GREAT NAVAL BATTLES: From Medieval Wars to the Present Day

As an island nation we Brits have a vested interest in a good sea-fight, and this collection describes over 60 naval engagements, starting with the Battle of Sandwich in 1217 when Eustace the Monk was defeated and most of the French fleet captured, with the proceeds going to found St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. The final battle in the book is the Falklands War of 1982, a territory coincidentally including the South Sandwich Islands. The Falkland Islanders themselves did not want to be ruled by Argentine invaders, and when Margaret Thatcher controversially sent a task force there could only be one outcome. Another battle of the Falkland Islands is featured from 1914, when the German Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee with his armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau encountered and sank the British cruisers Good Hope and Monmouth. World War I saw the British initially at a disadvantage from the German U-boats, and in 1916 Admiral Jellicoe failed to win a decisive victory at the Battle of Jutland. In WWII British naval fortunes finally improved with the sinking of the Bismarck and the battle of Midway. Great historic sea-battles of the past include Lepanto in 1571, the last great battle with oar-driven fleets. Catholic Spain was in conflict with the Ottoman empire and Spain's ally, the 24-year old Don Juan of Austria with his 107 galleys and six galleasses, took on and beat the mighty Turkish navy. The Battle of Flamborough Head of 1779 was, astonishingly, an engagement in the American War of Independence, when the privateer John Paul Jones brought his sloop to the English coast to attack the French. A successful naval engagement needs a strong leader, and the Battle of Trafalgar is often considered to have been won by Nelson's personal charisma as a motivator. From an era when oar-driven ships clashed in messy, bloody conflict to the golden age of sail and the incredible innovations that led to ironclads, dreadnoughts, and the aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines of today, Great Naval Battles steers a course through some of history's most epic engagements on the high seas. 256pp, paperback, photos.