When it comes to submarine warfare during WWI, the major focus has always been on the German U-boat fleet. However, submarine warfare was also conducted by the other forces in the war, especially those of the Royal Navy. Though these early submarines were generally quite small and suitable only for coastal work, there were larger classes that had quite a bit of success in the early war periods.

The Royal Navy operated in basically three areas during WWI. The Baltic, the Sea of Marmara, and the North Sea/English Channel area.

Getting submarines into the first two areas was often fraught with danger as both bodies have quite narrow approaches that were often heavily patrolled, mined or just plain narrow and dangerous. Most of the successes were  in the first two years of the war as after the British wreaked havoc with German or Turkish shipping, either the shipping stayed close to home, supplies used land routes, or the defensive patrols and barriers increased to where it was no longer worth operating in those areas.

This book covers the various classes of submarine used by the Royal Navy as well as a considerable amount of detail in their usage during WWI. We are blessed with a superb variety of period photographs of these ships and this is further enhanced by the excellent illustrations and cutaways of artist Tony Bryan.

It makes for a superb read of the harrowing exploits of the men who led and crewed these small and decidedly uncomfortable boats. One can also see how the design of the submarine advanced as the war progressed. It is, like all of Osprey's New Vanguard series, a superlative book and one that you can be sure will provide you with the best.

June 2008

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