[BITList] Book - ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present

[John Feltham]

Book - Ships of the Royal Navy:

A Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy
from the 15th Century to the Present

By J. J. Colledge, Ben Warlow

The essential work, fully revised up to 2010 . . .

2 part rar'd pdf

Part 1: 150 M
http://rapidshare.com/files/404089345/Ships_of_the_Royal_Navy.part1.rar.html


Part 2: 122.6 M
http://rapidshare.com/files/404118452/Ships_of_the_Royal_Navy.part2.rar.html


Publisher:   US Naval Institute Press 
Number Of Pages:   396 
Publication Date:   2006-11 
ISBN-10 / ASIN:   186176281X 
ISBN-13 / EAN:   9781861762818 

This is the fourth fully revised edition of a book first published in 1970. This longevity is testimony to its enduring value as a reference work-indeed, 'Colledge' (as the book is universally known) is still the first stop for anyone wanting more information on any British warship from the 15th century to the present day when only the name is known. Each entry gives concise details of dimensions, armament, and service dates, and its alphabetical and chronological arrangement makes it easy to track down the right ship (otherwise the Royal Navy's tradition of re-using the same names can be misleading).
When originally published, the second of the two volumes was devoted to minor fighting ships, and hired and requisitioned vessels. For the 3rd edition, published in one volume, this material was omitted, but for this edition all the genuine fighting ships-like the numbered Coastal Forces craft-have been restored, resulting in a convenient but comprehensive single-volume listing of all significant vessels.
Since the death of Jim Colledge, who was widely respected for his pioneering research on the technical details of warships, his magnum opus has been updated, corrected and expanded with similar enthusiasm and attention to detail by Ben Warlow, a retired naval officer and author of a number of books in the field.

An invaluable but limited research asset.

I was visiting the rather splendid library in the centre of Gibraltar in 1977 when a fellow researcher took me under his wing and introduced me to this book. I was so impressed, I purchased a copy shortly thereafter and I am still using it. 

Thousands of Royal Navy ships are listed in strict alphabetical order but with a minimum of detail. Where there have been a number of ships of the same name, the earliest is listed first. Facts against each ship's name include; Type, displacement, length and breadth, number and size of guns, builder, date completed (or date purchased/acquired) and fate. There is no narrative - not even for those ships sunk in famous engagements. 

The book does contain errors and points over which purists will argue long into the night. This product is only useful as a quick reference in cases where the reader wishes to establish exactly whether or not "HMS Whatever" actually existed, how many ships called Ark Royal there have ever been, or exactly how big is HMS Belfast - now moored on the River Thames. Beyond that, the book is of precious little value although it really does help the researcher to get started. 

Regularly updated for those who wish to have the most complete list of British Naval vessels. 



A List of Royal Navy Warships Since 15th Century
Originally a 2-volume set in 1968, Volume 1 ("major warhips") has been updated up to 2006, and apparently includes some minor vessels that are "warships" - - with the original author deceased, it apppears the remainding co-author is left to carry on (w/ 40 years of naval service) and has evolved Vol. 1 into a single, prime title. 
Basically, it is a list in a book -- ships names are in alphabetical order, with abbreviated info of type ("aircraft carrier"), light displacement (e.g. 22,000 tons), 2 dimensions (l & w, no draft), original armament (no cal lengths), builder (e.g. Cammell Laird), launch date, disposition (e.g. sunk 14.11.41 by U.81 off Gibraltar). 
The list is arranged in 2 columns per page - - - the book is a medium format (9.5" x 6.5") hard cover -- there are NO photos, drawings or illustrations except for the cover. 
For pre-20th RN navy lists, you should consider the David Lyon 2-book references (large format), but they are (very) expensive and also have no illustrations. 
As a list book, "Ships" is as complete as they come and reasonable priced (when discounted), but you will have to refer to other books to get anything other than abbrev. data

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.bcn.mythic-beasts.com/pipermail/bitlist/attachments/20100702/38ed9133/attachment.shtml