Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

The age of Invincible : the ship that defined the modern Royal Navy /Nick Childs. "The story of HMS Invincible, a ship whose eventful life story, it is argued, embodies that of the Royal Navy itself during the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st. From her conception and design, through her various deployments (including the Falklands) and her evolving role and technical adaptation to meet changing strategic requirements, her fluctuating fortunes have been intertwined with those of the Royal Navy as a whole. Now, as a new breed of carriers is being commissioned to replace her, this thoroughly researched analysis of her career is the perfect platform from which to ask the important questions regarding the future role of the Royal Navy and Britain's place in the world."--Provided by the publisher. 2009. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82INVINCIBLE

Victory : from fighting the Armada to Trafalgar and beyond /Iain Ballantyne & Jonathan Eastland. There is no more illustrious warship name in British naval history than HMS Victory, which is inextricably linked with Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. In 1805 the most famous Victory was the scene of Nelson's greatest triumph and also his death. She is today preserved at Portsmouth as the oldest commissioned warship in the world. Less well known is that six previous warships also carried the name. The first Victory was Sir John Hawkins' flagship during the Battle of the Armada in 1588 while the loss of the sixth in 1744 was considered a national tragedy. All manner of maritime life is included in this book, from piracy in the Azores to gentlemanly encounters between fleets and the battle of annihilation that was Trafalgar. The full horror, majesty and thunder of naval strategy and warfare in the age of fighting sail are all revealed via first-hand accounts of the action and key events. The post-Trafalgar career of Victory is also studied, including her part in destroying Napoleon's hopes of conquering Russia. We also learn how HMS Victory was saved for the British nation and the world. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.82VICTORY

Midway : dauntless victory :fresh perspectives on America's seminal naval victory of World War II /by Peter C. Smith. "This is an in-depth study of the battle of Midway that reviews the many previous accounts and compares their accuracy and veracity with fresh documentation that has been released recently, including some new material on the post-war analysis made by a select committee. There are new viewpoints on the muddle among the US Admirals; the total failure of the USAAF, despite elaborate claims; views on a whitewash of Admiral Fletcher and others; fresh thinking on the part played by the US Navy Dauntless dive-bombers in the action; the mystery of the carrier Saratoga's presence; Hollywood's totally wrong take on the battle in all the films since made about it; some new eyewitness material the author has obtained and information from Japanese sources not previously used. The Appendices will include statistical details - the ships, the planes and the men."--Provided by the publisher. 2007. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542.6"1942"

Battleships of the world : Struggle for naval supremacy /John Fidler "The battleships of the world's navies in the 1820s were descended directly in line from the Revenge of 1577: they were wooden-built, sail-powered and mounted guns on the broadside, firing solid shot. In the next half century, steel, steam and shells had wrought a transformation and by 1906, Dreadnought had ushered in a revolution in naval architecture. The naval race between Britain and Germany that followed, led to the clash of the navies at Jutland in 1916. Though this was indecisive, the German navy never again challenged the Grand Fleet of Britain during the war, and eventually the crews refused to put to sea again. Disarmament on a massive scale followed, but the battleship was still regarded as the arbiter of sea-power in the years between the wars. However, the advocates of air power were looking to the future, and when in 1940 biplane Swordfish torpedo bombers of the Fleet Air Arm sank three Italian battleships at their moorings in Taranto, the Japanese sensed their opportunity. Their attack on the American Pacific fleet base at Pearl Harbor sank eight battleships - but the American carriers were at sea, and escaped destruction. Given the distances involved, the Pacific war was necessarily a carrier war, and in the major actions of the Coral Sea, Midway, Leyte Gulf and the Philippine Sea, all the fighting was done by aircraft, with battleships reduced to a supporting role. Soon after the war ended, most were sent for scrap, and a naval tradition had come to an end. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.821.2"1820/1945"

