Naval Warfare Under Oars, 4th to 16th Centuries; A Study of Strategy, Tactics and Ship Design.

by William Ledyard Rodgers

First published in 1940, this classic study of naval strategy and fleet tactics in the days of rowing ships continues to be acknowledged as the best book ever written on the subject. Years of rigorous research enabled Admiral William Rodgers to present here a sweeping historical account of naval warfare reaching from the navies of the early Roman Empire through the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604, a campaign in which rowing craft were still used, although sailing ships determined the final outcome.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, Medieval

358 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

William Ledyard Rodgers was a vice admiral of the United States Navy. His career included service in the Spanish–American War and World War I, and a tour as President of the Naval War College. Rodgers was also a noted historian on military and naval topics, particularly relating to ancient naval warfare.

Reviews

[Kevin Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish there had been more maps.

[Joe White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overly loaded with minute and often repetitious detail.The appendix chapter 9 adds an additional 100 pages of detail regarding the 1588 Spanish Armada buildup and details of skirmishes and ships lost in Ireland. This section had very little to do with rowing or rowed craft, but since the Spanish had a few galleasses, the author included it for completeness of the time period.
The primary focus was on Lepanto and the armada. Details regarding financing and provisioning were provided to the extent of individual expenditures. A great number of first hand reports were presented to support the details provided.

This will be a dry unexciting read for someone not interested in this topic.