<p>This volume chronicles the battleship from its reign as arbiter of sea power in the early twentieth century to its defeat at the hands of air power in the battles of World War II.</p>

Eclipse of the Big Gun

Robert Gardiner

Chrysalis Books

Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947-1982, Part 2: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations [Mar 01, 1984] Robert Gardiner

Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947-1982, Part 2: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations

Engineering & Transportation

Engineering

Naval_Institute_Press

For thousands of years organized naval warfare was the exclusive preserve of the galley. Oars provided a level of control and maneuverabilty beyond the capabilities of the contemporary sailing ship, and not experienced again until the era of the screw propeller. Precise control allowed squadrons and fleets to operate together, as a unit, which promoted the evolution of earlier fighting tactics. However, for fleets to be more effective than collections of individual vessels, they needed training and organization, from which the first state-funded navies were to develop.  THE AGE OF THE GALLEY charts this development from the earliest paleolitic crafts, some of which were paddled rather than rowed, to the classical trireme and its Roman and Byzantine successors. However, as a warship, the galley survived the coming of the three-masted sailing ship and even adapted itself to gunpowder artillery, so later chapters are devoted to the medieval and Renaissance fleets that served the later maritime powers in the Mediterranean.  The principal historical chapters are backed by more general sections on the design and oar system of galleys, on the organization and infrastructure of galley fleets, and on non-military applications of the galley. With the recent trials of the Greek Navy's reconstructed trireme, this volume has been able to take advantage of much new research; the upsurge in interest in these crafts makes the publication of this work particularly welcome. Lavishly illustrated, THE AGE OF THE GALLEY includes over 65 black-and-white photos, over 200 illustrations and 15 tables.

The Age of the Galley: Mediterranean Oared Vessels Since Pre-Classical Times (Conway's History of the Ship)

Transportation

Trafalgar, the most famous and most strategically significant victory in the age of sail, was not an isolated event. Rather it was the culmination of a campaign that began as soon as war was resumed in May 1803 and aimed ultimately at the invasion of Great Britain. To thisend Napoleon attempted by ruse and elaborately disguised manoeuvres to bring his scattered and blockaded squadrons together for long enough to give him command of the Channel, which he fondly believed was all that was necessary to ensure a successful landing.Therefore, this period becomes a perfect demonstration of the workings of seapower and reveals that, however great a strategic genius on land, Napoleon never really grasped the principles ofBritish maritime defense, gleaned as it was from over two hundred years’ experience. This isnot to say that the invasion threat was treated lightly, although some of the rumored devicesbelong to the world of science fiction’ on the other hand the anti-invasion operations includedthe first use of such futuristic weapons as torpedoes and rockets. Little of the naval warfare of this period is not in some way connected with the main campaign, and this volume is devoted to the great wars of 1793-1815, charts all the major naval events of 1803 to 1805, includingAmerica’s first full-bloodied naval war, with the Barbary States.

The Campaign of Trafalgar, 1803-1805

History

Europe

Mercury Books

Forgetting the set backs of the American Revolutionary War, in 1793 the Royal Navy embarked on an almost unprecedented era of victories at sea, producing a considerable appetite for pictures of every incident, great or small. A thriving trade in prints and engravings grew up, supplemented by watercolors and oils by celebrated artists. Besidesthese ‘public’ works, many officers--and indeed members of the lower deck--kept personal journals and sketchbooks, illustrated with surprisingly accomplished drawings and watercolors, often depicting the everyday aspects of wartime life at sea that were ignored inthe more celebratory artistic media. These sources form a rich vein that have been barely touched in previous publications, but which this book uses to full effect.Despite numerous defeats, the French navy continued to dispute command of the sea in the period 1793-1797, and the early years of the war abound with fleet engagements, including dramatic victories against the Spanish at St. Vincent and the Dutch at Camperdown, betweenwhich the navy endured the shocking events of the Great Mutiny, potentially the most dangerous moment of the whole war.

Fleet Battle And Blockade: The French Revolutionary War 1793-1797

Between 1793 and 1815 two decades of unrelenting naval warfare raised the sailing man of war to the zenith of its effectiveness as a weapon of war. Every significant seapower was involved in this conflict, and at some point virtually all of them were arrayed against Great Britain. A large number of enemy warships were captured in battle, making them of interest to British artists, engravers and printmakers, while the Admiralty ordered accurate draughts to be made of many of these prizes. Consequently, for this era the ships of all navies, not just British, can be illustrated by an unprecedented variety of paintings, drawings, models or plans.rnrnThis book reproduces many of the best (and least familiar) images of the ships, chosen for their accuracy, detail and sheer visual power in an extra-large format that does full justice to the images themselves. These are backed by an authoritative text that looks at how the ships were used by the different navies, and explains the function and development of the apparently bewildering array of rates and types. It is a book that anyone with an interest in wooden warships will find both enlightening and a pleasure to peruse.

Warships of the Napoleonic Era

PEN SWORD BOOKS

Nelson Against Napoleon: From the Nile to Copenhagen, 1798-1801 (Chatham Pictorial Histories)

Chatham

For every naval officer, in fiction or reality, the frigate was the most sought after command. As dashing as a modern destroyer, the frigate offered the excitement of independent service with the prospect of a glorious single-ship battle or a fortune to be made in prize money. Their actions have been the stuff of history and sea fiction for generations, but the ships themselves are hardly documented at all. This book fills that gap with comprehensive descriptions of the design, construction, armament and fitting of individual classes, as well as the factors that influenced their development and the roles they were expected to perform. Supporting the narrative are detailed lists on all classes, including the prizes captured from opposing French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, and American navies and comparative aspects like performance under sail. Based on extensive new research, the author goes beyond the frigate's specifications to background issues like the construction experiments prior to the adoption of the Seppings' diagonal system, and the improvements to guns, mounting, and powder during the wars of 1793-1815. This handsome large-format volume is fully illustrated with original plans, photographs of models, and contemporary prints. It will be a rich addition to any maritime bookshelf and provide first-time readers of this genre with an in-depth look at a sailing vessel steeped in naval lore.

Frigates of the Napoleonic Wars

Science & Math

Technology

Chatham Pub.

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Books by Robert Gardiner