By hellship to Hiroshima / Terence Kelly. This book describes the author's experiences as a prisonor of war in the Far East during the Second World War. He had been flying Hurricanes against the Japanese in Singapore, Sumatra and Java when he was taken prisoner in 1942 and transported to Japan in the notorious freighter Dai Nichi Maru. Many prisonors died on the voyage due to the appalling conditions on board. On arrival at a prison camp on the island of Innoshima, in the district of Hiroshima, he was set to work at the Hitachi shipyards; this provided Kelly and his fellow captives with the opportunity to carry out acts of sabotage. The bombing of Innoshima by the British and Americans is vividly described and there is a brief reference to the dropping of the atom bomb. The epilogue covers his return to Hiroshima in 1998 as part of a British Legion delegation to Japan. There are some illustrations and black and white photographs and a name index. 2006. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.547.2

Churchill's thin grey line : British merchant ships at war 1939-1945 /Bernard Edwards "The first British casualties of the Second World War were not members of either the Royal Navy, the Army or the Royal Air Force but British merchant seamen on the liner Athenia, torpedoed by U-30 on 3 September 1939. For the duration of the War, Britain's merchant fleet performed a vital role, carrying the essential supplies that kept the country running during the darkest days and then made victory possible. Their achievements came at a terrible cost with 2,535 British oceangoing merchant ships being sunk and, of the 185,000 men and women serving in the British Merchant Navy at the time, 36,749 sacrificed their lives. A further 4,707 were wounded and 5,720 ended up in prisoner of war camps. Their casualty rate of 25 percent was second only to RAF Bomber Command's. Using casebook examples, this well researched book tells the inspiring story of those brave civilian volunteers who fought so gallantly to defend their ships and the cargoes."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545:656.61(42)

Captain John Smith, adventurer : Piracy, Pocahontas and Jamestown /R.E. Pritchard. "Captain John Smith is best remembered for his association with Pocahontas, but this was only a small part of an extraordinary life filled with danger and adventure. As a soldier, he fought the Turks in Eastern Europe, where he beheaded three Turkish adversaries in duels. He was sold into slavery, then murdered his master to escape. He sailed under a pirate flag, was shipwrecked and marched to the gallows to be hanged, only to be reprieved at the eleventh hour. All this before he was thirty years old. He was one of the founders of the English settlement at Jamestown, where he faced considerable danger from the natives as well as from within the faction-ridden settlement itself. In fact, were it not for Smith's leadership, the Jamestown colony would surely have failed. Yet Smith was a far more ambitious explorer and soldier of fortune than these tales suggest. This swashbuckling Elizabethan adventurer was resourceful, intelligent and outspoken, with a vision of what America could become. In this riveting book, R.E. Pritchard tells the rip-roaring story of a remarkable man who refused to give in."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 973.21092

The Royal Navy in action : art from Dreadnought to Vengeance /John Fairley. "At the turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries, with the British Empire encompassing the globe, the Royal Navy indisputably ruled the waves. Times change but the magnificence and drama of warships at sea, whether in peace or war, remain an inspiration to artists. This fine book brings together a collection of superb art works which bear witness to the majesty of these mighty ships in action and, at the same time, are a memorial to the dangers, heroism and victories at sea. The reader is treated to a feast of the finest maritime paintings depicting the Royal Navy's dramatic confrontations of the last 120 years. Masters such as Norman Wilkinson, Richard Eurich and William Wyllie cover the two World Wars. Other works illustrate the crucial role of the Navy in the Falklands War and the latest aircraft carriers are also represented. The author draws on his own naval service experience to describe the background to, and significance of, the ships and conflicts that these paintings so vividly record."--Provided by the publisher. 2022. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 758.99

