Cruisers and Battle Cruisers

Cruisers and Battle Cruisers
Author: Eric W. Osborne
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2004-11-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1851093702

Fast cruisers, the eyes of the fleet, were the standard-bearers of empire, the ultimate warships of gunboat diplomacy—no other vessel class was so well equipped to serve as both a working war machine and a projection of national might. Cruisers and Battle Cruisers explores the pivotal importance of cruiser-class ships to naval warfare and, in a wider scope, world politics. In vivid but accessible detail, it describes the milestones of cruiser design and deployment from mid-19th century development of steam-propelled, ironclads to the World War I introduction of battle cruisers; from the decisive naval engagements of World War II and the addition of missiles and computerized systems to the most recent developments. Readers will see how specific technological changes progressively increased the destructive power of cruisers and altered their combat roles, how design innovations altered the quality of life aboard ship, and how cruisers came to be called upon to serve a variety of noncombat roles in war and peace.

Destroyers

Destroyers
Author: Eric W. Osborne
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2005-06-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1851094849

On July 4, 1991, the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, the most powerful surface combatants in naval history, was commissioned. It was the culmination of a century-and-a-half evolution of the destroyer—an evolution captured in this vivid and timely history of the world's most popular warship. Destroyers: An Illustrated History of Their Impact tells the story of one of the most-recent, most-rapidly evolving additions to the world's navies. Coverage ranges from the 1882 launch of the first destroyer, through the nonstop technical and strategic innovations of the world war eras, to the current high watermarks of destroyer design such as the Arleigh Burke class (named for the navy's most-famous destroyer squadron combat commander). With its ship-by-ship analysis, this masterful volume shows how destroyers have continually met the challenge of protecting naval and land operations from ever more dangerous attacks. The book also captures the flavor of shipboard life for officers and crew and looks at the crucial role of the destroyer as a standard-bearing status symbol of naval might and political intention.

Oceans, Seas, Shorelines and Warfare

Oceans, Seas, Shorelines and Warfare
Author: Richard Harding
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2024-09-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 1040147909

For as long as humanity has ventured on the seas, naval warfare has been an integral part of their activities and the focal point for many histories and ideas of heritage. This book presents a rarely explored aspect: the long‐term impact of those battles on shorelines, seas and oceans. Dramatic and altering, the physical scars of battles remain with us today in the form of cultural landscapes and archaeological sites, while the geopolitical consequences of warfare have been world‐changing. The migrations of peoples across the seas, accompanied by violence, have done more to shape the demographic and cultural map of the modern world than almost anything else. Both seaborne opportunities and threats have influenced the way of life of coastal communities. Today, technology has seen these threats extend far into the deepest ocean and reach across continents. This book shows how, despite being virtually invisible to an increasing percentage of the world’s population, the ocean is more significant now than it has ever been. Ranging from the world of antiquity to the present day with a global perspective, the volume is intended to appeal to those interested in history, archaeology, social sciences and the environment.

Modern Naval History

Modern Naval History
Author: Richard Harding
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2015-12-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472579100

Specifically structured around research questions and avenues for further study, and providing the historical context to enable this further research, Modern Naval History is a key historiographical guide for students wishing to gain a deeper understanding of naval history and its contemporary relevance. Navies play an important role in the modern world, and the globalisation of economies, cultures and societies has placed a premium on maritime communications. Modern Naval History demonstrates the importance of naval history today, showing its relevance to a number of disciplines and its role in understanding how navies relate to their host societies. Richard Harding explains why naval history is still important, despite slipping from the attention of policy makers and the public since 1945, and how it can illuminate answers to questions relating to economic, diplomatic, political, social and cultural history. The book explores how naval history has informed these fields and how it can produce a richer and more informed historical understanding of navies and sea power.

The Soviet Naval Threat To Europe

The Soviet Naval Threat To Europe
Author: Bruce W. Watson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2020-01-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000305740

Originally published in 1989. Given the events of 1987 and 1988-the death of Admiral Sergei G. Gorshkov, who had served as Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy from 1956 to 1985 and was so influencial in the development of the current Soviet Navy, the Soviet policy of glasnost', the U .S.-Soviet arms negotiations, Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Washington, President Ronald Reagan's visit to Moscow, and the treaty concerning intermediate-range nuclear weapons- a study of the Soviet naval threat to Europe is particularly timely. This study begins by examining Soviet military and naval strategy, which provides a view of how the Soviets intend to use their forces. Then the book explore Soviet naval capabilities and operations, because a full understanding of Soviet naval power provides an understanding of the isolation that Europeans often feel. In the fourth and fifth sections of the book we examine the threat to northern and southern Europe.

African Navies

African Navies
Author: Timothy Stapleton
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2022-11-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000782875

This edited volume focuses on aspects of the understudied theme of African sea-power, including African navies and the engagement of non-African navies with the continent. Africa possesses 48,000 kilometers of coastline, comprising 38 out of 54 of the continent’s states and several strategic choke points for international shipping, such as the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden and the Cape of Good Hope. Nevertheless, post-colonial Africa’s small navies and their relations with the navies of external powers have not received much scholarly attention. Focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, this collection attempts to address this neglect and stimulate further research by offering original chapters related to historical and contemporary themes around Africa’s navies. The historical chapters cover the origin of the Tanzanian, Ethiopian, Nigerian and Ghana navies during the era of decolonization and the Cold War, the asymmetrical naval campaign fought during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70), and the activities of the Soviet Navy in supporting African states and movements fighting lingering colonialism and white supremacy during the 1970s and 1980s. Focusing on the contemporary situation, other chapters discuss the engagement of the Indian Navy with Africa, the potential role of the Angolan and Mozambican navies in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the transformation and development of the post-apartheid South African Navy, and the challenges and capabilities of African navies in the early twenty-first century. The book concludes by discussing the question of whether African coastal countries need navies. This book will be of much interest to students of naval power, strategic studies, African politics and International Relations. Chapters 1, 2, 6 and 8 of this book are available for free in Open Access at www.taylorfrancis.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

History of Warships

History of Warships
Author: James L. George
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 1998
Genre: History
ISBN:

Organized by the four major ages of warships - galley, sail, steam, and modern - George graphically presents the design evolution, construction, and operational uses of specific ship types, including their defenses, weapons, propulsion, and famous sea battles. While his focus is on ships of major naval powers, he also offers interesting examples from lesser navies and includes Leonardo da Vinci's submarine designs, Germany's pocket battleship, Austria's World War I air-cushion catamaran, and Italy's naval tanks with lateral caterpillar chains.