As she lay in dry dock, devastatingly damaged by one of Hitler’s newly deployed magnetic mines after barely two months in service, few could have predicted the illustrious career that lay ahead for the cruiser HMS Belfast. After three years of repairs to her broken keel, engine- and boiler-rooms, and extensive refitting, she would go on to play a critical role in the protection of the Arctic Convoys, would fire one of the opening shots at D-Day and continue supporting the Operation Overlor...

What was it really like to be at sea in the Navy with Nelson? Were the sailors excited about the Battle of Trafalgar, or suffering scurvy? How did life compare between those of a high range, and those who served them? What were conditions like below the decks, living among the rats and the filth? How did you cope if you suffered from sea sickness? This book takes you back in time to see, hear, smell and taste what life was really like for these brave sailors at sea.

The ultimate officers' guide from the commander of the HMS Hood. "A fascinating historical record . . . a first-class textbook for modern managers" ( Baird Maritime).Published in 1937 and now recognized as one of the most influential, yet highly accessible, volumes on naval command and organization, Running a Big Ship provides truly unique insight into life at sea during the Second World War.O'Conor famously commenced the book wit...

For more than 5,000 years, the sea has challenged, rewarded, and punished the brave sailors who set forth to explore it.This history of the sea and sailing tells the remarkable story of those individuals--whether they lived to tell the tale themselves or not.From the early Polynesian seafarers and the first full circumnavigations of the globe, to explorers picking their way through the coral reefs of the West Indies, this book tells the compelling story of ...

A revealing and charming pocket book capturing the reality of civilian life during the war.In June 1940, following the BEF's scrambled evacuation from Dunkirk, the Second World War was brought home to Britain. As the Luftwaffe initiated their bombing campaigns and the threat of invasion grew daily, civilians were urged to play their part in the war effort, and take responsibility for their own survival.Many pamphlets and leaflets were issued with informatio...

A relentless nautical drama that would define, or end, men’s lives.The English port city of Hull was home to ‘three day millionaires’ – trawlermen on brief shore leave. They were spilling cash from record catches. With months out working fierce seas, who knew if the next trip would be their last?The St Finbarr was set to change all that.She was built as the perfect trawler, no cost spared. She was the future of the industry. She was...

In the years 1910 to the 1950s, Midshipman’s journals were compulsory for all trainee regular officers, and were written up day by day, often in a vivid and revealing narrative style, sometimes with evocative illustrations. Thousands were produced, but not many survive. This journal by John Hashim, preserved by his son Simon and introduced by naval historian Brian Lavery, provides a unique and human insight into the most critical period in the Royal Navy’s war in the Mediterranean....

A "truly exceptional" account of how Churchill's experiences in the armed forces helped him lead Britain to victory in World War II ( Booklist).No defense minister in modern times has faced the challenges that Winston Churchill did during the Second World War. Fortunately, he had a unique and intimate inside knowledge of all three services, which allowed him to assess their real needs—a crucial task when money, material resources, and, especially, manpower...

"A beautiful book . . . a goldmine of information to anyone interested in the capital ships of the sailing navy of the 17th and 19th Centuries."—Ships in ScaleThe National Maritime Museum in Greenwich houses the largest collection of scale ship models in the world, many of which are official, contemporary artifacts made by the craftsmen of the navy or the shipbuilders themselves, and ranging from the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. As such they represen...

"A wonderful book detailing the construction of the Royal Navy's sailing warships" from the maritime historian and author of Nelson's Navy ( Pirates and Privateers).The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich houses the largest collection of scale ship models in the world, many of which are official, contemporary artifacts made by the craftsmen of the navy or the shipbuilders themselves, and ranging from the mid-seventeenth century to the present da...

Published in the months leading up to the Battle of Jutland, W.M. James’ New Battleship Organisations, was the ultimate guide to command and organization of every aspect of a modern First World War capital ship. The book provides a unique, and highly revealing, insight into life aboard ship, the mechanics of command, seamanship, the issuing of orders, and the broad expectations placed upon British naval officers. Specific sections are dedicated to the organization of watches, the division ...

Do you remember Australia's '70s? The Vietnam War and the Cold War, the politics, the flower people, the music, the hopes?That Member of Parliament who led marches against war, wrote liberation books he struggled to sell, helped bring down a Government? Who gave the hungry press a feast of scandals? Remember those naked full-moon festivals with all the Minister's happy hippie mates?Well, this old hippie was there, and those mates were his mates, all living their stories. Bu...