Download or read book Britain s Greatest Warship written by RICHARD. JOHNSTONE-BRYDEN and published by . This book was released on 2019-07 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Britain's Greatest Warship recounts the story of Ark Royal and her 'people', from the laying down of her keel in 1943 and her first commission in 1955, through to her decommissioning in 1979 and her scrapping in 1980. Ark Royal played a crucial role in the development of Royal Naval fixed-wing aviation and pioneered the concept of carrier-borne VSTOL aircraft. She saw extensive service during the 1960s and '70s, a time that witnessed many significant changes not only in Navy life, but also in the way seapower was used as a means of projecting national influence worldwide.Painting a vivid picture of life on board a class of Royal Navy warship that has now gone forever, the author brings the story of the 'Ark' alive using interviews and first-hand accounts. These range from former officers and crew, including admirals, captains and ship's company, to aircrew of the embarked Fleet Air Arm squadrons and the shipyard workers who built the 'Ark'.Fully illustrated with a rich selection of rare photographs, this book is sure to appeal to all with an interest in the Royal Navy and its warships.

Download or read book How to Build an Aircraft Carrier written by Chris Terrill and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2022-01-20 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The enthralling story of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's largest ever warship 'Fascinating, often funny and sometimes moving . . . Terrill takes us deep into the bowels of Britain's biggest warship . . . Exhilarating' THE TIMES ________ 65,000 tons. 280 metres long. A flight deck the size of sixty tennis courts. A giant piece of Sovereign British territory that's home to up to 50 Aircraft. HMS Queen Elizabeth is the biggest ship in the Royal Navy's history and one of the most ambitious and exacting engineering projects ever undertaken in the UK. But it's her ship's company of 700, alongside an air group of 900 air and ground crew that are Big Lizzie's beating heart. And How to Build an Aircraft Carrier tells their story. From before the first steel of her hull was cut, Chris Terrill has enjoyed unprecedented access to Queen Elizabeth and the men and women who have brought her to life. From Jerry Kyd, the ship's inspirational Captain to Lt Cdr Nathan Grey, the first pilot to land Britain's new stealth jet fighter on her deck, Terrill has won the trust and confidence of the ship's people. How to Build an Aircraft Carrier tells the story of Britain at its best: innovative, confident, outward-looking and world beating. ________ 'A detailed account of the challenges, trials and triumphs on the ship's progression . . . and a portrait of the men and women who made it happen. [Terrill] writes with affection, humour and understanding' TELEGRAPH

Download or read book First Rate written by Rif Winfield and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the sailing era, the warships called First Rates were the largest, most powerful, and most costly ships to construct, maintain, and operate. Built to the highest standards, they were lavishly decorated and given carefully considered names that reflected the pride and prestige of their country. They were the very embodiment of national power, and as such drew the attention of artists, engravers, and printmakers. In this first history of the major ships in the Royal Navy during the Age of Sail, virtually every British First Rate from the Prince Royal of 1610 to the end of sail is represented by an array of paintings, drawings, models, or plans. This spectacular collection of illustrations, many in full color, is a celebration of these magnificent ships, combining an authoritative history of their development with reproductions of many of the best 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. It also includes comparative data on similar vessels in other navies, so it is a book that all with an interest in wooden warships will find both enlightening and a pleasure to peruse.

Download or read book How to Build an Aircraft Carrier written by Chris Terrill and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2022-02-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The enthralling story of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's largest ever warship 'Fascinating, often funny and sometimes moving . . . Terrill takes us deep into the bowels of Britain's biggest warship . . . Exhilarating' The Times 65,000 tons. 280 metres long. A flight deck the size of sixty tennis courts. A giant piece of Sovereign British territory that's home to up to fifty Aircraft. HMS Queen Elizabeth is the biggest ship in the Royal Navy's history and one of the most ambitious and exacting engineering projects ever undertaken in the UK. But it's her ship's company of 700, alongside an air group of 900 air and ground crew that are Big Lizzie's beating heart. And How to Build an Aircraft Carrier tells their story. From before the first steel of her hull was cut, Chris Terrill has enjoyed unprecedented access to the Queen Elizabeth and the men and women who have brought her to life. From Jerry Kyd, the ship's inspirational captain, to Cdr Nathan Gray, the first pilot to land Britain's new stealth jet fighter on her deck, Terrill has won the trust and confidence of the ship's people. How to Build an Aircraft Carrier tells the story of Britain at its best: innovative, confident, outward-looking and world-beating. 'A detailed account of the challenges, trials and triumphs on the ship's progression . . . and a portrait of the men and women who made it happen. [Terrill] writes with affection, humour and understanding' Telegraph

