Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

The Dreadnought and the Edwardian age / edited by Robert Blyth, Andrew Lambert and Jan Rèueger. 2011. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82DREADNOUGHT

Scotland and the sea / Nick Robins. "Scottish engineering, ship-owning and operating, as well as business and entrepreneurial skills, played a major part in the success of the Merchant Navy, while Scottish emigrants took skills to every corner of the world, creating trade and wealth both abroad and at home. In terms of engineering, 'Clyde-built' was the Kite Mark for the shipbuilding industry the world over. Scottish shipowners included household names such as Allan, Anchor, Donaldson and Henderson, while Scotsmen were instrumental in founding and, for much of the time, managing Cunard, British India, P & O, Orient, Glen and many other 'English' companies. The author tells an exhilarating story of energy and inventiveness, describing the remarkable navigational skills of the highlanders and the technological and business skills of the lowlanders, and relates the early development of the steamship, the impact of emigration, the involvement with exploration and the development of trade routes, and the final flowering of the world's last great iron sailing ships. And the evidence is still here, in the Cutty Sark, the Denny test tank at Helensburgh, and the Burrel Collection at Pollock, all reminders of a remarkable story."--Dust jacket. 2014. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 656.61(411)

Torpedo : the complete history of the world's most revolutionary naval weapon /by Roger Branfill-Cook. "The torpedo was the greatest single game-changer in the history of naval warfare. For the first time it allowed any small, cheap torpedo-firing vessel - and by extension a small, minor navy - to threaten the largest and most powerful warships afloat. The traditional concept of seapower, based on huge fleets of expensive capital ships, required radical rethinking. It had long been understood that the most effective way of sinking a ship is to make a hole below the waterline, but centuries of experiments had failed to produce an effective method of achieving this. After many false starts and developmental cul-de-sacs, the answer proved to be the 'locomotive' or self-propelled torpedo, which became a practical proposition in the late nineteenth century. This book is a broad-ranging international history of the weapon, tracing not only its origins and technical progress down to the present day, but also its massive impact on all subsequent naval wars. Torpedo is the first dedicated study of this highly significant subject for over thirty years, a period in which much new information has come to light and the capabilities of the weapon itself have improved beyond recognition. Because of the crucial importance of the torpedo in naval history, this is a book no enthusiast or historian can afford to miss."--Provided by the publisher. 2014. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.946

German raiders of the First World War : Kaiserliche Marine cruisers and the epic chases "As the world plunged into war in August 1914, two German fleets and several cruisers lay beyond the North Sea, posing a serious threat to British merchant vessels and naval superiority. Beyond the British blockade, there was little chance of reinforcements and resupply of ammunition. Admiral Souchon crossed the Mediterranean with a superior French and British fleet in pursuit. Vice-Admiral von Spee had to decide what to do half a world away from Germany with colonies and friendly shipping rapidly being overtaken by Allied forces. With only the ammunition onboard his vessels, he had to fight his way through British lines to get his men home. Karl von Mèuller led the Emden on a daring campaign of commerce raiding as did the commander of the Karlsruhe. Other cruisers also carried out warfare, seriously affecting Allied merchant shipping. However, the Royal Navy spent precious resources to remove these threats and Admiral Craddock swept down the coast of North America chasing phantoms only to find what he was looking for was at Coronel and the Falklands Islands."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.822.34(43)"1914/1918"

British Destroyers 1939-45 : Wartime-built classes /Angus Konstam "As the possibility of war loomed in the 1930s, the British Admiralty looked to update their fleet of destroyers to compete with the new ships being built by Germany and Japan, resulting in the commissioning of the powerful Tribal-class. These were followed by the designing of the first of several slightly smaller ships, which carried fewer guns than the Tribals, but were armed with a greatly enlarged suite of torpedoes. The first of these, the 'J/K/M class' was followed by a number of wartime variants, with slight changes to their weaponry to suit different wartime roles. Designed to combat enemy surface warships, aircraft and U-boats, the British built these destroyers to face off against anything the enemy could throw at them. Using a collection of contemporary photographs and beautiful colour artwork, this is a fascinating new study of the ships that formed the backbone of the Royal Navy during World War II."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • PAMPHLET • 1 copy available. 623.823.1(42)

