Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development, 1923–1945

David K. Brown

Jul 2012 · Pen and Sword

About this ebook

An illustrated history and analysis of the Royal Navy’s warships before and during WWII—their design, development, and adaptation to new threats.
 
Nelson to Vanguard, the third volume in D.K. Brown’s bestselling series on warship design and development, looks at the Royal Navy’s response to the restrictions placed on it by the Washington Naval Treaties in the interwar years, and analyzes the fleet that was constructed to fight the Second World War.
 
The author focuses on the principal prewar developments, such as the first purpose-built aircraft carriers and the growing perception of the threat of air attack to warships. All the wartime construction programs are covered, such as the massive expansion in escort ships to counter the U-boat menace, and the development of the amphibious warfare fleet for the D-Day landings in 1944. Full analysis is also provided of the experience of wartime damage, as well as the once top secret pre- and postwar damage trials.
 
Illustrated throughout with a superb collection of contemporary photographs and numerous line drawings, this now classic work is an essential read for naval historians and enthusiasts.

Ratings and reviews

Perhaps one of the best beginner book to Royal Navy history before and during WWII. Offers insights to many ships and doctrines (as promised) with detailed accounts from insiders and surprising in-depth analysis while maintaining pace to make it light and understandable.

About the author

David K. Brown was a distinguished naval architect who retired in 1988 as Deputy Chief Naval Architect of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors. He published widely on the subject of warship design and built a reputation as a clear and brilliant commentator on the development of the ships of the Royal Navy. He died in 2008.