British Destroyers 18921918

(Paperback)

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Description

This book recounts 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.

Reviews

"Would I have bought this book from the title No. Would I have bought this book if I knew how well it was done Yes! ... I really liked this book even though I have no intention of building these ships. The topic is important for understanding evolution of naval warfare, but also as a window on technological evolution and how rapidly, and sometimes too quickly, that technology is applied to war machines. Recommended as 'light reading' for naval warfare enthusiasts and erstwhile modelers of early British destroyers." --Luke R Bucci, IPMS/USA (December 2009)

"It really is an excellent book on a most interesting subject and one that I am positive you will find to be of interest. One that will be pulled from the shelves time after time and one I can highly recommend to you." --Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness (October 2009)

"[A] solid pick for such (military history) collections... Jim Crossley's British Destroyers 1892-1918, telling of new designs of the Royal Navy's destroyers and how they changed the way sea war was fought." --The Bookwatch (January 2010)

Author Bio

Jim Crossley is a leading authority on the destroyers of World War I. He has an understanding of the intricacies of naval design and is passionate about the history of these key vessels.