Endeavour : the ship and the attitude that shaped the western world. "The Enlightenment was an age of endeavours. Britain was consumed by the impulse for grand projects. In 1768 the Royal Navy bought a Whitby collier for an expedition to the South Seas. No one could have guessed she would become the most significant ship in the history of British exploration. Her name was Endeavour. Endeavour was a ship with many lives, famously carrying James Cook on his first great voyage to the Pacific islands. She was there at the Wilkes Riots in London and witnessed the bloody birth of the United States. A Polynesian priest, botanists, the first kangaroo to arrive in Britain and Hessian soldiers were just a few amongst her many passengers. According to Charles Darwin, she helped Cook add a hemisphere to the civilised world. NASA named a space shuttle after her. Yet to others, she was a toxic symbol, responsible for the dispossession and disruption of societies. For the first time, Peter Moore tells Endeavour's complete story, exploring the different lives of this remarkable ship -- from the oak that made her to her rich and complex legacy."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82ENDEAVOUR

Bloody Biscay : the story of the Luftwaffe's only long range maritime fighter unit, V Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 40, and its adversaries 1942-1944 This is an account of of the Luftwaffe's only long-range maritime fighter unit and its battles against the RAF, the US Army Air Force (USAAF) and the US Navy (USN) between July 1942 and August 1944 in the skies above the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France. The book uses personal accounts of German and Allied survivors. The appendices give details of: the unit's commanding officers and aircrew; the 109 known 'kills' matched to Allied losses and the 88 combat losses of the unit, together with the details of those who shot the aircraft down. There is also a list of the 26 aircraft lost in accidents and further aircraft interned in Spain. There are many black and white photographs, mostly of German origin, which have not been published previously. 1997 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.544.9(261.28)

A flight of figureheads : from British warships at The Box, Plymouth /David Pulvertaft. "The perfect accompaniment to the collection of fourteen warship figureheads displayed in the atrium of The Box at Plymouth, this book introduces each of the figureheads, giving details of its design, the ship for which it was carved and the actions it witnessed when serving in the Royal Navy. To put these descriptions into perspective, early chapters tell the story of the development of warship figureheads over the centuries, the evolution of the figurehead collection at Devonport and the work of the figurehead carvers of Plymouth. As most of the figureheads on display come from the Devonport collection, the Directory at the end of the book provides a summary of all the figureheads that have appeared at some time in the collection and their fate."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 736.4

South Thames : Tower Bridge to Thamesmead /compiled by Hilary Heffernan. "The River Thames is changing beyond recognition as newly built or converted apartment blocks take over from old warehouses, wharves and river businesses. Gradually the old river is disappearing and only through the recollections and photographs of those who worked, and still work, on the river can its former, bustling glory be recallled. The author has met and travelled with a variety of river people; watermen, River pilots, ex-tug skippers, rowers, dockers, stevedores, lightmen and even the Royal Navy to acquire the information, the memorabilia and the pictures that make up this book. Rivermen recall times not far distant when there were so many ships in the river, docks and wharves they could walk across their decks from one side of the river to the other! THe river was a way of life that is no longer possible because the docks and ships have all gone, no-one builds barges any more and ships seldom sail above Greenwich with their cargoes. This book is a fascinating collection of old photographs, anecdotes and snippets of history depicting life as it was along the south bank of the Thames, from Tower Bridge to Thamesmead."--Provided by the publisher. 1996. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 942.16

The deadly trade : the complete history of submarine warfare from Archimedes to the present /Iain Ballantyne. "This is a comprehensive account of how an initially ineffectual underwater boat - originally derided and loathed in equal measure - evolved into the most powerful and terrifying vessel ever invented, with enough destructive power to end all life on Earth. Acclaimed naval writer Iain Ballantyne considers the key episodes of submarine warfare and vividly describes the stories of brave individuals who have risked their lives under the sea, often with fatal consequences. His analysis of underwater conflict begins with Archimedes discovering the Principle of Buoyancy. Our clandestine journey then moves through the centuries and focuses on prolific characters with deathly motives, including David Bushnell who in 1775 in America devised the first combat submarine with the idea of attacking the British. Ballantyne also looks at pioneers in the area such as Admiral Jacky Fisher who helped to revolutionise the entire Royal Navy in the early 1900s.The Deadly Trade considers the advances in technology during the twentieth century, which helped to make the submarine one of the most feared arsenals in war. Today, nuclear-powered submarines are among the most complex, costly ships in existence. Armed with nuclear weapons, they have the ability to destroy millions of lives: they are the most powerful warships ever created."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 359.93

