether that of the Church, civil society, or the rhythms of the seasons. Developments in time-keeping technology and changes in working patterns challenged early-modern temporalities, and the new calendar can also be viewed as a step on the path toward a more modern conception of time. In this context, the creation of the calendar is viewed not just as an aspect of the broader republican programme of social, political and cultural reform, but as a reflection of a broader interest in time and the culmination of several generations' concern with how society should be policed."--Publisher's description. 2011. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.48"1793/1806"(44):529.5

Winging it : Oracle Team USA's incredible comeback to defend the America's Cup /Diane Swintal, R. Steven Tsuchiya, and Robert Kamins. Millions of sailing enthusiasts and casual fans alike watched the America's Cup in awe as the ORACLE TEAM USA trailing one point to New Zealand's eight, was first to the finish line in eight consecutive races. This miracle triumph left many wondering "How did they do it?" The answers come together in Winging It, with insights from naval architects and builders on their radical boat designs, the consequences of racing these untested boats, and explanations of how the foils and wingsails-rarely seen on boats before-work. The book explores the impact of events that led up to the Cup, including how a sudden capsize threw the entire event into doubt before the 2013 America's Cup ultimately delivered an epic finale. Top sailors share their stories, including the victorious Jimmy Spithill on USA 17 and the shockingly defeated ETNZ skipper Dean Barker. This is the story of an historic win that goes beyond the emotions of the day to explain how the many months of innovation, research, trials, and failures helped secure the Cup in the final race on September 25. 2014 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 797.144.092.1(745)

Last big gun : at war & at sea with HMS Belfast /Brian Lavery. "As she lay in dry dock, devastatingly damaged by one of Hitler's newly deployed magnetic mines after barely two months in service, few could have predicted the illustrious career that lay ahead for the cruiser HMS Belfast. After three years of repairs to her broken keel, engine- and boiler-rooms, and extensive refitting, she would go on to play a critical role in the protection of the Arctic Convoys, would fire one of the opening shots at D-Day and continue supporting the Operation Overlord landings for five weeks. Her service continued beyond the Second World War both in Korea and in the Far East before she commenced her life as one of the world's most celebrated preserved visitor ships in the Pool of London. Her crowning glory however came in December 1943 when, equipped with the latest radar technology, she was to play the leading role in the Battle of the North Cape sinking the feared German battlecruiser Scharnhorst, the bãete noir of the Royal Navy. In doing so the ship's crew made a vital contribution to, what was to be, the final big-gun head-to-head action to be fought at sea. In The Last Big Gun Brian Lavery, the foremost historian of the Royal Navy, employs his trademark wide-ranging narrative style and uses the microcosm of the ship to tell the wider story of the naval war at sea and vividly portray the realities for all of life aboard a Second World War battleship. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs and illustrations and will appeal to all those with an interest in military history and life in the wartime Royal Navy."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82BELFAST

SBS silent warriors : the authorised wartime history of the Special Boat Service from the secret SBS archives /Saul David. "Britain's SBS - or Special Boat Service - was the world's first maritime special operations unit. Founded in the dark days of 1940, it started as a small and inexperienced outfit that leaned heavily on volunteers' raw courage and boyish enthusiasm. It went on to change the course o f the Second World War - and has served as a model for special forces ever since. The fledgling unit's first mission was a daring beach reconnaissance of Rhodes in the spring of 1941. Over the next four years, the SBS and its affiliates would carry out many more spectacular operations in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Channel and the Far East. These missions - including Operation Frankton, the daredevil attempt by the 'Cockleshell Heroes' to paddle up the Garonne river and sink Axis ships in Bordeaux harbour - were some of the most audacious and legendary of the war. Paddling flimsy canoes, and armed only with knives, pistols and a few sub-marine guns, this handful of brave and determined men operated deep behind enemy lines in the full knowledge that if caught they might be executed. Many were. Yet their many improbable achievements - destroying enemy ships and infrastructure, landing secret agents, tying up enemy forces, spreading fear and uncertainty, and, most importantly, preparing the ground of D-Day - helped to make an Allied victory possible. Written with the full cooperation of the modern SBS - the first time this ultra-secretive unit has given its seal of approval to any book - an exclusive access to its archives. SBS: Silent Warriors allows Britian's original special forces to emerge from the shadows and take their proper and deserved palce in our island story."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.54/5941

