The 19th century was a crucial period in naval history when great technological advances were made in almost every area of maritime military activity. This illustrated account of the period follows a summary of technology, tactics and strategy with accounts of warfare in the Napoleonic era and the factors that led to British naval supremacy. With the background to change now established, he proceeds to describe the revolutions that followed in naval ordnance, propulsion, iron hulls and underwater warfare, and how these were used in practice mid-century in the Crimean and American Civil Wars. He reviews the naval situation before World War I, examining naval thought and international attitudes towards battleship size, and speed versus armour, and shows how these important changes were put into practice in the Sino-Japanese, Russo-Japanese and Spanish-American wars. He concludes with an overview of the world naval balance on the eve of World War I.

"Spencer Tucker's narrative account of this crucial transitional phase in naval history opens with a summary of technology, tactics and strategy at the end of the eighteenth century, followed by accounts of the wars of the Napoleonic period and the factors that led to British naval supremacy. The revolutions that followed in naval ordnance, propulsion, iron hulls and underwater warfare are described in detail, and the author looks at how these were used mid-century in both the Crimean and American Civil Wars. He reviews the naval situation before the First World War, examining naval thought and international attitudes towards battleship size and speed versus armour, and shows how these important changes were put into practice in the Sino-Japanese, Spanish-American and Russo-Japanese Wars. The book concludes with an overview of the world naval balance on the eve of the First World War."--BOOK JACKET.

Our understanding of warfare at sea in the eighteenth century has always been divorced from the practical realities of fighting at sea under sail; our knowledge of tactics is largely based upon the ideas of contemporary theorists rather than practitioners] who knew little of the realities of sailing warfare, and our knowledge of command is similarly flawed. In this book the author presents new evidence from contemporary sources that overturns many old assumptions and introduces a host of new ideas. In a series of thematic chapters, following the rough chronology of a sea fight from initial contact to damage repair, the author offers a dramatic interpretation of fighting at sea in the eighteenth century, and explains in greater depth than ever before how and why sea battles (including Trafalgar) were won and lost in the great Age of Sail. He explains in detail how two ships or fleets identified each other to be enemies; how and why they manoeuvred for battle; how a commander communicated his ideas, and how and why his subordinates acted in the way that they did. SAM WILLIS has lectured at Bristol University and at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He is also the author of Fighting Ships, 1750-1850(Quercus).

A guide to daily life and experiences for British servicemen in World War I, from recruitment and training to the battle and its aftermath. Geoff Bridger’s Great War Handbook answers many of the basic questions newcomers ask when confronted by this enormous and challenging subject of World War One—not only what happened and why, but what was the Great War like for ordinary soldiers who were caught up in it. He describes the conditions the soldiers endured, the deadly risks they ran, their daily routines and the small roles they played in the complex military machine they were part of. His comprehensive survey of every aspect of the soldier’s life, from recruitment and training, through the experience of battle and its appalling aftermath, is an essential guide for students, family historians, teachers and anyone who is eager to gain an all-round understanding of the nature of the conflict. Praise for The Great War Handbook “The book contains a wealth of information on a diverse range of topics within its 200 pages. The Great War Handbook does an excellent job of bringing together concise explanations of a number of key areas. It always amazes me just how much there is to learn about the war, and novice and seasoned researchers alike will find something of interest here, and I know it is a book I will continue to refer to in the future.” —Firetrench Reviews

Contains an overview of the Naval War College. Includes a virtual tour of the campus facilities.

The only comparative analysis available of the great navies of World War I, this work studies the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, the German Kaiserliche Marine, the United States Navy, the French Marine Nationale, the Italian Regia Marina, the Austro-Hungarian Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine, and the Imperial Russian Navy to demonstrate why the war was won, not in the trenches, but upon the waves. It explains why these seven fleets fought the way they did and why the war at sea did not develop as the admiralties and politicians of 1914 expected. After discussing each navy’s goals and circumstances and how their individual characteristics impacted the way they fought, the authors deliver a side-by-side analysis of the conflict’s fleets, with each chapter covering a single navy. Parallel chapter structures assure consistent coverage of each fleet—history, training, organization, doctrine, materiel, and operations—and allow readers to easily compare information among the various navies. The book clearly demonstrates how the naval war was a collision of 19th century concepts with 20th century weapons that fostered unprecedented development within each navy and sparked the evolution of the submarine and aircraft carrier. The work is free from the national bias that infects so many other books on World War I navies. As they pioneer new ways of viewing the conflict, the authors provide insights and material that would otherwise require a massive library and mastery of multiple languages. Such a study has special relevance today as 20th-century navies struggle to adapt to 21st-century technologies.