Author : Norman Friedman
Publisher : Seaforth Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1848320787
Total Pages : 433 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (483 download)
Book Synopsis British Cruisers by : Norman Friedman
Download or read book British Cruisers written by Norman Friedman and published by Seaforth Publishing. This book was released on 2011-01-24 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For most of the twentieth century Britain possessed both the worlds largest merchant fleet and its most extensive overseas territories. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Royal Navy always showed a particular interest in the cruiser a multi-purpose warship needed in large numbers to defend trade routes and police the empire. Above all other types, the cruisers competing demands of quality and quantity placed a heavy burden on designers, and for most of the inter-war years Britain sought to square this circle through international treaties restricting both size and numbers. In the process she virtually invented the heavy cruiser and inspired the large 6in-armed cruiser, neither of which, ironically, served her best interests. For the first time this book seeks to comprehend the full policy background, from which a different and entirely original picture emerges of British cruiser development. After the war the cruisers role was reconsidered and the final chapters of the book cover modernisations, the plans for missile-armed ships and the convoluted process that turned the through-deck cruiser into the Invincible class light carriers. With detailed appendices of ship data, and illustrated in depth with photos and A D Bakers specially commissioned plans, British Cruisers truly matches the lofty standards set by Friedmans previous books on British destroyers.