Shipping and globalization in the post-war era : contexts, companies, connections /Niels P. Petersson, Stig Tenold, Nicholas J. White, editors. "This open access book belongs to the Maritime Business and Economic History strand of the Palgrave Studies in Maritime Economics book series. This volume highlights the contribution of the shipping industry to the transformations in business and society of the postwar era. Shipping was both an example and an engine of globalization and structural change. In turn, the industry experienced and pioneered, mirrored and enabled key developments that led to the present-day globalized economy. Contributions address issues such as the macro-level shift of shipping's centre of gravity from Europe to Asia, the political and legal frameworks within which it developed, the strategies and performance of both successful and unsuccessful firms, and the links between the shipping industry and the wider economy and society. Without shipping and its ability to forge connections and networks of a global reach, the modern world would look very different. By bringing together scholars from various disciplinary and national backgrounds, this book advances our understanding of the linkages that bind economies and societies together."--Provided by the publisher. 2019 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 387.5

Logistics in the Falklands War : a case study in expeditionary warfare /Kenneth L. Privratsky. "While many books have been written on the Falklands War, this is the first to focus on the vital aspect of logistics. The challenges were huge; the lack of preparation time; the urgency; the huge distances involved; the need to requisition ships from trade to name but four. After a brief discussion of events leading to Argentina's invasion the book describes in detail the rush to re-organise and deploy forces, despatch a large task force, the innovative solutions needed to sustain the Task Force, the vital staging base at Ascension Island, the in-theatre resupply, the set-backs and finally the restoring of order after victory. Had the logistics plan failed, victory would have been impossible and humiliation inevitable, with no food for the troops, no ammunition for the guns, no medical support for casualties etc. The lessons learnt have never been more important with increasing numbers of out-of-area operations required in remote trouble spots at short notice. The Falklands experience is crucial for the education of new generations of military planners and fascinating for military buffs and this book fills an important gap."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.48"1982"(829)

Chatham in the great war. "Chatham played a very important part in the nation's Great War effort. It was one of the British Royal Navy's three 'Manning Ports', with more than a third of the town's ships manned by men allocated to the Chatham Division. The war was only 6 weeks old when Chatham felt the affects of war for the first time. On 22 September 1914, three Royal Naval vessels from the Chatham Division, HMS Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue, were sunk in quick succession by a German submarine, U-9. A total of 1,459 men lost their lives that day, 1,260 of whom were from the Chatham Division. Two months later, on 26 November, the battleship HMS Bulwark exploded and sunk whilst at anchor off of Sheerness on the Kent coast. There was a loss of 736 men, many of whom were from the Chatham area. On 18 August 1914, Private 6737 Walter Henry Smith, who was nineteen and serving with the 6th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, became the first person to be killed during wartime Chatham. He was on sentry duty with a colleague, who accidentally dropped his loaded rifle, discharging a bullet that strook Private Smith and killed him. It wasn't all doom and gloom, however. Winston Churchill, as the First Lord of the Admiralty, visited Chatham early on in the war, on 30 August 1914. On 18 September 1915, two German prisoners of war, Lieutenant Otto Thelen and Lieutenant Hans Keilback, escaped from Donnington Hall in Leicestershire. At first, it was believed they had escaped the country and were on their way back to Germany, but they were re-captured in Chatham four days later. By the end of the war, Chatham and the men who were stationed there had truly played their part in ensuring a historic Allied victory."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 914.223"1914/1918"

Schnellbootwaffe : Adolf Hitler's guerrilla warfare at sea: S-Boote 1939-1945 ; rare photographs from wartime archives /Hrvoje Spajic. "The Schnellbootwaffe was created in the early 1930s, before the Second World War, in concurrence with the regenerated Kriegsmarine, and young officers, most of whom learned their craft in the old Imperial Navy, would take responsibility for the operational use of these revolutionary vessels. Working with the naval engineers of Lurssen Shipyard, the Germans designed combat weapons that were never surpassed by their opponents. After the first series of Schnellboote were launched, constantly improved versions of these vessels would follow. The Schnellbootwaffe would achieve significant victories for the Kriegsmarine at the beginning of the war by using these vessels in high-level strategies, including a style of guerrilla warfare. The British often call German torpedo boats E-boats, and these fast vessels were a genuine threat not only to coastal trade, but also to the movement of Allied ships after D-Day. Indeed, Admiral Rudolf Petersen's flotillas remained combat-ready until the very end, even after the balance of power was in favour of the Allies. Allied air bombardment of German torpedo boat bases from 1944 onwards failed to destroy the offensive potential of the Schnellboote and their crews. The Allied disaster at Lyme Bay at the end of April 1944 shows how this guerrilla war at sea was still dangerous, even at this stage of the war. The Allied invasions plans were not yet known to the Germans, but Eisenhower learned a great deal from Lyme Bay and the Schnellbootwaffe was still potentially dangerous right until the end of the war. This book tells the fascinating story about these special people, whose pirate spirit and guerrilla style of naval combat is reminiscent of the ancient pirates and their own way of warfare."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545943

