Destroyers - Great Britain: Books - History and Ships
A book on destroyers of the Royal Navy? Explore here illustrated books on the history and types of destroyers from Great Britain.
Royal Navy Torpedo Vessels 1870 - 1914
NEW
The self-propelled or locomotive torpedo was probably the greatest game-changer in the history of naval warfare. For the first time the largest warship could be sunk by a weapon carried by the smallest, and most navies were quick to see the potential. Although the 19th-century Royal Navy had a reputation for technological conservatism, it was an 'early adopter' of the torpedo and was instrumental in the development of the small fast craft that became the delivery system of choice, the steam torpedo boat. Britain's most important contribution to torpedo warfare, however, was the invention of its antidote, the torpedo boat destroyer, or 'destroyer' as it came to be called. This often-told story has overshadowed the earlier but no less significant history of the torpedo boat itself in the Royal Navy, an injustice set to right by this book.
Torpedoes were derived from earlier underwater explosive devices - mines, spar and towed torpedoes, and the like - so the first chapter briefly reviews their history before moving on to Robert Whitehead's revolutionary invention that made the self-propelled torpedo a practical weapon. The Admiralty was so impressed it purchased the rights to Whitehead's device, and thereafter the Royal Navy made much of the early running in torpedo boat design. In this they were greatly assisted by existing boatbuilders like Thornycroft and Yarrow who already specialised in small fast craft.
The core of this book is a detailed developmental history of British torpedo craft, from the early experiments like Vesuvius and Polyphemus, through the 1st Class TBs to the so-called Coastal Destroyers of the early 20th century. There are also separate chapters on 2nd Class boats, on Torpedo Gunboats and on the 'Torpedo Depot Ships' Hecla and Vulcan. The book concludes with a number of appendices devoted to background issues like quick-firing guns and reports on performance of the boats in various circumstances. As it fills a surprising gap in the technical history of British warships, this book will be welcomed by naval enthusiasts, modelmakers and historians.
Information
Author:
Les Brown
Details:
192 pages, 26.5 x 22 x 2.3 cm / 10.4 x 8.7 x 0.91 in, hardback
In 1870 the British Admiralty commended to Parliament the weapon known as the 'Hydrostatic Torpedo', a weapon of surprise and stealth that required a small, speedy craft to launch it, especially in the early days when its range was only half a nautical mile, and thus came to be built HMS Lightning, the first torpedo boat for the Royal Navy.
The potential for the weapon was soon realised and the Admiralty was obliged to find a new design to accommodate it. In 1873 the 'torpedo boat destroyer' was born. The TBD became indispensable to the navies of the world and in two world wars its importance both as an offensive and defensive weapon for fleet and convoy escort duties showed that no task at sea was too much for the destroyer. The post-war Royal Navy has seen cutbacks and increased sophistication.
The destroyer - now larger and armed with guided missiles - has seen both, and in this revised and updated second edition Maurice Cocker charts its history, providing much new information and a comprehensive record of the history and appearance of each class. An invaluable reference book for all maritime historians.
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Author:
Maurice Cocker
Details:
160 pages, 24.5 x 17.5 x 1.2 cm / 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.47 in, paperback
British Destroyers - From Earliest Days to the Second World War
In the late 19th century the advent of the modern torpedo woke the Royal Navy to a potent threat to its domination, not seriously challenged since Trafalgar. For the first time a relatively cheap weapon had the potential to sink the largest, and costliest exponents of sea power. Not surprisingly, Britain's traditional rivals invested heavily in the new technology that promised to overthrow the naval status quo.
The Royal Navy was also quick to adopt the new weapon, but the British concentrated on developing counters to the essentially offensive tactics associated with torpedo-carrying small craft. From these efforts came 'torpedo catchers', torpedo-gunboats and eventually the torpedo-boat destroyer, a type so successful that it eclipsed and the usurped the torpedo-boat itself. With its title shortened to 'destroyer', the type evolved rapidly and was soon in service in many navies, but in none was the evolution as rapid or as radical as in the Royal Navy
This book is the first detailed study of their early days, combining technical history with an appreciation of the changing role of destroyers and the tactics of their deployment. Like all of Friedman's books, it reveals the rationale and not just the process of important technological developments.
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Author:
Norman Friedman
Details:
320 pages, 29.5 x 25.5 x 2.6 cm / 11.6 x 10 x 1.02 in, hardback
Illustrations:
300 b&w photos
Publisher:
Seaforth Publishing (GB, 2009)
ISBN:
9781848320499
British Destroyers - From Earliest Days to the Second World War
Presents the history of the first destroyers of the Royal Navy, which revolutionized the way war was fought at sea with new armaments and a great improvement on earlier designs. Moreover, between 1892, when the first destroyers were laid down, and 1918, destroyers evolved radically from 27-knot, 250-ton ships into 35-knot, 1,530-ton ships.
All these ships were involved in some form during World War I; the smaller, original destroyers in an auxiliary support role and the newer, larger destroyers at some of the greatest sea battles of the war.
This account highlights the role the destroyers played in the North Sea during the crucial battles to control the Heliogoland Bight, as well as the major fleet action at the battle of Jutland in 1916. Complete with a detailed description of the technical evolution of each class of destroyer from the 27-knotters to the Tribal and Marksman classes, Jim Crossley offers a complete overview of the vessels that helped to maintain Britain's naval supremacy.
Information
Author:
Jim Crossley
Details:
48 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.5 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.2 in, paperback
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