Elizabeth’s Navy

As you might imagine from the price, this is a big, high quality book with copious illustrations. It covers the 70 years of post-WWII Royal Navy history, with each decade getting a chapter to itself. The ‘80s is dominated by the Falklands War, for example. The introduction sets it all into perspective though. This is a Navy that went from being one of the biggest in the world in the early 1950s, to a rump service by 2022. The service is also top heavy, with one Admiral and two Commodores for every major ship, and that of the 230 Captains, only four had sea going commands. Each chapter has maps of the main theatre of operation, a history, then focus on individual ships and submarines. The big format and glossy pages mean that the photos really get chance to shine but what is missing are schematics and technical specs. Still, as a coffee table type book, this is a visual treat and packed with individual stories as well as the overall narrative.

• Osprey Publishing
• ISBN 978-1-4728-5497-1
• 348 pages. Hardback. £45

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