Vaisseaux de guerre - Royal Navy : livres

The Royal Navy - 100 Years of Modern Warfare

This book examines how the Royal Navy protected Britain's shores and wider interests through the First World War and the one that was to follow, from the northern patrol lifelines of the Atlantic, Arctic and Mediterranean convoys and increasingly sophisticated amphibious operations that would mark it out in the Second.

The book ends with chapters on The Falklands War and Royal Navy's anti-piracy role and involvement in humanitarian crises. This visually stunning volume is complemented by 15 loose facsimile documents that include letters and diary entries, war reports and other items of memorabilia that bring an immediacy to the events being described.

Without the Royal Navy in two World Wars, Britain would have at best lost, and worst ceased to exist.

This book salutes the services' incredible achievements over the last 100 years.

Heritage of the Sea - Famous Preserved Ships Around the UK

During the period from Sir Francis Drake to the 21st century the naval power of Great Britain rose from that of an obscure island to that of a world-wide empire. British shipping and seamen dominated the globe for four centuries and the ships that explored the world and those which guarded them represent a unique treasure-house of maritime history, unrivalled anywhere in the world.

This book lists all the major vessels, from the Museum ships to the exhibitions and replicas all of them evoke pride and diversity and invite study from all age-groups. All are fully illustrated with colour photographs. The ships and their proud histories are described in detail, along with details of how they may be visited and enjoyed.

Among the many vessels analysed and illustrated are HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, HMS Cavalier, HMS Belfast, HMS Caroline, HMS Wellington, HMS Aliance, HMS Trincomalee; the Chrysanthemum & President; the Royal Yacht Britannia; the Cutty Sark; the Discovery; Gypsy Moth II; Great Britain; the Medway Queen; the Gannet; the Unicorn; the Cambria and many more.

Sailors on the Rocks : Famous Royal Navy Shipwrecks

For 300 years or more the Royal Navy really did "Rule the Waves", in the sense that during the numerous wars with our overseas enemies, British fleets and individual ships more often than not emerged victorious from combat. One French Admiral was to generously acknowledge that the Royal Navy possessed, "a tradition of victory."
And yet, in every other way, the waves were never ruled by any maritime power. Great fleets might wax and wane, ships grow ever more complex and powerful, but the sea, the eternally cruel sea, was always to have the final say.

This book highlights a sample array of disasters, occurring when men-of-war faced the ultimate test of the elements and lost. Among such tragedies are the wrecking of the Coronation in 1691, the destruction of the Winchester in 1695 and the great storm of 1703, along with a host of shipwrecks on far-flung shores from New Zealand to Nova Scotia, and from Florida to South Africa.

Some of the featured stories are already famous, like that of the Birkenhead. Others are lesser-known, like the sister cruisers Raleigh and Effingham, separated by many years. More recently, steam power replaced the uncertainties of sail, but even so losses continued, from little destroyers in both world wars (Narborough, Opal and Sturdy among them) through great battleships like Montagu.

Even modern warships equipped with every modern navigational device come to grief; witness the strange affair of the frigate Nottingham, or the humiliating grounding of the nuclear 'wonder' submarine Astute on Skye in 2010.
This unique book presents a fascinating insight into the malevolent power of the sea and storms over man's creation and dominion, chronicling some of the most dramatic shipwrecks ever to have occurred in our seas.

England's Medieval Navy 1066-1509 - Ships, Men & Warfare

Deploying a wide range of sources, this book looks at how English kings after the Norman Conquest learnt to use the Navy of England, a term which at this time included all vessels whether Royal or private and no matter what their ostensible purpose - to increase and safety and prosperity of the kingdom.

The design and building of ships and harbour facilities, the development of navigation, ship handling, and the world of the seaman are all described, while comparisons with the navies of England's closest neighbours, with particular focus on France and Scotland, are made, and notable battles including Damme, Dover, Sluys and La Rochelle included to explain the development of battle tactics and the use of arms during the period.

The author shows, in this lucid and enlightening narrative, how the unspoken aim of successive monarchs was to begin to build 'the wall' of England, its naval defences, with a success which was to become so apparent in later centuries.

Tudor Warships (1) - Henry VIII's Navy (Osprey)

In this book, maritime expert Angus Konstam explores the fledging Tudor Navy, tracing its history from its origins as a merchant fleet under Henry VII through to its emergence as a powerful force under Henry VIII.
Examining the operational use of Henry VIII's warships the author analyses the battle of the Solent in 1545, in which Henry's fleet took on a French fleet of 200 ships - much larger than the Spanish Armada decades later. Despite the well-documented loss of his flagship, the Mary Rose, Henry's smaller force succeeded in preventing a French victory.
Although many people will have heard of the mighty Mary Rose, this book will tell the story of more than just the tragic sinking of Henry's flagship, describing how one of history's most dynamic kings grew the navy from the five warships that were his father's legacy to 53 deadly gunships at the forefront of his empire-building strategy.
Through contemporary illustrations and intricate artwork, the author traces the changing face of warship design during the Renaissance as Henry paved the way for English dominance of the sea.

