The Royal Navy Since 1815: A New Short History

by Eric J. Grove

This book fills an important gap in the literature on the history of the modern Royal Navy. Eric Grove provides the only up-to-date, single-authored short history of the service over the last two hundred years, synthesizing the new work and latest research on the subject which has radically transformed our understanding of the story of British naval development.

Grove offers a concise and authoritative account of Royal Navy policy, structure, technical development and operations from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the close of the eventful twentieth century. Ideal for both specialist and general readers, this essential introduction explains how the Royal Navy maintained its pre-eminent position in the nineteenth century and how it coped with the more difficult problems of the twentieth, in times of peace and war.

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2005

About the author

Eric John Grove (1948-2021) was a British naval historian and defence analyst.

Reviews

[James Levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful little book. Grove knew the navy and had sound judgment on most issues. Most importantly he understood the Royal Navy as an institution, not just an agglomeration of ships with various hypothetical or abstract attributes. In other words, he knew that naval warfare was not like the wargames many love to play, where technical specifications are all-important. What the British had going for them was organization ashore, a tremendous wealth of practical institutional knowledge, and the habit of keeping their ships at sea, thus making their officers and men comfortable and confident in their combat environment. And they had a level of self-belief that can help a person in adversity like few other things can.
We lost Grove in 2023, and it is a real blow to the profession. I will always miss his good sense (and in person good humor).