The Battlecruiser New Zealand: A Gift to Empire

Matthew Wright

As the world increasingly realizes that it lives in “interesting times,” including a renewed era of great-power competition, scholarship focusing on the early twentieth century provides vital insight. In The Battlecruiser New Zealand: A Gift to Empire, Matthew Wright provides such insight, focusing on a singular ship that sits at the intersection of some of that period’s most important events, themes, and trends.

Wright is a prolific writer and historian of New Zealand, whose works span a wide variety of political, geographic, and military topics. His most recent takes a single vessel as its subject, delivering an exciting approach to history through the “experience” of this vessel as it was designed, proposed, funded, constructed, deployed, embroiled in a world war, and finally, scrapped. This approach is not without its challenges; Wright weaves the firsthand recollections and memoirs of human actors, copious technological information, fast-paced operational military events, and material history together to achieve it.

The book begins by setting the stage at the dawn of the twentieth century in New Zealand, a fascinating backdrop for understanding this turbulent moment. Why did this colonial government (and by extension, its taxpayers) wish to fund the construction of what was, in its day, a fantastically powerful and expensive weapon bearing the Dominion’s name? This question occupies Wright through the book’s first half. Thereafter, he pivots to a ship’s-eye view of the cataclysm of the Great War, bringing the reader aboard for the tedium of North Sea sweeps and the excitement of the war’s few (yet dramatic) battles, of which Jutland looms the largest. The book concludes with HMS New Zealand’s final decommissioning and subsequent scrapping; a victim equally of lightning-fast technological obsolescence and the postwar fervor for disarmament, budgetary retrenchment, and arms-limitation.

Wright’s extensive expertise and publication record are on display in the book’s endnotes, and readers who explore them will find hidden gems, such as insights on innovations in range-finding from the author’s own great-uncle H.C. Wright, who served in that capacity during the Great War. Indeed, Wright’s sharp yet accessible descriptions of technological innovations, from battlecruiser design to fire control, are a strength of this book and are helped by numerous image plates and diagrams.

Noteworthy moments of the book are given over to discussions of scholarly debates on the views of leading lights like Jacky Fisher and Winston Churchill, the motives of major characters in the ship’s life like New Zealand Prime Minister Joseph Ward, and especially to the reputation and choices of John Jellicoe, who held the Grand Fleet command during the war and later used New Zealand as his means of conveyance on a postwar tour of the Dominions. While these excursions to the literature are perhaps surprising, it would be unfair to fault Wright for them, as the savagery with which naval historians often treat one another tends to provoke a certain historiographical thoroughness. “History is,” as Wright notes several times, “a conversation.” Conflagration (or, in a nod to cordite magazine mishaps on Dreadnought-era ships, deflagration) sometimes feels like a more apposite metaphor.

Wright does fellow scholars a service on several fronts, especially on his treatment of the financing of the battlecruiser, showing that the ship was neither somehow unaffordable nor unusually long in being paid off by its namesake Dominion. Likewise, Wright’s outstanding analysis of the ship’s Māori associations, particularly its talismanic piupiu (skirt) and other gifts which, in popular legend, guaranteed the ship’s survival of the war’s major engagements, is a highlight. These “symbolized Māori engagement with Pākehā society,” but also how “the unfulfilled promise of that engagement - symbolized by the Treaty of Waitangi - could be highlighted in an age of embedded racism by colonial authorities” (109). Through analysis like this, The Battlecruiser New Zealand has the unusual distinction of being both an enjoyable read and a support to experts.

• Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing, 2021
• Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2021
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, 272 pages
• Photographs, drawings, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. $42.95
• ISBN: 9781526784032

Reviewed by: Jesse Tumblin, Duquesne University

Years of Endurance: Life Aboard the Battlecruiser Tiger 1914-16

John R. Muir

John Muir’s reminiscences of service ashore and afloat during the early years of the Great War were originally published in 1937. Seaforth has reprinted them and added a new introduction by Surgeon Rear-Admiral (Ret.) Mike Farquharson-Roberts.