Download or read book The Last British Battleship written by R. A. Burt and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2020-07-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ninth HMS Vanguard bearing one of the most illustrious names in the Royal Navy with honors from the Armada to Jutland was the last and largest of Britain's battleships and was commissioned in 1946. Her design evolved from of the King George V class and incorporated much of the fully developed design for the two battleships Lion and Temeraire that were laid down in 1939 but never completed. In this new book by R A Burt her design construction and career are all covered. Armor machinery power plants and weaponry are examined in detail and the author has produced some 35 superb plans profiles and other line drawings for which he is renowned.

Download or read book British Battlecruisers 1905 1920 written by John Roberts and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2016-10-30 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A valuable stand-alone text . . . Contains large amounts of data on all of the vessels officially classified as battlecruisers in the Royal Navy.” —International Journal of Maritime History The brainchild of Admiral Sir John Fisher, battlecruisers combined heavy guns and high speed in the largest hulls of their era. Conceived as super-cruisers to hunt down and destroy commerce raiders, their size and gun-power led to their inclusion in the battlefleet as a fast squadron of capital ships. This book traces in detail the development of Fisher’s original idea into first battlecruiser Invincible of 1908, through to the Splendid Cats of the Lion class, and culminating in HMS Hood in 1920, the largest warship in the world for the next twenty years. The origins of the unusual light battlecruisers of the Courageous type are also covered. “The author is still the foremost authority on battleships from Dreadnought and, although now retired, he continues to research the subject. This new edition of the definitive book on battlecruisers has been updated with the latest findings from his research. An outstanding review of the subject.” —Firetrench “It is good to see this book back in print with this improved edition.” —Warship, “Naval Books of the Year”

Download or read book The Design and Construction of British Warships 1939 1945 Major surface vessels written by David K. Brown and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new three-volume set presents the official view of the wartime design effort as written by those actually involved. The volumes offer authoritative, firsthand insight into the performance of every ship that served in the Royal Navy during World War II and shed light on the design rationale and procedures. Battleships, monitors, carriers, cruisers, fast minelayers, and destroyers are fully examined.

Download or read book Flagship Hood written by Alan Coles and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book British Battlecruisers 1905 1920 written by John Roberts and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2016-12-15 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The brainchild of Admiral Sir John Fisher, battlecruisers combined heavy guns and high speed in the largest hulls of their era. Conceived as "super-cruisers" whose job it was to hunt down and destroy commerce raiders, their size and gun-power led to their inclusion in the battlefleet as a fast squadron of capital ships. This book traces in detail the development of Fisher's original idea into the first battlecruiser Invincible of 1908, through to the "Splendid Cats" of the Lion class, and culminating in HMS Hood in 1920, the largest warship in the world for the next twenty years. The origins of the unusual "light battlecruisers" of the Courageous type are also covered. The well-publicized problems of British battlecruisers are examined, including the latest research throwing light on the catastrophic loss of three of the ships at the Battle of Jutland. The developmental history is backed by chapters covering machinery, armament, and armor, with a full listing of important technical data. The comprehensive collection of illustrations includes the author's superb drawings and original Admiralty plans reproduced in full color. This revised and updated edition of the classic work first published in 1997 will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in the most charismatic and controversial warships of the dreadnought era.

