The British Battleship 1906-1946

by Norman Friedman

The British battleship is one of the most intensely studied of all naval topics, but it is also among the most popular. Norman Friedman is one of the most highly regarded of all naval writers, with an avid following for his work. Therefore, a new book on British battleships by Friedman is a major event, and has been eagerly awaited ever since knowledge of the project began to circulate among enthusiasts. Friedman has the ability to bring new ideas to even the most over-worked subjects, based on extensive original research and a talent for explaining technology in the wider context of politics, economics and strategy. His latest book covers the development of Royal Navy capital ships, including battlecruisers, from the pre-history of the revolutionary Dreadnought of 1906 to the last of the line, HMS Vanguard in 1946. Replete with original insights, the story that emerges will enlighten and surprise even the most knowledgeable.The attraction of the book is enhanced by sets of specially commissioned plans of the important classes by John Roberts and A D Baker III, both renowned experts in their own right, plus a colour section featuring the original Admiralty draughts, including a spectacular double gatefold.For many with an interest in warships, this will be the book of the year.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II

807 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2015

About the author

Norman Friedman is a prominent naval analyst and the author of more than thirty books covering a range of naval subjects, from warship histories to contemporary defense issues.

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were just interested in ships as ships, you might be better off with the old classic of Ravens & Roberts, assuming you could find a copy in reasonable condition at a reasonable price. There is also the small matter that Erminio Bagnasco's study of the Italian "Littorio" class ships has set a new standard for the class monograph, and I'm not sure that one can anticipate books on that scale for the British ships on a class by class basis anytime in the foreseeable future. This is thus the best book on the topic available, though one could easily get bogged down in how the Admiralty high command and support staff "gamed" every imaginable consequence; as well one might when you realize that in contemporary money a "King George V" of World War II would cost 2B Dollars. Most interesting to me is how the Royal Navy tried to extend battleship construction into the post-1945 era, but the conflicting demands of protection, armament, logistics, physical plant, and the like, made the whole enterprise just about impossible; even if British finances allowed for new ships.

Originally written: August 16, 2018.

[MR N R MOORE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference work, a must for modellers who build vessels of Royal Navy capital ships of this period.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

You should know what you're getting with Friedman. There will be a great many details. He chronicles every twist and turn in the design process for major warships. Most of the details are mind-numbing, but every so often there's an insight that forces the reader to rethink a common assumption or conventional wisdom.

There were a few of these "aha" moments in this one.
- People are unfair to the battle cruisers. The ones that blew up at Jutland blew up because of bad ammunition handling, not insufficient armor, and this was covered up by Jellicoe and Beatty who wanted to blame designers for the faults of their subordinates and thus themselves. Hood in 1941 was as well armored as any of the WW1-era battleships. The Germans were perfectly able to put their battlecruisers into a battle line and survive enemy gunfire; the British were not foolish or misusing their ships doing the same. (After all, one battlecruiser ought to be able to fight another and a fortiori survive capital-ship shells.)

- Nelson and Rodney were in bad material shape; Rodney was immobile and effectively useless by 1944.

- Historical details fade quickly. The design process for major ships like the Queen Elizabeths, is sometimes obscure because contemporaries tried and succeeded in hiding their deliberative process.

[Simon Prior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent Friedman book, everything you've ever wanted or needed to know about British Dreadnought-type battleships