Birth of the Battleship : British Capital Ship Design, 1870-1881

by BEELER JOHN

• ISBN13: 9781557502131
• ISBN10: 1557502137
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr

Summary

The British ship designers who plied their trade between 1870 and 1881 have long been criticized for being retrogressive and emblematic of the so-called dark ages of the British Admiralty. In this revisionist study, John Beeler goes beyond a purely technical analysis to examine crucial external factors that affected ship building -- politics, finance, bureaucracy, strategy, and foreign threats. He makes a persuasive case that the Admiralty's sensible approach to the many problems of the decade laid the foundation for modern battleship design. Based largely on primary sources, the author's argument is backed up with solid details and many original plans that are reproduced here for the first time. This major new work will please both technical historians and everyone interested in the legend and lore of battleships.

Author Biography

John F. Beeler is Associate Professor of History at the University of Alabama, where he specialises in British and military history.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	7	(2)
Introduction	9	(4)
International Relations, Naval Rivals, Domestic Politics and Government Finance: The Context	13	(17)
Materials and Construction	30	(17)
Sails and Steam	47	(18)
Armament	65	(22)
Strategy, Economics, Politics and Design Policy	87	(21)
Design by Committee	108	(14)
The Inflexible and Mr Reed	122	(16)
From Inflexible to Colossus	138	(19)
The Coast Assault Paradigm Shaken: Collingwood and the `Admiral' Class, 1879-81	157	(25)
The Cruiser Quandary	182	(22)
Conclusion	204	(11)
Bibliography	215	(6)
Index	221