Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development, 1923-1945 - Hardcover

Brown, D. K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1861761368 ISBN 13: 9781861761361

Publisher: Chatham Publishing, 2000

Synopsis

In this third and final volume in his series on British warship development, David Brown brings an account of the Royal Navy's response to the restrictions placed on it by the Washington Naval Treaties in the inter-war years, and the construction of the fleet with which the Navy fought the Second World War. He focusses on the principal pre-war developments such as the first purpose-built aircraft carriers and the growing perception of the threat of air attack to warships. All the wartime construction programmes are covered, such as the massive expansion in escort ships to counter the U-boat menace, and the development of the amphibious warfare fleet for the D-Day landings in 1944. Full analysis is also provided of the experience of wartime damage, as well as the once top secret pre- and post-war damage trials.

About this title

Review

This book covers two very different periods - the post First World War period of limited budgets and limits imposed by naval treaties, followed by the period of re-armament and wartime construction, when time and resources were the main limit. The ship's service careers aren't really the main topic of this book, but they are mentioned in two contexts: for most classes a brief examination of their effectiveness is included; second when some aspect of their service career relates to their design (the loss of the Ark Royal as a case study of damage control for example). This is a splendid book, written by someone who worked in this area (and who actually served in some of the ships under discussion earlier in his career). It should be an essential part of the library of anyone interested in naval warfare. www.historyofwar.org Throughout david gives us personal anecodotes from his own time as a designer, and injects the text with his great humour to help leaven what could otherwise seem a heavy topic. Marine News

About the Author

D K BROWN led a distinguished career as a naval architect, retiring in 1988 as Deputy Chief Naval Architect of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors. He published widely on the subject of warship design and built a reputation as a clear and brilliant commentator on the development of the ships of the Royal Navy. He died in 2008.

Edition details

• Publisher: Chatham Publishing
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1861761368
• ISBN 13: 9781861761361
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224