News, Articles and Comment

Ed. From our archives for the 80^th Anniversary of D-Day, the Naval Review presents the first of a series of articles on Operation OVERLORD. This article, a retrospective on the preparations and naval bombardment from the perspective of Force E flagship HMS Belfast, was originally published in 1994 [82/2, p. 102], for the 50^th Anniversary. A 15 minute read.

Ed. With 1SL’s 2024 Seapower Conference in mind, the author reflects on the chequered legacy of RN technical developments and procurement over the past 20 years, and considers priorities for the next decades. A 10 minute read.

Ed. RAdm James Goldrick RAN provided the first chapter to the NR’s centenary publication, Dreadnought to Daring (2012), in which he conducted a prosopographical study of the Naval Review’s founders. A 50 minute read.

Ed. This article, drawing on German-language sources, presents a fresh biographical sketch of Maximilian von Spee’s naval career, a man of his time who realistically embodied German sea power, in the Mahanian tradition, until his demise at the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. A 20 minute read.

Ed. Nuclear submarines, along with the aircraft carrier, have become the ultimate symbols of sea power, but their adoption and use remain not only technically complex and expensive, but also diplomatically and politically controversial. The author surveys this background in the case of the Royal Navy. Winner of the Eric Grove prize. A 5 minute read.

Ed. Matthew Wills paints a vivid picture of Churchill’s crossing to Newfoundland for the famous August 1941 Atlantic Conference meeting with Roosevelt. The firm hand of Captain John C Leach of HMS Prince of Wales ensured a smooth crossing for this high diplomatic mission. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Bruce Pascoe responds to Arthur Nicholson, with specific regard to the enigma of Phillips’ decision-making and failure to radio for air support during the Malay oki kaisen.

Ed. Our correspondent, an expert on the fate of Force Z, responds to Bruce Pascoe’s analysis of Admiral Tom Phillips’ decision-making during the Malay oki kaisen.

Ed. With his trademark dissection of the conventional wisdom, the author argues that the concept of ‘seablindness’ is merely window dressing for the fundamental misunderstanding of the principles of British national strategy that has manifested over the last 60 years. A 20 minute read.