The Pre-Dreadnought Revolution: Developing the Bulwarks of Sea Power

by Warren Berry

The late nineteenth century saw an unparalleled revolution in warship development as the Victorian navy found itself grappling with intense technical change to ensure its survival in the modern theatre. From the wooden battleships of the 1800s, naval architecture underwent great change to produce a very different form of capital ship, which would have a huge impact and change naval design forever. The pre-dreadnought was constructed of steel, wholly driven by steam power and carried its rifled ordnance in armoured turrets operated by hydraulics. Electrics, mechanical computers, mines and torpedo weapons were also utilised to create an immensely powerful fighting ship the likes of which had never been seen before. This well-illustrated and fascinating history reveals the process involved in that most rapid development, which in such a short time totally altered the naval forces of Britain and ensured that the British Navy remained the most powerful in the world.

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, providing a detailed technical history of the transformation of Nelson era ships-of-the-line into World War I’s dreadnoughts. The author, historian Warren Berry, brings a solid assessment of the technical and operational changes influencing Britain’s 19th century warship construction. The book does concentrate on the Royal Navy’s battleship evolution; mentions of other Navies and ship types only appear as comparisons to Britain’s capital ships. Berry focuses on the uneven evolution in the three technologies necessary for battleship construction: guns, armor, and engines. He describes the roughly 80-year period leading up to HMS DREADNOUGHT as one of constant evolution, with designers struggling to find the right balance of established technology in many different fields while facing the pressure of uncertain future development. Berry also discusses the interaction between shipbuilding and politics, both internal to the defense establishment and at the national level. The book emphasizes the need to match technological promise to strategic goals while considering political necessity. A great book for understanding the difficulties of synthesizing Naval force structure in a period of rapid technological change and strategic shifts.

[Kameron Willison · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Warrior to Dreadnought and all the whacky ideas in between, this book is an excellent read for any naval warfare enthusiast and does an admirable job at explaining the then prevailing naval theories that resulted in various design choices. The graphics and diagrams in the final appendix are fantastically sourced and provide great visual aids to the designs described in the text.

[Mike Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written overview of the development of sea power in late Victorian and Edwardian England. Berry covers the technical developments in guns, boilers, armor, etc... as well as the tactical changes that occured and evolved as the result. Few battles occur which are relevant to the narrative, Lissa and Tsushima and thats about it, but their impact on the thinking of the Admiralty and the naval movers and shakers is explored.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information

Very informative. Lots of detail and stuff I haven’t seen before. Only wish they covered more on other nation besides Great Britain.