British Battleships of the Victorian Era

by Norman Friedman

This is a companion volume to Friedman s highly successful British Battleship 1906 1946 and completes his study of the Royal Navy s capital ships. Beginning with the earliest installation of steam machinery in ships of the line, the book traces the technological revolution that saw the introduction of iron hulls, armour plate, shell-firing guns and the eventual abandonment of sail as auxiliary propulsion. This hectic development finally settled down to a widely approved form of pre-dreadnought battleship, built in large numbers and culminating in the King Edward VII class. As with all of his work, Friedman is concerned to explain why as well as how and when these advances were made, and locates British ship design firmly within the larger context of international rivalries, domestic politics and economic constraints. The result is a sophisticated and enlightening overview of the Royal Navy s battle fleet in the latter half of the nineteenth century. It is also well illustrated a comprehensive gallery of photographs with in-depth captions is accompanied by specially commissioned plans of the important classes by A D Baker III, and a colour section featuring the original Admiralty draughts, including a spectacular double gatefold. Norman Friedman is one of the most highly regarded of all naval writers, with an avid following, so for anyone with an interest in warships, the publication of this work will be a major event.

400 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Norman Friedman is a prominent naval analyst and the author of more than thirty books covering a range of naval subjects, from warship histories to contemporary defense issues.

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norman Friedman's works are never less than good and are often excellent; this book might be one of the best that he's ever done. How so? Because this volume carefully and completely integrates the examination of policy, politics, finance and technology with what ships were actually purchased, and why. If nothing else this book also provides the best explanation I've ever seen of how Capt. Cowper Coles came to dominate the debate over British warship design, before meeting his demise in the sinking of HMS "Captain." I wouldn't quite say that this has rendered every other book on the topic obsolete, but it's hard to imagine a better study being produced.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a Friedman illustrated design history, you know what you’re getting with these. If you like them, you like them. I do. However, this one pretty badly needed a final pass from a copy-editor, there were some weird typos and distracting mistakes, and Friedman’s digressions into French designs were sometimes placed poorly.
Also, I wish books used footnotes and not endnotes. I don’t want to leaf to the back, and once I’m at the end notes, I don’t have any context for what I’m reading.