It is not clear when Muir’s account was written, nor is there any reference to his having kept a diary through the events he recounts. Thus the reader cannot be sure whether the numerous conversations scattered throughout his narrative were reconstructed from notes taken shortly afterward or committed to a diary at the time, or whether they were “recreated” from memory long after the fact, a caveat that extends to the narrative as a whole. All of this is meant to say that while most of the overall picture that Muir presents is probably accurate, the details may not be all that trustworthy. In some cases, too, the overall picture leaves something to be desired, in particular the chapter devoted to the battlecruiser action at Jutland, an account that Farquharson-Roberts rather charitably terms “semi-fictionalized.”

Lest the foregoing imply that Muir’s book does not warrant reading, it also boasts numerous laudable qualities and provides a participant’s-eye view of the battles of the Dogger Bank and Jutland far removed from those found in most accounts of the latter battle, focusing as they do on the view from the bridge. As Muir makes clear, the view, such as it was, from the medical officer’s station was very different. Indeed, like the vast majority of Tiger’s crew he had no view at all of the battle itself, being at his station far below the waterline providing care for the ship’s men wounded during the action. Hence, the explosion of Queen Mary, next in line ahead of Tiger, was felt rather than seen.

Muir’s perspective on service at sea and ashore—as Senior Medical Officer at Chatham at the war’s outbreak he had to improvise system for examining the flood of reservists who descended on the port and also to create temporary hospital space out of a former sailors’ hostel for the anticipated flood of men wounded in action—is one not often encountered in naval history and is valuable for that fact alone. Moreover, a medical officer did and does have an unusually broad social experience in the service. Muir was on the one hand a member of wardroom, thus rubbing elbows with most of the executive branch, the engineering officers, the other professional officers (chaplain, paymaster, school instructor), Marine officers and, in the circumstances of war, several reserve or volunteer reserve lieutenants. On the other his duties brought in into regular and intimate contact with men of the lower deck, and although it was socially impossible to bridge the gulf in rank he did, along with the chaplain, serve as one of the ship’s de facto “welfare officers,” as Farquharson-Roberts puts it.

Muir’s memoir also makes for an instructive, entertaining, well-written, and often amusing read, chock-full of anecdotes and insights into the Royal Navy’s early twentieth-century medical service. Especially recommended to those interested in that service, the Great War at sea, and HMS Tiger. Those engaged in scholarly research should use caution when citing it, however.

• Introduction by Mike Farquharson-Roberts
• Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing, 2020
• Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2020
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xviii + 202 pages
• Photographs. $34.95
• ISBN: 9781399017206

Reviewed by: John Beeler, University of Alabama

John Lenthall: The Life of a Naval Constructor

Stephen Chapin Kinnaman

There are innumerable books published on military subjects each year and only a small number of these relate to the navy. Studies of civilians who have had a role in naval matters is rarely the topic of any study. Stephen Kinnaman’s biography of John Lenthall is a long overdue examination of one of history’s most important naval constructors. This detailed and well-written biography places Lenthall in the context of his times and follows closely his life in incredible detail.

Lenthall, who was born in Washington, DC in 1807, decided as a teen that he wanted to build ships. He began an apprenticeship at age fifteen in the Washington Navy Yard and less than a year later moved to Philadelphia. Here he worked with Samuel Humphreys, then thought as the country’s premier naval constructor. Lenthall drew his first plans at age sixteen and when Humphreys became the Navy’s chief constructor Lenthall followed him back to the capital. Here he performed various jobs around the Washington Navy Yard, importantly making calculations for Humphreys’ drawings.

Lenthall, early in his life, exhibited ambition and a drive for knowledge that would serve him well and later make him unmatched in his profession. He traveled to Europe to study mathematics and engineering for several years. He toured dockyards to examine ships under construction and spent some fifteen months in France. The young man came back to the United States in 1834 and procured a job in the mould loft at Washington Navy Yard. In 1835, he received a promotion to master builder at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and then as naval constructor. During this time, as a supplementary source of income he also designed merchant ships, helping him to keep abreast of emerging technology.