A Falkland islander's wartime journal : surviving the siege /Graham Bound. "Port Stanley was the tiny capital of a British colony known to few beyond the world of stamp collecting. But then, suddenly, in April 1982, it was the place-name on everyone's lips. The outcome of a war, for which Britain had mobilised its most powerful task force since 1945, would be decided by the flag which flew over the corrugated iron and timber cottages of Stanley. The town became the epicentre of a ferocious conflict. Many islanders left the town following the invasion. But a few hundred remained. Among them was Graham Bound, who was then the editor of the Islands' only newspaper. This book is based on his journal, written during the occupation and siege. Such was the intensity of the fighting for the town, that the Ministry of Defence in London announced that it would be on the receiving end of 'the heaviest artillery bombardment since the Korean War'. The journals were stored, untouched and unread, for 39 years, before the author rediscovered them and prepared them for publication. Among the notebooks were unprocessed photographs that he took at the time. Some of these never-before seen photos are published in this book. This is a detailed account of the Falklands war, in particular the siege of Stanley, from an islander's point of view."--Provided by the publisher 2022. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 997.11024092

The band that went to war : the Royal Marines band in the Falklands War /Brian Short. "The Royal Marines are renowned for their military skill and also for having one of the finest military bands in the world. These highly trained and talented musicians are equally at home parading at Buckingham Palace, playing at the Royal Albert Hall, or on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in a foreign port. Why then when the Argentines invaded the Falklands in April 1982 did these superb musicians get involved in what became a serious and deadly military campaign? The answer is that, in addition to their musical expertise, the RM Band Service members are trained for military service and fully qualified in a multitude of military and medical skills, providing support to their comrades, the fighting commandos. The Band That Went to War is a graphic first-hand account of the Falklands War as it has never been told before. It describes the roles played by Royal Marine musicians in the conflict; unloading the wounded from helicopters, moving tons of stores and ammunition, burying their dead at sea and guarding and repatriating Argentine prisoners of war. These and other unseen tasks were achieved while still ready to provide morale boosting music to their commando brethren and other frontline troops. These men are not just musicians; they are Royal Marines."--Provided by the publisher. 2021. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 997.11024

Running the gaunlet : cargo liners under fire 1939-1945 /Bernard Edwards. "The British Merchant Navy dominated the world trade routes in the years leading up to the Second World War. The star players of the fleet were the cargo liners, faster and larger than the tramps and offering limited passenger accommodation. On the outbreak of war these cargo liners became crucial to the nation's survival using their speed and expertise to evade Nazi warships, raiders and U-boats. Initially operating alone, but increasingly relying on Royal Navy protected convoys, these key elements of the Merchant Navy plied the oceans and seas despite mounting losses, throughout the war years. This superbly researched book describes numerous dramatic incidents. Some ended in disaster such as the New Zealand Shipping Company's Turakina which was sunk after a running battle with the German raider Orion. Others were triumphs for example Operation Substance when six fast cargo liners succeeded against all the odds in reaching besieged Malta with vital supplies. The common denominations in all these historic voyages were the courage and skilled seamanship of the Merchant Navy crews. As Running The Gauntlet vividly illustrates, their contribution to victory, too long overlooked, cannot be overstated."--Provided by the publisher. 2022. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545941

Aircraft carriers of the United States Navy : rare photographs from wartime archives. "In 1922 the US Navy commissioned its first small experimental aircraft carrier. This was followed into service by two much larger and capable carriers in 1927 with five more being built prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor including three large Yorktown class. To take the offensive against the Japanese Navy, the American Congress funded by far the largest carrier building programme in history based on the Essex class, a larger version of the pre-war Yorktown vessels. Of the twenty-six ordered, fourteen were commissioned in time to see Second World War service. These were joined by many smaller classes of carriers, including light carriers and escort carriers. Post-war ever larger and more capable carriers were commissioned. Since 1975, when the first of a fleet of ten nuclear-powered Nimitz class carriers was commissioned, they have epitomized United States superpower status and worldwide power projection. These are due to be replaced in the decades to come with the even more sophisticated nuclear-powered Gerald R. Ford class. Compiled and written by Michael Green, Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy contains superb images of all the different types of classes of carriers employed by the US Navy since 1922. These and its highly informative text and captions give the reader a broad overview of this fascinating subject."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.822.7(73)"19"

The U-boat war in the Atlantic / ed. by Bob Carruthers. Carruthers, Bob 2013. • BOOK • 3 copies available. 940.545.1(43)"1939/1945"

