‘Jacky’ Fisher (1841-1920) was a man with a mission: to prepare the Royal Navy that he loved so much and that had been his life for war. He saw war in Europe as inevitable and incredibly predicted accurately the date when war would break out. An enthusiast for change, Fisher knew that the Royal Navy was fast losing its superiority over the Germans, with a massive reserve of old and hopelessly antiquated ships held ready in case of war, but aptly described by Fisher as ‘unable to fight or run away’. Instead, he set out to impose on the Royal Navy his philosophy of the all-big-gun battleship, the ‘dreadnought’, while also recognising that the future of warfare at sea lay in underwater weapons and in the air.

In Fisher: The Admiral who Reinvented the Royal Navy, David Wragg examines Fisher’s life and work, his ambitions and plans, his relationships with those around him, and the legacy he bequeathed to the Royal Navy. The book will be invaluable to those interested in maritime history and strategy, and especially that of the First World War and the plans that were made for it.