This superb reference book achieved the status of classic soon after its first publication in 1986; it remains the most popular book on this era of battleship development. It presents, in one superb volume, the complete technical history of British capital ship design and construction during the dreadnought era. One hundred years ago at Jutland, Dogger Bank, Heligoland Bight and the first battle for the Falklands, mighty squadrons of these great armoured ships fought their German counterparts for command of the seas. Beginning with Dreadnought, the book continues to the end of the First World War, and all of the fifty dreadnoughts, super-dreadnoughts and battlecruisers that served the Royal Navy during this era are described and superbly illustrated with photographs and line drawings. Each class of ship is described in detail so that design origins, and technical and operational factors, are discussed alongside characteristics, with special emphasis on armament, armour and machinery. Fully detailed data tables are included for every class, and more than 500 photographs and line drawings illustrate the text. A delight for the historian, enthusiast and ship modeller, it is a volume that is already regarded as an essential reference work for this most significant era in naval history and ship design, and this new softcover edition will delight a new generation of readers.
‘As a reference work he has produced a volume that is destined to be the standard for the subject. ’- International Journal of Maritime History
AUTHOR: Ray Burt has researched the design, construction and service histories of British battleships for many years, and has also assembled one of the most outstanding collections that exists of photographs of the ships. He is also an accomplished draughtsman and illustrator, and many of his superb drawings appear in this book. His most recent book, The Last British Battleship, is an in-depth study of HMS Vanguard.
350 b/w photographs, line drawings, colour camouflage profiles