Download or read book British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714 1792 written by Rif Winfield and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2007-12-12 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The new Hanoverian dynasty that came to power with the accession of George I in 1714 inherited the largest navy in the world. In the course of the century, this force would see a vast amount of action against nearly every major navy, reaching a pinnacle of success in the Seven Years War only to taste defeat in the American Revolutionary struggle, when it faced the combined navies of France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the rebellious colonies themselves. Considering the contribution to history of these ships, there is surprisingly little readily available on their careers. Now this gap is comprehensively filled by this superb reference book, outlining the service history of every ship, built, purchased or captured, that fought for the Royal Navy in the great wars of the eighteenth century - well over 2000 vessels. The book is organized by Rate, classification and class, with outline technical and building data, but followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. This includes commissioning dates, refit periods, changes of captain, the stations where they served (and when), as well as details of any noteworthy actions in which they took part. It will enable anyone to follow up a casual reference to any warship, and will provide the researcher with a solid core of information on which to base further study. With nothing remotely like it in print, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era.

Download or read book British Warships in the Age of Sail 1817 1863 written by Rif Winfield and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2014-04-30 with total page 1164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The publication of this book sees the completion of a monumental work listing the technical details and career histories of every significant British warship between 1603 and 1863. Following three earlier volumes, this one carries forward the story from the post-Napoleonic War reorganisation of the Royal Navy's rating system to the end of sail as the principal mode of propulsion. Although apparently well documented, this is a period of great complexity in the procurement and naval architecture of ships. The introduction of steam radically altered the design of vessels under construction and was later retro-fitted to others, while many 'names' lived a ghostly existence on the Navy List: ships ordered but not started, and in some cases having their intended draughts altered more than once before being cancelled entirely.This book meticulously sorts out and clarifies these confusions a major contribution in itself but for the first time it also provides outline service histories for an era that is largely neglected. Like its companion volumes, the book is organised by Rate, classification and class, with significant technical and building data, followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. With its unique depth of information, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era and the formative years of the steam navy that supplanted it.

Download or read book British Battleships 1890 1905 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-01-21 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Royal Navy's battleships at the turn of the 20th century were the most powerful battlefleet in the world, and embodied one of the key periods in warship development - the development of the dreadnought battleship. The term 'pre-dreadnought' was applied in retrospect, to describe the capital ships built during the decade and a half before the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906. At that moment these once great warships were rendered obsolete. However, until then, they were simply called 'battleships' and were unquestionably the most powerful warships of their day. These mighty warships represented the cutting edge of naval technology. The ugly ducklings of the ironclad era had been transformed into beautiful swans, albeit deadly ones. In Britain, this period was dominated by Sir William White, the Navy's Chief Constructor. Under his guidance the mastless battleships of the 1880s gave way to an altogether more elegant type of capital ship. The period of trial and error which marked the ironclad era ushered in a more scientific style of naval architecture. As a result, these battleships were among the most powerful warships in the world during the late Victorian era, and set a benchmark for the new battle fleets produced by navies such as Japan, Russia and the United States. Illustrated throughout with full-colour artwork, this fascinating study offers a detailed and definitive guide to the design, development and legacy of the Royal Navy's battleships at the turn of the 20th century as they paved the way for the coming of the Dreadnought.

Download or read book H M S Rodney written by Iain Ballantyne and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2008-07-15 with total page 821 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biography of a British battleship, from an author with “a facility for rendering nonfiction into a narrative as brisk and readable as a novel” (HistoryNet). The Second World War battleship HMS Rodney achieved lasting fame for her role in destroying the pride of Hitler’s navy, the mighty Bismarck, in a thrilling duel. The Rodney, carrying the largest guns ever mounted in a British warship, finally succeeded in turning her adversary into twisted metal and so removed a major threat to the Atlantic convoy routes so vital to the survival of the nation. This compelling book, from the acclaimed author of Killing the Bismarck, not only traces this mighty battleship’s career in detail, but describes the careers of all the ships carrying the name.

