News, Articles and Comment

Ed. In 1995 staff historian David Waters began publishing in the NR [83/4, p. 349] a series of commentaries on the Battle of the Atlantic, a subject he had mastered while working on The Defeat of the Enemy Attack upon Shipping (1957). He was inspired in this case by the renewed naval history discourse, evident in a review of S. Howarth and D. Law, eds., The Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1945 (1994), the International Naval Conference on the battle held in Liverpool in 1993, and related writings in the NR [83/1, p. 84 & 83/2, p. 159]. Republished here as part of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. A 15 minute read.

Ed. In 1952, during his work on The War At Sea, 1939-1945, official historian Stephen Roskill published in the NR [40/4, p. 432] this appraisal of the Royal Navy’s strategic role in the Second World War, with particular attention to the subject of convoy operations and trade protection. Reprinted here as part of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. A 15 minute read

Ed. Former Naval Staff historian D. W. Waters originally presented this essay as the Presidential Address to the British Society for the History of Science in 1978. It was reprinted in the NR over two volumes in 1984 [72/3 & 72/4]. Waters’ conclusions, based on the rigorous data analysis conducted for the Defeat of the Enemy Attack upon Shipping (1957), demonstrated mathematically the superiority of escorted convoys over independent sailings during the U-boat conflicts of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. Reproduced here as part of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. A 40 minute read.

Ed. A serious investigation into the origins of the Naval Review and the controversial but critical eyes that were concerned enough about early 20th century military norms to go to work on the underlying complacent assumptions. A 30 minute read.

The latest book reviews been published, one on 20th century naval art, the other on the Royal Naval Volunteer Supplementary […]

The latest book reviews have been published, covering the development of French naval policy between 1870 and 1918, and the Ocean-class […]

The latest book reviews have been published, covering a history of those ships named HMS London, a two-volume look at the […]

As today is World Book day I have grabbed a few of my ‘go to’ favourites to celebrate the joy […]

Ed. By the Editor – Charles Lightoller’s story demonstrates the difference an individual can make during a crisis, given courage, versatility, commitment to duty – and a peculiar degree of luck. A 15 minute read.