Navies
Polish Navy 1939-45
Destroyer of the Grom class. Polish destroyers ORP Grom and Błyskawica, moored side by side following their evacuation from Poand to G.B. in September 1939. The Polish Navy submarine ORP Orzeł (Eagle) returning to her depot ship at Rosyth. Once the German Führer had given his approval for the commencement of Fall Weiss (literally Case White) which began with a…
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French and Italian Navies in WWI
Goeben and the Breslau MAS boats-fast motor torpedo boats. Italian Torpedo Boat MAS 15 racing away from the already dramatically listing Austrian battleship Szent István on 10 June, 1918. The Italian decision to remain neutral on the outbreak of the war, based on the strictly defensive nature of the Triple…
Seapower and global hegemony 1815-30
Action at close quarters during the Battle of Navarino Bay. This detail shows Codrington’s flagship, HMS Asia (centre), simultaneously destroying two Ottoman ships. When the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, Britain was the only global maritime power. Even with a major reduction in her navy, Britain’s naval power was unchallenged.…
Cold War – Diesel-Electric Submarines
HMAS Ovens – Royal Australian Navy Diesel-electric submarines, which were also known as ‘conventional’ submarines, played a significant role in the Cold War from the very start. When NATO became operational in the early 1950s the Soviet surface fleet was generally considered to be of minor importance, since it had…
Britain was the only global maritime power
Ville de Paris in 1854. The escadre d’évolution, under vice-admiral Penaud. The ships Ville de Paris, Algésiras and Gloire can be seen. Capture of Saigon by France, 18th February 1859. When the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, Britain was the only global maritime power. Even with a major reduction in…
Tanker War I
Toward midday on April 18, the Iranians began reacting to the American attacks by launching their own attacks against oil and gas facilities in the southern Gulf that had some U.S. ownership association. “We are under fire!” shouted scared oil field workers over the radio. Iranian boats rampaged around offshore…
The Nemesis Steamer Destroying Chinese War Junks, in Canton River (1842).
Iron Steamer Nemesis Attacking a Masked Battery, China 1841 – William Adolphus Knell 1802-1875 Oil on canvas Superior British military technology played an important role in the Chinese Opium Wars, enabling a mere commercial firm owned by stockholders to defeat the naval forces of a nation that described itself as…