Naval Warfare, 1815-1914

by Sondhaus,Lawrence

• ISBN13: 9780415214780
• ISBN10: 0415214785
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2001-01-22
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

From the era of Napoleon and Lord Nelson to the Anglo-German naval race before the First World War, naval warfare underwent a slow transition from the era of wooden sailing fleets to that of the modern steel navy. Naval Warfare 1815-1914details the technological breakthroughs of steam power, armour, artillery and torpedoes that brought changes not only to warship design, but also to naval strategy and tactics. The rivalries of the naval powers, their wars and expeditions are investigated with special attention to the evolving state of naval technology. Because the relative industrial capabilities of seafaring countries were reflected in their naval building programs, a focus on industrial development provides an important link between the matters investigated and the broader history of the period. The three leading fleets of the period (Britain, France and Russia) take precedent, but the book also addresses the decline after 1815 of the Spanish and Dutch navies, as well as the rise before 1914of German, Japanese, and American sea power.

Author Biography

Lawrence Sondhaus is Associate Professor of History at the University of Indianapolis

Table of Contents

List of plates	vi
Preface	vii
The twilight of sail, 1815-30	1	(26)
Continuity and change, 1830-50	27	(28)
The 1850s	55	(18)
The ironclad revolution	73	(35)
The 1870s	108	(31)
The Jeune Ecole	139	(21)
The rebirth of the battleship	160	(37)
The dreadnought and the origins of the First World War	197	(28)
Reflections on deterrence	225	(5)
Bibliography	230	(7)
Index	237