Contents: Introduction - Ship Design - Operational History - Armament and Gunnery - The Tudor Fleet in Action - Further Reading - - Index.

Tudor Warships (2) - Elizabeth I's Navy (Osprey)

In his second volume on the Tudor navy, naval expert Angus Konstam covers the extraordinary transformation of the Tudor fleet during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This period witnessed the birth of a whole new breed of warships designed to dominate the seas and expand the corners of the empire.
Detailing warfare during the age of Sea Dogs such as Sir Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, and the landmark event of the Spanish Armada, he explains the technological innovations that allowed this small but efficient navy to defeat the larger Spanish fleet.
Packed with new research, in-depth analysis, photographs, full-colour reconstructions and detailed cutaway artwork, this book is a must for any lover of maritime history, and for anyone who wants to understand how Britain came to rule the waves, creating and retaining her supremacy across the seas throughout the age of fighting sail.

Contents: Introduction - Design & Development - Operational History - Armament - The Tudor Fleet in Action - Bibliography - Colour Plate Commentary - Index.

Mary Rose - King Henry VIII's warship 1510-45 - An insight into the construction, operation, rescue and restoration (Haynes Maritime Manual)

From the time that King Henry VIII's warship Mary Rose was raised from the Solent in 1982 after 437 years on the seabed, to the present day, she has been constantly in the public eye.
In 2013 a state-of-the-art new museum opened at Portsmouth to show off the ship in conjunction with the thousands of artefacts in context with their Tudor owners and their locations onboard.

The Mary Rose and her fascinating time capsule of life in Tudor times form the centrepiece of this unique Haynes manual. It gives insights into the construction, operation, rescue and restoration of a great Tudor ship and its contents.

Tudor Warship Mary Rose (Anatomy of the Ship)

The great warship the Mary Rose was built between 1509 and 1511 and served 34 years in Henry VIII's navy before catastrophically sinking in the Battle of the Solent on 19 July 1545. A fighting platform and sailing ship, she was the pride of the Tudor fleet. Yet her memory passed into undeserved oblivion - until the remains of this magnificent flagship were dramatically raised to the surface in 1982 after 437 years at the bottom of the Solent.

Part of the bestselling Conway Anatomy of The Ship series, Tudor Warship Mary Rose provides the finest possible graphical representation of the Mary Rose. Illustrated with a complete set of scale drawings, this book contains technical plans as well as explanatory views, all with fully descriptive keys.
Douglas McElvogue uses archaeological techniques to trace the development and eventful career of Henry VIII's gunship, while placing it in the context of longer-term advances in ship construction.

This volume features:
- The first full archaeological reconstruction of the Mary Rose, as she would have appeared when built and when she sank.
- The concepts behind the building of the ship, along with consideration of the materials used and her fitting-out and manning.
- The ship's ordnance, including muzzle loaders, breech loaders, firearms, bows,staff weapons, bladed weapons and fire pots.
- Analysis of the contemporary descriptions of the Mary Rose's sailing characteristics and ship handling, whether general sailing, heavy weather sailing, anchoring, mooring, stemming the tide or riding out storms.
- A service history of the Mary Rose examining the campaigns of the vessel: the battles she was involved in, when she held station in the Channel and the periods in which she was laid up.

Spanish Galleon vs English Galleon : 1550-1605 (Osprey)

Between 1550-1600, Europe witnessed a rapid evolution in the art of ship design which enabled safer and more efficient transatlantic travel. This was the pinnacle of the Age of Discovery and Exploration for the European powers, in which the galleon played a crucial role. Galleons were both the main vessels in maritime commerce and the principal warships used by the opposing fleets throughout the Age of Exploration.

This period also saw a large amount of naval combat, much of it between individual ships belonging to the competing powers of England and Spain as they sought to control and exploit the rich mineral, material, agricultural and human resources of the New World. The conflict between the English Sea Dogs and the Spanish Adventurers has been a source of fascination for over four centuries.

This addition to the Duel series explores how the galleons used by Spain and England were built and armed, and examines the effectiveness of the cannon they used.
It also compares how they were sailed and manoeuvred, showing the strengths and weaknesses of each design, and explaining how these played out in several of their most prominent battles, including the Battle of San Juan de Ulua, the fight between the Golden Hind and the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion, an action from the Spanish Armada, and the last fight of the Revenge.