The war of the gun boats / Bryan Cooper. "This book traces the history and development of the gun boats from their first limited use in World War I to the fast motor boats designed in the 1930s for wealthy private clients and water speed record attempts. With account of the battles which took place during the World War II, when the vital importance of coastal waters came to be recognized, it captures the drama of this highly individual form of combat."--Provided by the publisher. 2009. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.824"19"

Dover and Folkestone during the Great War / Michael and Christine George. "For centuries the south coast of Kent - in particular the ports of Dover and Folkestone - have been England's front line, as her enemies have planned invasions and launched attacks from just across the Channel. During the Great War of 1914-1918 these two towns were again vulnerable to enemy action, and they played a vital role in war effort. As this well-researched and highly illustrated book shows, the people of the Channel Ports suffered from bombardment by air and sea. They also played a significant role in the experience of the men who fought in the Great War. For the humble soldier, this stretch of coastline had a personal meaning - it represented 'Blighty'. It might be the last thing the departing Tommy would see of his country and, for a soldier returning wounded or on leave, the White Cliffs on the horizon were his first glimpse of home."--Provided by the publisher. 2008. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940(410.112)"1914/1918"

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)

The Royal naval air service in the first world war : Aircraft and events as recorded in official documents. "This book makes five original documents relating to the work of Britain's Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during the First World War readily available to students and historians. To enhance visual interest a large collection of photographs, many hitherto unpublished, has been added. Some of these relate directly to the aircraft and events mentioned in the documents, but others show developments before and after the periods covered. The five documents concerned are the Diary of Important Operations, Flanders, 1916; Disposition of Aircraft, 24 February, 1917; Royal Naval Air Service Communiques Nos 1 to 14; Truing-up of Aeroplanes: Issued by the Air Department on 1 September 1916; and The Grain drawings, a unique set of sketches and drawings made by a draughtsman at the RNAS seaplane repair station at Port Victoria, Isle of Grain, in Kent during the Great War. All of these documents offer an array of fascinating insight into Royal Naval Air Service practices during the Great War. Much of the content on display has never been printed before. This unique treasure trove of visual reference is sure to appeal to all serious First World War historians, students and enthusiasts"-- Provided by the publisher. 2015. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 359.38(42)

13 Sharks The Careers of a Series of Small Royal Navy Ships, from the Glorious Revolution to D-day. /John D Grainger "John D Grainger charts the careers of the thirteen vessels that have served the Royal Navy under the name HMS Shark. Despite the ferocious name, they have all been relatively small vessels including one brigantine, five sloops, one Sixth Rate, a gunvessel, four destroyers and a submarine. Collectively they therefore give a good representation of the various roles of these types, which receive far less attention than larger, more glamorous ships. Furthermore, as the first entered service in 1699 and the last was sunk in 1944 (having the dubious distinction of being the only Allied vessel lost on D-Day), they illustrate the changes and continuities in the Royal Navy and war at sea across almost 250 years. In each case the author considers the origin of the ship, the purpose for which it was designed and employed, its captains and where possible its crew, as well as the activities of the ship itself and its final fate; in addition background information of a general nature is included as a necessary context for those actions."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 629.123"1699/1944"SHARK

The Decoys : A tale of three Atlantic convoys 1942 /Bernard Edwards "In November 1942, Britain and America launched Operation TORCH, the ambitious invasion of French North African colonies of Morocco and Algeria. To convey 70,000 troops and their equipment required 350 merchant ships crossing the U-boat infested North Atlantic from the USA and 250 more sailing south from British ports. The need for a high level of protection for these meant withdrawing large numbers of escorts from the routine trade convoys. Amongst those left without adequate defence were RB 1 and SC 107, both eastbound from America, and SL 125, northbound from Freetown. All three were at sea at the same time as the TORCH convoys. Predictably, Admiral Donitz threw the full weight of his 140 Atlantic U-boat fleet against the now vulnerable trade convoys, which between them lost thirty-one ships and 792 men. While this unprecedented massacre was in progress, the troop-carrying convoys slipped miraculously through entirely without incident. There is nothing on record to say that RB 1, SC 107 and SL 125 were sacrificed to ensure the safe passage of the TORCH convoys but this superbly researched book sets out to examine the truth behind the rumours."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.542.3