Empireland : how imperialism has shaped modern Britain /Sathnam Sanghera. "In his brilliantly illuminating new book Sathnam Sanghera demonstrates how so much of what we consider to be modern Britain is actually rooted in our imperial past. In prose that is, at once, both clear-eyed and full of acerbic wit, Sanghera shows how our past is everywhere: from how we live to how we think, from the foundation of the NHS to the nature of our racism, from our distrust of intellectuals in public life to the exceptionalism that imbued the campaign for Brexit and the government's early response to the Covid crisis. And yet empire is a subject, weirdly hidden from view. The British Empire ran for centuries and covered vast swathes of the world. It is, as Sanghera reveals, fundamental to understanding Britain. However, even among those who celebrate the empire there seems to be a desire not to look at it too closely - not to include the subject in our school history books, not to emphasize it too much in our favourite museums. At a time of great division, when we are arguing about what it means to be British, Sanghera's book urges us to address this bewildering contradiction. For, it is only by stepping back and seeing where we really come from, that we can begin to understand who we are, and what unites us."--Provided by publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 941

Fittest of the fit : health and morale in the Royal Navy, 1939-1945 /Kevin Brown "'Fittest of the fit' was the Royal Navy's boast about its personnel, a claim based on a recruitment process that was effectively self-selection. This book examines that basic assumption and many of the issues that followed from it. Beginning with the medical aspects of recruitment, it looks at how health and fitness was maintained in the adverse environment of sea service, including the particularly onerous extremes of Arctic and Tropical conditions, and life for its submariners and airmen as well as those in the surface fleet. The massive mid-war expansion of personnel was a particular challenge to accepted wisdom and how the Navy coped is a major aspect of the story. Beyond the purely physical, the importance of psychological factors and the maintenance of morale is another theme of the book, taking in everything from entertainment to tolerance of onboard pets. Inevitably, the effects of battle, injury and stress dominated naval medicine, and action experience led to rapid changes in everything from basic preparations to protective clothing. In a conscious search for improvement, the Navy became an early adopter of many medical innovations, driven by a permanent committee created to study personnel issues. To put this all into context, comparisons are made with the other British services as well as US Navy practice. From this emerges a rounded picture of a crucially important factor in the wartime success of the Senior Service."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 613.68

Ships of the Royal Navy : the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy /J.J. Colledge. Colledge is still the first stop for anyone wanting more information on any British warship from the fifteenth century to the present day when only the name is known. Each entry gives concise details of dimensions, armament and service dates, and its alphabetical and chronological arrangement makes it easy to track down the right ship. 2010. • BOOK • 4 copies available. 623.82(42)

The RAF Air Sea Rescue Service, 1918-1986 / Jonanthan Sutherland and Diane Canwell. "Between 1918 and 1986 the marine branch of the Royal Air Force provided rescue facilities, support and other services to this armed service. In its pre-1941 guise as the Air Sea Rescue service, the RAF had an inventory of over 200 motorboats, supported by float aircraft engaged in rescue, towing, refueling and servicing RAF aircraft. Amongst the many characters of this early period was none other than Lawrence of Arabia. The Marine Craft Section itself came into existence in February 1941 as a direct result of the compelling need to retrieve downed pilots from the sea. Initially the craft were lightly armed, but as the chivalry between the British and the German rescue services deteriorated, the launches became heavily armed craft, not only capable of defence but also attack. They were supported by a wide variety of aircraft, including Lysanders and Walruses. The ASR was involved in Dieppe and D-Day and operated in the Mediterranean and the Far East. During the war years alone over 13,000 aircraft crew were saved by the ASR service, in addition to the many hundreds of other servicemen whose vessels had been hit by mines or had fallen prey to submarines. Jon Sutherland has written extensively on military history and warfare. Much of his previous work has concerned the American involvement in the European in World War I and the European theatre of World War II. Diane Canwell has written works on Crete and the Viking era and is much involved in the research for this book. Using an extensive network of former members of the service, the authors propose to intersperse the descriptive chapters with short first-person accounts of particular episodes throughout the service's history."--Provided by the publisher. 2010. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.354(42)"1918/1986"

Thomas Summers & Co. : Boatbuilders of Fraserburgh /Mike Smylie. ''After the end of hostilities in 1945, the fishing industry was quick to establish some semblance of recovery and a surge of new builds and restoration of Admiralty motor fishing vessels soon followed. In Fraserburgh, on Scotland's east coast, several established yards satiated this desire amongst the fishing-boat owners for new craft. Thus it wasn't surprising that a new yard sprung up at the end of the 1940s when three local apprentices from one of the yards decided to set up their own boatbuilding yard on the breakwater, in what was a very exposed position. And so the yard of Thomas Summers & Co. was born, a yard that became synonymous with fine seaworthy fishing boats suited to various methods of fishing. In the space of just thirteen years they produced eighty-eight fishing vessels and their output was more prolific than most of the other Scottish boatyards. Many of these boats survive to this day, some still working as fishing vessels, and others converted to pleasure, a testament to their superb design and solid construction.''--Povided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 338.4/762382/82

