From War to Peace: The Conversion of Naval Vessels after Two World Wars

By Nick Robins

The subject of Nick Robin’s, From War to Peace is a synopsis of the many ways that people have transformed warships (and boats) into civilian watercraft. While the conversion of civilian watercraft to warships is generally well-documented, the transformation of military ships into peacetime services is less well known. Warships were not built with post-armistice alterations in mind, and therefore structural adaptation for commercial service carried incredible financial risks with it. Hence, this book’s core theme is an assessment of the economic impact of watercraft conversion, which it does by telling the stories of the many successes and failures of renovations of classes of warship or individual military craft. Whether a success or a failure, each instance illuminates the ingenuity of maritime entrepreneurs. Following two introductory chapters explaining the cultural phenomenon and technical challenges of converting military watercraft for civilian use, eleven chapters follow in a more-or-less chronological order, describing modifications from the nineteenth century through to the post-Second World War period. A concluding chapter serves as an analysis of the “value of conversion.”

The number of ships outlined in the relatively short work is immense. It covers the conversion of every type of craft from aircraft carriers and large landing craft (e.g., LSTs, LCDs, and LSMs), to bomb vessels, cruisers, corvettes, convoy escorts and rescue ships, minesweepers, military launches, naval salvage tugs, gunboats, patrol boats, subchasers, smaller landing craft (e.g., LCTs, LCGs, and LCMs), torpedo boats, and air-sea rescue boats. These ships and boats were converted into an equally long list of general and specialized craft types, from generic passenger ferries, cargo ships, liners, immigrant ships, ferries, and oil tankers, to polar exploration craft, commercial tugs, dredges, hulks, accommodation ships, excursion craft, pleasure yachts, trawlers and fishing vessels, floating restaurants, weather-watching ships, and tank cleaning vessels. 

Technical details abound. Descriptions of wartime construction efforts, armament specifications, propulsion configuration, and service history are contrasted with post-modification specifications that emerged with new peacetime utilizations. These details are critical for communicating the “spectrum” of conversion activities people chose to complete. As Robins notes, while converted vessels could cost one-half to two-thirds of the cost of a purpose-built craft, the modifications could lead to considerable blowouts in spending. Hence, conversions ranged from minor reconfigurations to complete rebuilds. Some conversions were outright failures, and others led to incredible commercial success. Another consequence of the decision to convert rather than construct was that use-lives might be affected. A newly built ship may be expected last twenty five years, but a converted craft was more likely to have a much shorter service life. While the work describes many incredible conversions, the author also visually demonstrates transformations with a multitude of “before” and “after” photographs wherein the reader witnesses a veritable external metamorphosis of many ships. Other details outlined in ship biographies discuss the trajectories of craft during wartime and peacetime service, the peculiarities of regional markets causing conversion or leading to economic catastrophe or triumph, business and entrepreneur histories, and the circumstances of a vessel’s wrecking, abandonment, or scrapping.

Robins’s work heavily emphasizes conversions made in the United Kingdom, though it regularly mentions United States-based construction and modification (understandable considering the role of lend-lease agreements during the Second World War). However, the author also periodically embeds information regarding the conversions of German and Canadian ships, and mentions many other nations, especially when converted ships ended up in their service (e.g., Sweden, Bermuda, Australia, Panama, and Greece); Hence, From Peace to War, should have broad appeal to readers of naval and maritime history.

• Barnsley, Pen & Sword History, 2021
• 7-3/4” x 10”, hardcover, 176 pages
• Photographs, bibliography, index. $42.95
• ISBN: 9781399009584

Reviewed by: Nathan Richards, East Carolina University