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Battleships in Transition: The Creation of the Steam Battlefleet, 1815-1860
Book by Lambert, Andrew
161 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1985
15 people want to read
About the author
Andrew D. Lambert
62 books38 followersAndrew Lambert, FRHistS, is a British naval historian, who since 2001 has been the Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies, King's College London
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October 30, 2023
Battleships in transition covers the brief but significant stage in naval technological development of wooden-hulled, steam and sail-powered battleships. At 161 pages including notes and so on, it is a relatively small book, but it is packed with interesting information about an interesting period in the history of warship design.
The structure of the book involves a relatively chronological discussion from 1815 through 1861 (with the focus on the mid 1840s through to 1861) followed by chapters on tactics and technology, and naval policy, before concluding. The text is supported by a table showing the particulars of wooden steam battleships, another table showing the battleship fleet dispositions, mostly of the British Royal Navy at various points between 1854 and 1861, but also of the French Navy in July 1859. Then there are two appendices covering a proposal to increase the size and gun size of battleships, and Baldwin Walker’s response.
The quality of writing is very high, with a relatively dry tone. The standard of research also appears very high (and consistent with the book’s reputation of being a key work on the topic). The focus is very much on the Royal Navy, with the French navy getting significantly less coverage (and other navies even less, although given only the British and French built significant numbers of steam battleships this isn’t surprising).
The book is very well-illustrated, with numerous photographs and diagrams. It contains referencing notes throughout the text (clearly showing the substantial research done for the book), as well as a bibliography and an index.
All up, an easy recommendation for people interested in the 19th-century (particularly mid-19th-century) Royal Navy, or in the transition of battleship design from sailing ships of the line into the ironclad.
The structure of the book involves a relatively chronological discussion from 1815 through 1861 (with the focus on the mid 1840s through to 1861) followed by chapters on tactics and technology, and naval policy, before concluding. The text is supported by a table showing the particulars of wooden steam battleships, another table showing the battleship fleet dispositions, mostly of the British Royal Navy at various points between 1854 and 1861, but also of the French Navy in July 1859. Then there are two appendices covering a proposal to increase the size and gun size of battleships, and Baldwin Walker’s response.
The quality of writing is very high, with a relatively dry tone. The standard of research also appears very high (and consistent with the book’s reputation of being a key work on the topic). The focus is very much on the Royal Navy, with the French navy getting significantly less coverage (and other navies even less, although given only the British and French built significant numbers of steam battleships this isn’t surprising).
The book is very well-illustrated, with numerous photographs and diagrams. It contains referencing notes throughout the text (clearly showing the substantial research done for the book), as well as a bibliography and an index.
All up, an easy recommendation for people interested in the 19th-century (particularly mid-19th-century) Royal Navy, or in the transition of battleship design from sailing ships of the line into the ironclad.
Displaying 1 of 1 review