Evolution's captain : the tragic fate of Robert Fitzroy, the man who sailed Charles Darwin around the world A biography of Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865). Joining the navy at the age of 12, Fitzroy became a skilled hydrographer and was given command of the Beagle in 1828. This book concentrates on the two voyages undertaken by Fitzroy on the Beagle and their impact on him, particularly in the light of his later suicide. Fitzroy returned from his first voyage to survey the southern coastlines of South America with four Feugian captives with the intention of educating them in Christian values. He returned to South America on the second voyage (1831-1836) with the three surviving Feugians, this time also accompanied by Charles Darwin. On their return to England, Fitzroy, a devout Christian, became increasingly estranged from Darwin as their views on evolutionary theory diverged. Fitzroy was also a Member of Parliament and briefly Governor of New Zealand before his assignment to the new Meteorological Office within the Marine Department of the Board of Trade. Establishing the fundamental techniques of weather observation and early coastal weather stations, his work went largely unrecognised and his daily forecasts were often ridiculed. He died after committing suicide in 1865. 2003 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82BEAGLE

British escort destroyers of the Second World War / Les Brown. "The 'ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject, highlighting differences between ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the subjects, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high=quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. This volume covers the many variations of Royal Navy wartime escort destroyers, both the purpose-built 'Hunt' class and the conversions from older fleet destroyers. The 'Hunts' were built in four groups (Types I to IV), while the old 'V&W' classes were modified to Long Range Escort, Short Range Escort and 'Wair' (anti-aircraft) variants. Also included are the fifty ex-US 'flush-deckers' that became the 'Town' class. With its unparalleled level of visual information - paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs - this book is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build any of these numerous escort types."--Provided by the pulisher. 2022. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 623.812540941

Wings over the waves : Fleet air arm strike leader against Tirpitz, the biography of Lt Cdr Roy Baker-Falkner DSO DSC RN. "This is the biography of one of the Royal Navy's legendary pilots. BF or Daddy as he was known, started his career at Dartmouth and then spent his early seagoing years in Hong Kong, Nagasaki and Hiroshima. His wartime experiences as a Fleet Air pilot aboard HMS Glorious included the historic air strike at Taranto and the search for the Graf Spee. In May 1940 he was loaned to Coastal Command and attacked German Panzer tanks in a biplane, defended Allied troops over Dunkirk and was one of only a few naval officers to fight in the Battle of Britain. After a period as a test pilot at Boscombe Down he became one of only four Wing Leaders in the Royal Navy. His successful leadership lead to many more successes, not least the crippling of Tirpitz as part of a diversionary plan in the lead up to D-Day.He was a superb pilot, loved by all the air and ground crew under his command. His reputation as a fearless and dynamic leader remains a legend today. The book contains detailed and graphic accounts of aerial sorties and strikes throughout the dark days over Nazi Europe. Tragically he was killed in action in July 1944, one week prior to promotion and a job ashore. The book includes many of his letters and extracts from his diary."--Provided by the publisher. 2022. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Jutland letters, June-October 1916 : from Commodore C.E. Le Mesurier RN, 4th Light Squadron ('John Jellicoe's own') to his wife Florence, from the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow with a recollection by their son, E.K. Le Mesurier RN, Captain of the HMS Belfast 1948-1950 /edited by Harriet Bachrach ; foreward by Major General Julian Thompson CB OBE. The letters of Commodore C. E. Le Mesurier, Commander of HMS Calliope, written to his wife from 1 June 1916 - 17 October 1917 following the Battle of Jutland and edited by his granddaughter. The 4th Light Cruiser Squadron consisted of HMS Calliope, Caroline, Constance, Comus and Royalist. The letters sent from HMS Calliope provide an insight into the naval actions taken at Jutland and include a list of those injured and killed on board, with their addresses so that Florence Le Mesurier could write to members of their families. The letters also provide an insight into life in the Royal Navy at the time as well as social history. 2006. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92LEMESURIER

Scrimgeour's small scribbling diary, 1914-1916 : the truly astonishing wartime diary and letters of an Edwardian gentleman, naval officer, boy and son /compiled by Richard Hallam and Mark Benyon. An edited volume of the First World War diary and letters of Alexander Scrimgeour, who served in the Royal Navy until his death in 1916 in HMS Invincible, aged 19. The book provides considerable insight into the daily life of a junior naval officer in wartime, both on and off duty, described with considerable candour. Includes 16 pages of black and white plates, and a number of Alexander's own black and white illustrations. 2008. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92SCRIMGEOUR"1914/1916"