In November 1849, the United States Navy appointed Lenthall its chief constructor and four years later he became the chief of the Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repair. This brought new challenges because now he oversaw the administration of an entire naval bureau, giving him new opportunities on a scale he never imagined. One of the first challenges was the building of the Merrimack-class frigates.In his position, he was at the forward edge of making steam propulsion viable in naval vessels. Lenthall was in the right place at the right time and was one of the most important men that worked to see the navy evolve from sail to steam. Despite his need to oversee all the administrative work to run the bureau, he remained active influencing the design of American warships.

He importantly oversaw the construction of the many classes of warships built during the Civil War. The author discusses his relationship with John Ericsson, and how his strategic philosophy differed from that of Ericsson. Lenthall believed that the navy should have a seagoing fleet of warships and put it eloquently by writing “how much better it is to fight at the threshold rather than upon the hearthstone.” The author determined not to cover the Civil War ironclad building problems in detail because he deemed it sufficiently covered in other books, yet this was the most controversial of the department’s work and maybe he should have done more. The author importantly points out that during his tenure as the bureau chief, and despite the massive amounts of money spent on building warships during the Civil War, that there was no corruption in his administration. His office, however, did suffer one of the most embarrassing ship design calamities with the failed shallow draft monitors.

In 1871, due to his age, the government forced Lenthall to retire. He participated on naval boards afterwards and one of his final tasks was the investigation into the rebuilt double-turreted monitors. Lenthall kept professionally engaged even though his health was wanning, remaining active, providing advice and answering engineering questions, until he died in 1882.

The author, a historian and naval architect, uses a critical eye to examine, analyze and discuss Lenthall’s work and life. The author’s work is well-reasoned and researched and covers politics and technical issues skillfully and with a clear prose. He importantly used the many Lenthall collections available, some untapped by scholars. An additional bonus to this wonderful work is the color plates, plans, and the extremely beneficial appendices. This work should appeal to a wide audience—those interested in the Civil War, naval architecture and naval history. There was no biography of Lenthall for some one hundred and forty years after his death. This book is so important, and so well done, it is unlikely to be another one for this same length of time.

• Wilmington, Delaware: Vernon Press, 2022
• 6-1/4” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xxx + 555 pages
• Illustrations, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. $119.00
• ISBN: 9781648894183

Reviewed by: Robert M. Browning Jr.

Why the Titanic Was Doomed: A Disaster of Circumstance

Bryan Jackson

For anyone interested in the complete history leading up to the sinking of Titanic on its maiden crossing of the Atlantic in 1912, and the aftermath of related events, this book offers a riveting and scholarly presentation of all the facts involved. In many ways it reads like a blend of a nonfiction novel and a complete legal brief, clearly describing what surely must be every element that contributed to the eventual sinking on 15 April, 1912. I was quickly captured by the amount of historical information that the author presented in very readable fashion and was also pleased that an abbreviated but detailed chronological recap of all the events was included at the end of the book to help the reader digest the massive amount of information provided. 

The author's extensive research has to be the definitive story of what went wrong and why. As a naval architect and marine engineer, I was especially interested in the design and construction issues that played a part in the story, reinforcing the need for those responsible for specifying such things to stand their ground with clients who might request changes that could spell disaster in unexpected ways. While Titanic was one of the largest and grandest ships of the day, basic engineering principles still applied and its structural integrity and safety at sea depended on it. While one must read the book to fully understand all the factors that contributed to the tragedy, the realization is that it could likely have been prevented in a number of ways. If there is any good news, significant revisions to other similar ships of the era were made as a result of this tragedy, along with mandated operational changes for those responsible for a ship's safety at sea.

I can highly recommend this book for anyone with even a modest interest in the facts involved with the story. Books and movies have given all of us an idea of some of what may have happened on that fateful night, but the account in this book surely has to be the full story.

