The dreadnoughts (The Seafarers) by Howarth, David Armine published by Time-Life Books Hardcover

The Seafarers

by David Howarth

The dreadnoughts (The Seafarers) by Howarth, David Armine published by Time-Life Books Hardcover

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Naval History, Military History, War, World War I, Military Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

David Armine Howarth (1912 - 1991) was a British historian and author. After graduating from Cambridge University, he was a radio war correspondent for BBC at the start of the Second World War, joining the Navy after the fall of France. He rose to the rank of lieutenant commander and spent four yeas in the Shetland Islands, becoming second in command of the Shetland Naval base. He was involved in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), including the Shetland Bus, an SOE operation manned by Norwegians running a clandestine route between Shetland and Norway, which utilized fishing boats with crews of Norwegian volunteers to land agents and arms in occupied Norway. For his contributions to espionage operations against the German occupation of Norway, he received King Haakon VII's Cross of Liberty. The King also made Howarth a Chevalier First Class of the Order of St Olav.

After the War he designed and built boats before turning to writing full time. He wrote an account of the Shetland Bus operation, as well as many other books of history, bringing to his many of his books an immense practical knowledge of ships and the sea.

David Howarth died in 1991. At his request, his ashes were scattered over the waters of Lunna Voe, Shetland, near Lunna House, the first base of the Shetland Bus operation.

Reviews

[Stuart Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the titans of the sea. The Dreadnoughts were the biggest ships on the sea, fastest of the large ships, with the biggest guns and the thickest armor. They instantly made all other navy ships obsolete.

The Dreadnought was the result of an arms race between imperial Germany and Great Britain. The Germans wanted to be a sea power and the British wanted to remain the uncontested masters of the sea. The Germans had the support of the Kaiser. The British had the support of the King but was opposed by the Navy. Who needs a faster ship, speed is only for running away. Why switch to oil, coal works just fine. Why do you need more armor, it just makes the ships unstable. You want a ship with fewer guns, you must be mad.

Both navies got their dreadnoughts just as World War I arrived. Time to put them to use. Or not. Turns out a dreadnought was just too valuable and cost too much to risk in battle, so both sides had them patrolling coastal waters and waiting for the enemy to come to them. For years. Until the Battle of Jutland.

Howarth spends the first half of the book giving detailed information about how the dreadnoughts came to be and the people involved. The second half is a detailed exploration of the Battle of Jutland. Both the first half and the second are excellent. This oversized book comes packed with pictures. A fine addition to any collection.

[Michael Alford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly informative

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quiet a good survey. Accessible to uninitiated and while containing information with will edify veteran readers.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating book on the naval arms race between Britain and Germany to see which could build the largest and most powerful fleet of iron battleships as this new era of warfare began in the late 1800's and early 1900's.