Download or read book The British Battleship 1906 1946 written by Norman Friedman and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British battleship is one of the most intensely studied of all naval topics, but it is also among the most popular. Norman Friedman is one of the most highly regarded of all naval writers, with an avid following for his work. Therefore, a new book on British battleships by Friedman is a major event, and has been eagerly awaited ever since knowledge of the project began to circulate among enthusiasts. Friedman has the ability to bring new ideas to even the most over-worked subjects, based on extensive original research and a talent for explaining technology in the wider context of politics, economics and strategy. His latest book covers the development of Royal Navy capital ships, including battlecruisers, from the pre-history of the revolutionary Dreadnought of 1906 to the last of the line, HMS Vanguard in 1946. Replete with original insights, the story that emerges will enlighten and surprise even the most knowledgeable. The attraction of the book is enhanced by sets of specially commissioned plans of the important classes by John Roberts and A D Baker III, both renowned experts in their own right, plus a colour section featuring the original Admiralty draughts, including a spectacular double gatefold. For many with an interest in warships, this will be the book of the year.

Download or read book British Aircraft Carriers 1939 45 written by Angus Konstam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With war against Germany looming, Britain pushed forward its carrier program in the late 1930s. In 1938, the Royal Navy launched the HMS Ark Royal, its first-ever purpose-built aircraft carrier. This was quickly followed by others, including the highly-successful Illustrious class. Smaller and tougher than their American cousins, the British carriers were designed to fight in the tight confines of the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Over the next six years, these carriers battled the Axis powers in every theatre, attacking Italian naval bases, hunting the Bismark, and even joining the fight in the Pacific. This book tells the story of the small, but resilient, carriers and the crucial role they played in the British war effort.

Download or read book The Last British Battleship written by R. A. Burt and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-03-30 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Lots of information on the ship’s design, weapons, armor, refits, and service career, along with the Royal Cruise of 1947.” —Model Ship World The ninth HMS Vanguard, bearing one of the most illustrious names in the Royal Navy with honors from the Armada to Jutland, was the last and largest of Britain’s battleships and was commissioned in 1946. Her design evolved from the King George V class and incorporated much of the fully developed design for the two battleships, Lion and Temeraire, that were laid down in 1939 but never completed. At 813ft length overall and 42,300 tons, she was the last battleship to be built for the Royal Navy and the only ship of her class. She was built during the Second World War and incorporated existing twin 15in mountings, and was part of the Royal Navy’s response to the combined and increasing number of German and Japanese battleships in the early 1940s. Immediately recognizable by her transom stern and high flared bow, she had fine sea keeping ability. Her appearance after the end of hostilities, however, and her huge crew requirements proved a conundrum for the Royal Navy, her most significant role being that of Royal Yacht during the royal family’s tour of South Africa in 1947. She was broken up at Faslane in 1960. In this book her design, construction, and career are all covered. Armor, machinery, power plants and weaponry are examined in detail and the author has produced some 35 superb plans, profiles, and other line drawings. The text is further enhanced by the addition of some 80 photos, many in color, from his collection. R.A. Burt’s earlier three volumes are regarded as definitive works on the subject of British battleships before 1945; with this new book he finally completes the story of the Dreadnought era, bringing to life the last of a magnificent type of vessel of which the world will not see again.

Download or read book British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793 1817 written by Rif Winfield and published by Bloomsbury Academic. This book was released on 2005 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the zenith of its power in 1809 the Royal Navy comprised one half of all the warships in the world, the first (and last) time any navy achieved this dominance. Given its importance, it is not surprising that much attention has been lavished on this subject, but among the numerous books on the design, development and technical details of these ships, there is surprisingly little readily available on their careers. Now this gap is comprehensively filled by this superb reference book, outlining the service history of every ship, built, purchased or captured, that fought for the Royal Navy in the great wars of the 1793-1815 era v well over 2000 vessels. The book is organized by Rate, classification and class, with outline technical and building data, but followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. This includes commissioning dates, refit periods, changes of captain, the stations where they served (and when), as well as details of any noteworthy actions in which they took part. It will enable anyone to follow up a casual reference to any warship, and will provide the researcher with a solid core of information on which to base further study. With nothing remotely like it in print, this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the Nelsonic era.