British Battleships of the Victorian Era

By Norman Friedman; Illustrations by A. D. Baker III
  • Subject: Royal Navy | Clear the Decks Up to 80% OFF
  • Format:
    Hardcover
  • Pages:
    400
    pages
  • Published:
    July 15, 2018
  • ISBN-10:
    1682473295
  • ISBN-13:
    9781682473290
  • Product Dimensions:
    11.5 × 9.75 × 1 in
  • Product Weight:
    73 oz
Hardcover $19.00
Book: Cover Type
Overview Author Reviews

Overview

This is a companion volume to Norman Friedman’ s highly successful British Battleships 1906–1946 and completes his study of the Royal Navy’s capital ships. Beginning with the earliest installation of steam machinery in ships of the line, British Battleships of the Victorian Era traces the technological revolution that saw the introduction of iron hulls, armor plate, shell-ring guns, and the eventual abandonment of sail as auxiliary propulsion. This hectic development finally settled down to a widely approved form of pre-dreadnought battleship, built in large numbers and culminating in the King Edward VII class.

As with all his work, Friedman explains why, as well as how and when, advances were made, and locates British ship design firmly within the larger context of international rivalries, domestic politics, and economic constraints. The result is a sophisticated and enlightening overview of the Royal Navy’s battle fleet in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

British Battleships of the Victorian Era is well illustrated—a comprehensive gallery of photographs with in-depth captions is accompanied by specially commissioned plans of the important classes by A. D. Baker III, and a color section featuring the original Admiralty drafts, including a spectacular double gatefold.

About the Author

Portrait of Norman Friedman

Norman Friedman

Norman Friedman is a prominent international defense analyst and historian specializing in the intersection between policy, strategy, and technology. He has published more than forty books, including The Fifty-Year War, an award-winning history of the Cold War; a history of naval fighter aircraft; and design histories of many U.S. and British warships.

More Stories From This Author View Biography

Editorial Reviews

"British Battleships of the Victorian Era is an important addition to the literature of the battleship." —StrategyPage
"...[T]o anyone who finds the maritime 19th century a source of fascination can rightly reward themselves by purchasing this quite splendid book." —The Australian Naval Institute
"A must-read for all serious students of the Royal Navy." —FIRE News
“A comprehensive, excellently-written and very well-produced volume…. Norman Friedman’s writing style is lucid, well-written and very readable. He excels at putting his account of the advances in naval technology into the context of strategy, economics and politics that surrounded them and in which they developed. This is very valuable volume for anyone interested in the history and development of the capital warships of the nineteenth century, particularly of the most powerful warships of Victoria’s black battlefleet. It is sure to become a definitive classic on its subject.” —Nautical Research Journal