11 August 2019
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This hefty book from Osprey is a little out of the ordinary because it’s not really one comprehensive look at naval forces in 2019, it’s a collection of entirely separate articles by completely different authors.
Author: John Jordan
Reviewed by: Duncan Evans
This hefty book from Osprey is a little out of the ordinary because it’s not really one comprehensive look at naval forces in 2019, it’s a collection of entirely separate articles by completely different authors. Essentially, it’s like a bookazine on the world’s navies, but in an actual book format. The topics covered include the conversion of Australian coastal liner the HMS Kanimbla in 1939, the history of the French battleship Brennus, the genesis of the fleet that won the Russo-Japanese War, the development of the Curtis turbine, the arrangement of the main engines in HMS Tiger, the Russian Imperial Navy’s first attempt at a light cruiser, nuclear attack submarines for the Italian Navy, coastal defence batteries at Cape Cépet, powder magazine explosions on Japanese warships, the fate of the Imperial German Navy destroyers and fast torpedo boats after 1918, testing British iron plate armour, Australia’s first destroyers, British and Dutch collaboration in the Cold War, and the story of the USS Lebanon.
That’s quite a variety and while some are suitable for the casual navy enthusiast a lot of them are specialised reading. Still, there are plenty of illustrations, in-depth facts and figures, and the format means you can read the stories in the order they take your interest.
• Osprey Publishing
• ISBN 978-1-4728-3595-6
• 228 pages • Hardback • £40
As reviewed in The Armourer September 2019
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