Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Design and Development 1860-1905

by D.K. Brown

In the 50 years that separated Warrior from Dreadnought there occurred a revolution in warship design quite unparalleled in naval history; a period that began with the fully-rigged broadside ironclads and ended with the emergence of the great battleships and battlecruisers that were to fight in the First World War.The author explains how ninetheenth-century designers responded to developments in engine technology, armour protection and armament in their attempts to develop the best possible fighting ships. He details the development of more efficient engines that brought about the demise of the sailing warship, and the competition between armour and armament, with every increase in the power of guns stimulating the development of ever more sophisticated methods of protection. Importantly, he explains that the Victorian Royal Navy, far from being the reactionary body it is so often depicted as, was, in fact, at the forefront of technological change, for example in the employment of torpedoes and the development of countermeasures to them.Full accounts are given of the significant naval events and battles of the period, making the book a fine narrative history as well as a brilliant work of warship reference.D K BROWN was a distinguished naval architect who retired in 1988 as Deputy Chief Naval Architect of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors. He published widely on the subject of warship design and built a reputation as a clear and brilliant commentator on the development of the ships of the Royal Navy. He died in 2008.

Genres: Naval History, History, Military History, Maritime

682 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1997

About the author

David K. Brown (1928–2008) was a noted British naval architect. After joining the Admiralty he became a member of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, rising through the ranks to become the Deputy Chief Naval Architect before retiring in 1988.

Reviews

[Peter Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully detailed and comprehensive book. It's also clearly written and such potentially bamboozling topics such as metacentric height, etc are easier to grasps than you'd expect.

There are no end of diagrams, tables and photos that further bring the subject to life. It would have benefitted from more comparisons with the construction of other navies, as these are just mentioned in passing, but that doesn't take away from the majesty of this book.

It's a big beast and not something you'd polish off in a couple of days, but it's worth the read.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of the Royal Navy's ships in the transition from ironclad to Dreadnought. A sweeping overview that still manages (sometimes in extensive footnotes) to swoop in to the lowest, most telling, level of detail.

The author was a ship designer in the post-World War 2 years and brings real authority to this study.

I'll be reading the next two volumes shortly - Grand Fleet and Nelson to Vanguard - but I think I'll give Before the Ironclad a miss as it's a bit too early for me.

If there's one thing that could be done to improve this series, it would be to provide more of a comparison with the ships of other navies. Unfortunately, that book won't come from Brown as he passed on a few years back.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a naval architect, Warrior to Dreadnought charts the development of British Royal Navy warship designs from the time of the first all-iron broadside ironclad (Warrior) in 1860 through to the design of the first big-gun battleship (Dreadnought) in 1905. It’s the second book in the author’s five-book series on the history of British Royal Navy warship design, and it’s an excellent piece of work.

It doesn’t cover any specific design in great detail (some designs aren’t mentioned at all, whereas some designs that highlight key changes get significant amounts of attention) but rather looks at the design trends, from all-iron warships, to why sails were kept on ships for as long as they were, to the shift from iron to compound to hardened steel armour, and the development of naval artillery (among other things). This is done by examining why decisions were made, from trials of equipment, to cost, to politics, to perceived lessons from the experiences recorded from the relatively few naval conflicts in the period. It highlights some of the key people involved in the designs as well.

This is all done with a very high standard of writing and well-flowing structure (which, given the breadth of content is a huge achievement in and of itself). Editing is very good (there are a few minor issues, but nothing of consequence) and the book is well-illustrated with appropriate photographs, diagrams and artwork.

There are a full set of appendices (9) which cover a range of issues, including the best description for a laypersons of ship’s stability in the context of metacentric high and righting lever I’ve yet seen. As well as this there is a glossary, and a page that discusses the principal sources used (which include numerous primary documents). Throughout the text, notes provide referencing and further detail on points as appropriate. About the only cautionary note to make is that it might be a lot of concepts for someone to get their head around if its their first book on warships or warship design – but having said this, things are very well-presented, and it’s by no means inaccessible – it just covers a lot of ground, and given that other context provided elsewhere doesn’t hurt.

All in all, there’s a reason this book is considered a classic. I’m not particularly qualified enough to say this, but I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t more-or-less essential reading for anyone looking to understand ship design during the period covered.

[Bobble Hat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first volume in Brown’s excellent design trilogy.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume of Brown's history of Royal Navy ship design. As the title suggests, this volume starts with HMS Warrior on the building ways and ends with the design of HMS Dreadnought of 1906. Put another way, this is the history of armored warships from the start until they reach nearly their final form.

Brown was a naval architect with deep professional expertise on warship design. The benefit of this expertise is that he has wonderfully crisp lucid explanations of the complicated engineering and physics of warships -- I understanding ship stability much better than before, and what factors go into it. The downside is that Brown is anxious to vindicate the reputation of his predecessors in the Constructor's office -- he very much has an agenda, and that agenda is to show that the navy was proceeding with all deliberate speed to adopt new technology and design methods.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like big boats and I cannot lie. A lovely coffee-table book with many rare photographs and illustrations, and a great deal of dry, technical language liable to put the casual reader to sleep. However, even if you have only a general interest in naval architecture, its excellent glossary will help you to make sense of any arcane jargon.

[Vicarage]

Two copies

[Renzh_gr · Rating 5 out of 5]

看完这本，就能明白北洋水师在黄海海战失利的决定性因素，海军科技的进步。日本海军正好碰上了速射炮 vs 大口径炮的优势区，而北洋水师因为根本的原因，完全对升级海军科技无视，或者说无能为力。在日新月异的海军科技发展阶段，晚了几年的日本海军就可以拿到代差优势，横扫北洋水师，可叹可叹。