• Barnsley: Seaforth Books, 2022
• 6-1/2” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xii + 160 pages
• Photographs, index. $34.95
• ISBN: 9781399097161

Reviewed by: Robert Johnson, Largo, Florida

The Black Joke: The True Story of One Ship's Battle Against the Slave Trade

A.E. Rooks

By the 1820s the transatlantic slave trade was largely outlawed. Great Britain and the United States were early adoptors of its abolition. France and Spain were still winking at it (largely to twit Britain). Brazil would not outlaw the trade until 1831. Regardless, transatlantic transportation of slaves illegally continued.

The Black Joke: The True Story of One Ship's Battle Against the Slave Trade, by A.E. Rooks tells of a ship instrumental in closing down this illegal traffic. Never a formally-commissioned warship in the Royal Navy, it was the vessel of Britain’s West Africa Squadron most feared by slave traders.

Rooks carries the story from Black Joke’s incorporation into the Royal Navy in 1827 through its disposal five years later. Its career was brief, but as Rooks shows, its impact was profound.

Launched as Henriquetta in Baltimore for the slave trade, it was captured in 1827 by HMS Sybille with an illegal cargo of nearly 600 slaves. Renamed Black Joke and taken into Royal Navy service as a tender to Sybille, it was manned from Sybille’s crew and technically part of Sybille. It was armed with a single swivel gun, firing 18-pound shot, and had a crew of up to forty, including marines.

Rooks describes what came next. Black Joke became the terror of the Slave Coast of Africa, capturing or participating in the capture of fourteen slavers and freeing over 5,700 slaves. It was the most successful anti-slavery vessel on the coast. It was so effective Black Joke was transferred to a different warship, HMS Dryad, when Sybille returned to Britain.

Rooks picks through the legal complexities and cultural issues associated with Black Joke and fighting the slave trade. She explains how international law constrained fighting the slave trade. Britain was looking for ways to cut government spending during this period, which further affected efforts. Both were reasons why Black Joke remained a tender rather than an independent warship. It kept costs down and simplified legalities.

Snarls that could have remained impenetrable to readers unfamiliar with the subject are untangled by Rooks and presented comprehensibly. Readers come away appreciating and understanding what happened and why. She also does an outstanding job with the book’s maritime aspects. She explains why Black Joke was an outstanding sailer and the intricacies of a sea chase.

Rooks makes a few errors (Great Britain has not had a Royal Army since the English Civil War), but these are minor. More jarring is her use of modern jargon. This language will make this book seem dated and quaint a century from now. So too is her attempt to impose twenty-first century values on the eighteenth and nineteenth century. She seems incapable of understanding the altruist motives of abolitionism, which were rooted in Christian piety. It has no place in the utilitarian philosophy of academia in the current century.

Regardless, The Black Joke is a classic study on the subject. It will almost certainly be to slave trade suppression what Theodore Roosevelt’s The Naval War of 1812 is to the War of 1812.

• New York: Scribner, 2022
• 6-1/4” x 9-1/4”, hardcover, 400 pages
• Illustrations, maps, bibliography. Index. $29.00
• ISBN: 978-1982128265

Reviewed by: Mark Lardas, League City, Texas

Crisis at the Chesapeake: The Royal Navy and the Struggle for America 1775-1783

Quintin Barry

The Battle of the Chesapeake, known also as the Battle of the Virginia Capes, fought on September 5, 1781, was in effect the clash that determined the outcome of the American Revolutionary War. The naval battle was tactically indecisive in itself, with no ships taken or destroyed by either side (though one British 74-gun ship was scuttled and burned after the action). Admiral de Grasse's great achievement was to deny entry to Chesapeake Bay to the British fleet under the command of Admiral Graves, so denying supplies and reinforcements to Cornwallis's forces besieged at Yorktown. This strategic victory at sea ensured the British defenders' surrender to the combination before Yorktown of revolutionary forces under George Washington and French troops under the Comte de Rochambeau, "the world turned upside down." The naval battle's importance seems previously largely to have been overlooked in favor of the more striking British victories later on in the war, such as the Battle of the Saintes (la Bataille de la Dominique) the next year which, however, occurred too late to save the loss to Britain of its American colonies.