Japanese carriers and victory in the Pacific : the Yamamoto Option /Martin Stansfeld. "'Japanese Carriers and Victory in the Pacific' focuses on the pre-war debate between building a new generation of super-battleships or adopting aircraft carriers as the capital ships' of the future. An Asian power in particular sees carriers as a way of challenging the USA and the colonial empires initially losing the contest yet coming out all right in the Cold War aftermath. Martin Stansfeld examines the much overlooked genesis of Japan's so-called shadow fleet that was a secret attempt to bring about parity with the US in carriers -- albeit only with slower speed conversions of liners and auxiliaries but along with the super-battleships cluttered launch facilities when these could have been devoted to keel-up fast fleet carrier production. This first analytical look at what major launch facilities were available in Japan shows that the Imperial Japanese Navy could have doubled its fast carrier fleet thereby able to give sufficient air cover for an invasion of Hawaii rather than just the raid on Pearl Harbor, but only providing nobody noticed they were building all these carriers. This is shown to have been entirely possible given the IJN's extraordinary success at covering up their super-battleship and shadow fleet production. This secret fast carrier fleet programme is given the name 'phantom fleet' by Stansfeld who proceeds to demonstrate how the strategy of the Pacific War would have been transformed. Weaving through the chapters is an exotic cast of characters led most notably by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the conceiver of Pearl Harbor and a figure of mythic status to Japanese today and famous around the world thanks to the movies. Stansfeld dwells on the ironies of war, notably how, without the day that will live in infamy', America might never have become the worldwide super-power it is today."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 2 copies available. 359.94835095209044

The Times history of the world in maps : the rise and fall of empires, countries and cities. From Babylonian tablets to Google Maps the world has rapidly evolved and cartography has kept pace with these changes. In this book, over 60 maps give a visual representation of the history of the world. 2014. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 912.43(100)".../20"

Death in the ice : the shocking story of Franklin's final expedition /Karen Ryan. "Discover one of the most fascinating and mysterious stories in the history of exploration. In 1845, Sir John Franklin led a British search for the Northwest Passage. Two years later, the expedition had not returned. It took more than a decade to establish that all crewmembers were dead, and their ships lost. How and why it happened, however, remain a mystery to this day. In this souvenir catalogue, iconic artifacts recovered following the Expedition's disappearance are featured with more recent finds, including the discovery of the HMS Erebus and Terror. Step into the perilous world of 19th century Arctic exploration and see the conditions aboard the Expedition's vessels - from the voyage's confident beginnings to its tragic end. Discover the critical role played by Inuit in revealing the Expedition's end through artifacts and oral histories - crucial pieces in a story that continues to capture our imagination, more than a century and a half later."-- 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(987)"1845/1848"

Champion of the quarterdeck : Admiral Sir Erasmus Gower (1742-1814) /Ian M Bates "Admiral Sir Erasmus Gower is little known today, having never been one to blow his own trumpet. From humble beginnings as a captain's servant in 1755 he rose on his own merit, over more than 50 years, to the top of his profession. Living by old-fashioned values of loyalty and service, Gower's humanity and concern for others gained him the approbation and loyalty of his officers, crews and peers. Although recognised by his contemporaries as a leading navigator, he has been overlooked by historians until now. While many Royal Navy officers achieved fame for leadership, isolated acts of bravery or great discoveries, Gower accomplished a diversified and esteemed career that no other officer in the Georgian Navy could claim to equal. He was explorer, master navigator, commander-in-chief, Governor and diplomat. Having rejected great wealth for the sake of the Navy, he was knighted, conveyed a first-of-its-type diplomatic mission to China, charted unexplored seas, received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and was pivotal in suppressing the Nore mutiny. He sat on the largest court martial in the Navy's history, was appointed Governor of Newfoundland and a full admiral, having personally shared in the capture of more than fifty enemy ships during his career. Every warship in the Age of Sail was a training ground for seamen, and every captain exerted extraordinary influence over his men. While some good men stumbled under oppressive officers, others thrived under thoughtful leadership such as Gower's. A constant supporter of young men of promise, he championed and developed the careers of several of Nelson's 'Band of Brothers' in what latter-day historians have termed 'Nelson's Navy'. Many others followed Gower from ship to ship and subsequently mapped out significant naval careers. As an upright and loyal champion of His Majesty's Navy during a career of remarkable exploits and achievements, Admiral Sir Erasmus Gower is to be celebrated for his unswerving devotion to duty and his training of many who were to follow in his footsteps with integrity and fortitude."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92GOWER

Aurora Australis, 1908-09 / Ernest H. Shackleton, ill. George Marston. Shackleton, Ernest Henry,-Sir, 1908. • RARE-FOLIO • 4 copies available. 910.4(99)"1908/1909":094

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