Blue versus Orange : the U.S. Naval War College, Japan, and the old enemy in the Pacific, 1945-1946 /Hal M. Friedman. "Blue versus Orange: The U.S. Naval War College, Japan, and the Old Enemy in the Pacific, 1945-1946, by Hal M. Friedman, closely analyzes war gaming at the Naval War College in the academic year 1945-46, as both a reflection and source of the U.S. Navy's doctrinal and strategic responses to the experience of World War II - responses that would help the Navy shape its approach to the Cold War. The book describes in fascinating detail the practice of war gaming at the Naval War College in that era."--Provided by the publisher. 2013 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.49"1945/1946"(73:52)

Through ice and fire : a Russian Arctic Convoy diary 1942 /Leona J. Thomas "Leonard H. Thomas embarked on the Russian Arctic convoys in 1942, keeping a secret notebook from which he later wrote his memoirs. His writing contained many well-observed tales of life aboard his ship, HMS Ulster Queen, and detailed the hardships that he and his fellow men faced. They endured long hours at action stations, locked in the engine room, ensuring the ship ploughed on despite being under fire from the skies above and the sea below; they were only able to guess at what was happening outside from the terrifying cacophony of noise. Thomas tells of how the men suffered from an appalling food shortage, the intense cold, and the stark conditions as they sailed from a rainy Belfast to the freezing, unforgiving, and unknown shores of Archangelsk in northern Russia. Thomas's account also offers insight into the morale of the men, and how they used their humour to keep going under the constant threat of succumbing to a watery grave. Once berthed in Archangelsk, the approaching winter and the frosty Russian attitudes towards the British Navy brought more problems. Thomas's daughter, Leona, has collected and edited his writings to form a poignant account of these convoys, one with unparalleled depth and emotion. This has ensured that Leonard's story can now be told in a manner which illustrates the fortitude and bravery of the men who sailed through ice and fire, so far from home, to aid the war effort."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542.1(47)

Pacific crucible : war at sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 /Ian W. Toll. "On the first Sunday in December 1941, an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later, in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss, a blow that destroyed the offensive power of their fleet. Pacific Crucible tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history and seized the strategic initiative. This dramatic narrative, relying predominantly on eyewitness accounts and primary sources, is laced with riveting details of heroism and sacrifice on the stricken ships and planes of both navies. At the war's outset, Japan's pilots and planes enjoyed a clear-cut superiority to their American counterparts, but there was a price to be paid. Japanese pilots endured a lengthy and grueling training in which they were disciplined with baseball bats, often suffering broken bones; and the production line of the Zero - Japan's superbly maneuverable fighter plane - ended not at a highway or railhead but at a rice paddy, through which the planes were then hauled on ox carts. Combat losses, of either pilots or planes, could not be replaced in time to match the fully mobilized American war machine. Pacific Crucible also spotlights recent scholarship that revises our understanding of the conflict, including the Japanese decision to provoke a war that few in their highest circles thought they could win. Those doubters included the flamboyantly brilliant Admiral Isokoru Yamamoto, architect of the raid on Pearl and the Midway offensive. Once again, Ian W. Toll proves himself to be a simply magnificent writer. The result here is a page-turning history that does justice to the breadth and depth of a tremendous subject."--Provided by the publisher. [2012]. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542.6

In the hurricane's eye : the genius of George Washington and the victory at Yorktown /Nathaniel Philbrick. "In the fall of 1780, after five frustrating years of war, George Washington had come to realize that the only way to defeat the British Empire was with the help of the French navy. But as he had learned after two years of trying, coordinating his army's movements with those of a fleet of warships based thousands of miles away was next to impossible. And then, on September 5, 1781, the impossible happened. Recognized today as one of the most important naval engagements in the history of the world, the Battle of the Chesapeake--fought without a single American ship--made the subsequent victory of the Americans at Yorktown a virtual inevitability. In a narrative that moves from Washington's headquarters on the Hudson River, to the wooded hillside in North Carolina where Nathanael Greene fought Lord Cornwallis to a vicious draw, to Lafayette's brilliant series of maneuvers across Tidewater Virginia, Philbrick details the epic and suspenseful year through to its triumphant conclusion. A riveting and wide-ranging story, full of dramatic, unexpected turns, In the Hurricane's Eye reveals that the fate of the American Revolution depended, in the end, on Washington and the sea."--Jacket flap. [2018] • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.49"1781"(755)

