OK, I'll admit it. I have a soft spot for things naval. Having spent a number of years in and around salt water does that to you. Though I would never admit to being a 'fleety', I do have a fascination in things that float. It isn't as great as in things that fly, but it is enough to see me dropping dollars in exchange for books on the subject.

Having practically no knowledge of the early days of steam, it was with much interest that I ordered this book (sight unseen). Not knowing what to expect, I found myself the proud possessor of a 224 page hardback book which, it turns out, is basically a primer on the navies of the world between 1850 and 1905. What is particularly helpful is that the book is full of drawings, photos, diagrams and paintings  so that you can see for yourself how things developed. Those years were chosen as they were the start of  'steam only' warships up until the launching of the HMS Dreadnought. During this time, naval developments were under a constant state of flux. 

In no other time of ship design and naval operations were so many changes going on at such a rapid pace. This period saw not only a rapid evolution of nautical engineering, but also a change in the way that naval personnel were trained and treated. It went from basically no formal training (all of it being on the job training) to the establishment of formal naval schooling. First with officers and later with the ratings. One thing you have to take into account with this book is that it is written by a Brit and looks at things from a British point of view. Actually, it is proper that it be so as Britain was the dominant naval power at the time.

The book so pointedly states that it is a good thing that there were no serious wars  during this time as any nations involved would have been poorly equipped to fight such a war. Such was the flux of development. Though basically a shallow water naval war, much was learned from the American Civil war, as that was the first real use of ironclad ships. Riverine warfare was the norm of the time as the Union Navy spent much of its time maintaining the blockade. There were no real fleet actions as the world was used to at the time. Basically because the Confederate Navy was not a real force with which to be reckoned. One thing I found particularly interesting is that there was no rank of Admiral in the US Navy until 1863. One of the first being David Farragut (of 'damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead' fame). The highest rank was that of Flag Officer, and that was only a temporary rank for a specific operation so that there would be a person in charge.

There are numerous stories and examples of use of these ships in small operations. The only really large fleet actions were all extremely one sided and most of those took place in the last ten years of the Ironclad age. Just to refresh your memories, those actions would be Ito at the Yalu, Dewey at Manila Bay, Sampson at Santiago Bay, and Togo at Tsushima. The first was the Sino-Japanese war of 1894, the next two were in conjunction with the Spanish-American War of 1898, and the last the Russo-Japanese war of 1905.

All in all, a fascinating book, and one from which I learned a great deal. If you are interested in the technical and sociological developments of the time, then I suggest that you find and buy this book.  

Review copy courtesy of your editor. 

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