Taming the Atlantic : the history of man's battle with the world's toughest ocean /Dag Pike. "The Atlantic Ocean has been and remains an often deadly challenge to mankind. This delightful and informative book chronicles the history of attempt to cross its hostile surface from the early days of sail to the most recent record breaking attempts in small ultra-fast craft. In between there have been fascinating sagas connected to pioneering discovery, the slave trade, mass emigration, the glamour and luxury of the famous shipping lines and war. The Atlantic has often been the testing ground for the latest technology and design. All this and more, such as navigation techniques and advance weather forecasting are covered. Despite mans best and most ingenious efforts all too often the Worlds toughest ocean comes out on top and, while it is today a major trade route, it remains one of the most daunting maritime challenges."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 656.61(261)

Dictionary of coastal command : 1939-1945 /Geoff Simpson "An alphabetical account of the part played by the 'Kipper Fleet' during the Second World War. Coastal Command often lacked resources compared with other home commands, giving it its other nickname of the 'Cinderella Service'. Its main role was defensive -- that of protecting Britain's vital seaborne supply lines in home waters as well as in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and around the coasts of Africa. Coastal Command also acted in an offensive capacity, particularly in the so-called 'Battle of the Barges' in 1940 which helped deter Hitler from invading the UK, and in the Mediterranean and the Baltic, attacking German shipping. Coastal Command, however, is most usually remembered for the war against the U-boats, one that was eventually won. From A to Z this well-illustrated book tells the story of the gallantry, the achievements, the losses, the VCs, the aircraft and much else about RAF Coastal Command."--Provided by the pulisher. 2017 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.544.9(42)(038)

Climate change: an archaeological study : how our prehistoric ancestors responded to global warming /John D Grainger. "How did our ancestors face climate change? Their response to the problem was not to attempt to stop climate change but was experimental and technological in finding ways to cope with it. Global warming is among the most urgent problems facing the world today. Yet many commentators, and even some scientists, discuss it with reference only to the changing climate of the last century or so. John Grainger takes a longer view and draws on the archaeological evidence to show how our ancestors faced up to the ending of the last Ice Age, arguably a more dramatic climate change crisis than the present one. Ranging from the Paleolithic down to the development of agriculture in the Neolithic, the author shows how human ingenuity and resourcefulness allowed them to adapt to the changing conditions in a variety of ways as the ice sheets retreated and water levels rose. Different strategies, from big game hunting on the ice, nomadic hunter gathering, sedentary foraging and finally farming, were developed in various regions in response to local conditions as early man colonized the changing world. The human response to climate change was not to try to stop it, but to embrace technology and innovation to cope with it."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. txt

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.

Maritime London : an historical journey in pictures and words /Anthony Burton "The book looks at London's maritime history from the establishment of Roman Londinium to the present day. It discusses many different aspects of life on the Thames and its connecting waterways and canals. There was a time when the River Thames was the main highway for the city, when watermen plied their trade carrying passengers and goods in a wide variety of craft, ranging from rowing boats to sailing barges. The Thames was also, for many centuries, a major ship building centre, and the story includes the construction of some iconic vessels from Henry VIII's flagship Henri Grace âa Dieu to Isambard Brunel's great steamship the SS Great Eastern. London was also until recently the country's most important port. In the days of sail, the Port of London was crowded with vessels and it was not until the nineteenth century that major enclosed docks were built, a process that continued into the early years of the twentieth century. The early nineteenth century also saw London connected to the rest of England through a network of canals. Other topics covered include the lifeboat service, river fire fighting forces and the river police. The result is a colourful pageant that highlights the vital role that London's waterways played in the life of the capital."--Provided by the publisher. 2022. • FOLIO • 1 copy available.

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