Arctic interlude : Independent to North Russia /Harry C. Hutson. "Arctic Interlude is the full account of a disastrous Allied Arctic operation to send merchant ships independently to North Russia from Iceland. This book tells the true story of Operation FB and in doing so fills a neglected gap in the published history of the Arctic sea war. There is a strong human element throughout, from personal recollections of those involved. The story concerns the fortunes and misfortunes of thirteen merchant ships and their crews attempting to reach North Russia in late October/early November 1942. The ships were spaced some 200 miles apart and no escort was provided. Seven of these ships were British, five American and one was Russian. Five reached Russia safely - two British and three American. Five were sunk or lost en route - three British, one American and the Russian vessel. Three were forced to return to Iceland - two British and one American. Four Royal Navy anti-submarine trawlers were stationed along the proposed route between the North Cape of Iceland and the South Cape of Spitzbergen. Two Allied submarines, one British and the other Dutch, were stationed near the South Cape of Spitzbergen. Four other anti-submarine trawlers, two British and two Russian were sailed from North Russian ports to cover the Barents Sea area. Two Russian submarines were deployed to the east of Spitzbergen as part of this operation. The decision to attempt such an operation was due to the fact that after the heavy losses sustained by the previous two convoys to North Russia, PQ-17 and PQ-18, further convoy sailings were to be stopped for three months. Stalin did not accept that these were good enough reasons to stop sending him supplies. This operation - code-named Operation FB - was an effort to placate him. Material for the book has been gathered from sources in the United Kingdom, the United States, the USSR, Norway and Germany."--Provided by the publisher. 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.54/293

Samuel Pepys and the strange wrecking of the Gloucester : a true restoration tragedy /Nigel Pickford. "In 1682, Charles II invited his scandalous younger brother, James, Duke of York, to return from exile and take his rightful place as heir to the throne. To celebrate, the future king set sail in a fleet of eight ships destined for Edinburgh, where he would reunite with his young pregnant wife. Yet disaster struck en route, somewhere off the Norfolk coast. The royal frigate carrying James and his entourage sank, causing some two hundred sailors and courtiers to perish. The diarist Samuel Pepys had been asked to sail with James but refused the invitation, preferring to travel in one of the other ships. Why? What did he know that others did not? Religious and political tensions were rife in the years leading up to the wreck of the Gloucester. James was a Catholic, as was his wife, and there was a large constituency who wished them dead. Plots and conspiracies abounded. The Royal Navy was itself in disarray, badly equipped and poorly organised. Could someone on board be to blame for the sinking, either from malice or incompetence? Nigel Pickford's compelling account of the catastrophe draws on a richness of historical material including letters, diaries and ships' logs, revealing for the first time the full drama and tragic consequences of a shipwreck that shook Restoration Britain."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.452

Discovering the North-West Passage : the four-year Arctic odyssey of H.M.S. Investigator and the McClure Expedition /Glenn M. Stein. The story of HMS Investigator and the voyage undertaken by Vice-Admiral Robert McClure (1807-1873) in 1850-1854 to search for the missing Franklin expedition which had disappeared in 1848. McClure was born in Ireland and joined the Royal Navy in 1824, obtaining his first polar experience in HMS Terror in 1836. He joined an early expedition to find the Franklin expedition in 1848 and then in 1850 accompanied HMS Enterprise, under the command of Richard Collinson, on a further search. The two ships were separated in a storm, never to meet up again. McClure continued through the Bering Strait but was eventually forced to abandon the ship after she became icebound in Mercy Bay in 1853. The crew continued overland finally meeting up with HMS Resolute and HMS Intrepid, also searching for Franklin from the opposite direction. The text is supported by a detailed bibliography, notes and appendices which include the crew list of HMS Investigator and detail the creation of the Polar Medal. [2015]. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(987)"1850/1854"

British ships in China seas : 1700 to the present day /edited by Richard Harding, Adrian Jarvis and Alston Kennerley. "Papers presented at a conference held at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in September 2002, organised jointly by the Society for Nautical Research and National Museums on Merseyside"--T.p. 2004. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 382(42:51)

Line of position navigation : Sumner and Saint Hilaire the two pillars of modern celestial navigation /by Michel Vanvaerenbergh and Peter Ifland. "This book is a unique, concise resource for the history of the development of Line of Position navigation techniques from their invention in the 1840s to the end of the twentieth century. The point of crossing of two or three Lines of Position plotted on a chart quickly and accurately gives a fix of the navigator's position. We owe two nineteenth century navigators for the creation of the basic concepts of celestial navigation we still use today - Thomas H. Sumner, an American merchant captain, and Marcq Saint-Hilaire, capitaine de frâegates in the French navy. This book describes the new techniques they derived from their personal knowledge and experience."--Provided by the publisher. 2003. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 527.09

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