This is now addressed in no uncertain terms by Quintin Barry's well-written and fascinating study. As well as covering the background, causes and run-up to the battle itself, he delves deeply into the characters and histories of the commanders involved, from the various admirals to the politicians. The battle itself is then comprehensively covered, with particular attention to the confusion of signaled orders given by Graves and the contrary interpretations of them by his subordinate admirals, Sir Samuel Hood and Francis Drake. The aftermath is well covered, and events up to the end of the war.

Copiously illustrated as it is with maps and contemporary images, Quintin Barry's work on this strategically influential action will find a worthy place on the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in the naval history of the eighteenth century.

• Warwick, England: Helion & Company, 2021
• 6-1/4” x 9-1/2”, softcover, 260 pages.
• Illustrations, maps, bibliography, index. $37.50
• ISBN: 9781913336530

Reviewed by: Roger Marsh, Killaloe. Ireland

Surviving the Arctic Convoys: The Wartime Memoir of Leading Seaman Charlie Erswell

Edited by John R. McKay

The theaters of are numerous and unique, with many being notorious for both their environments and the events that occurred. One area of interest that often escapes the public eye is that of the Arctic convoys, a chapter of World War II that is fraught with peril consisting of air raids, U-boat attacks, perilous living conditions, and much more grief.

John R McKay makes a dedicated and thorough contribution to WWII research by bringing to light this part of the war through discussion of the stories of Charlie Erswell, who predominately served in this part of the war. Aside from needed narrative exposition, McKay focuses on Charlie Erswell’s accounts, consisting of his early life, entry into the Navy, and most notable are the tales of his service during the war. This book shows a great deal about the Artic theatre of this worldwide conflict through the point of view of one sailor, and in doing so shows how the Arctic Convoys are integral to many facets of the war and worthy of being included in discussion alongside other major sections of history from this war.

In writing this thoughtful piece narrative of Charlie Erswell’s experiences, McKay creates a flowing yet comprehensive view of multiple chapters of WWII, portrayed with an obvious emphasis on the convoys and their battles whilst dealing with Arctic conditions. Starting off, aside from a brief glimpse into what was coming later in Erswell’s life, his early life and fascination with the sea and maritime ways of life were described. This leads the way for him to want to join the Royal Navy, which he does after the start of the war. Following training, he is soon put on HMS Milne wherein the large focus of this book takes place; the Kola runs. This entailed a convoy traveling to Russia to deliver a wide assortment of supplies, munitions, and other warfare materials. Due to the importance these convoys held to both sides of the war, many parts of these journeys were fraught with attacks from German U-boats, as well as aerial attacks from the Luftwaffe. McKay describes Erswell’s life during these convoys as a gun layer, protecting merchant vessels by fending off German attacks. Accounts following the Kola runs are given, both to provide a holistic narrative towards this sailor’s story as well as progressing how the war commenced with connotations surrounding the importance of these convoys.

With the immense detail that is included, historians of World War II as well as the public would find great pleasure and insight from this work. Excellent writing techniques are employed, alternating between first person accounts and general exposition. The Arctic theater of the war is explicitly shown to be a contributor to Russia’s warfare resources, which in turn assisted in the overall Allied efforts. With the emphasis of importance given to the convoys alongside the utilization of Charlie Erswell’s accounts, this work adds an impactful addition of World War II writing due to its intense and in-depth description of a theatre of war this is so often left behind others.

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2021
• 6-1/4” x 9-1/2”, hardcover, xv + 181 pages
• Photographs, maps. $39.95
• ISBN: 9781399013031

Reviewed by: Dominic A. Fargnoli, East Carolina University

Medieval Maritime Warfare

Charles D. Stanton

When contemplating the brutal and challenging nature of medieval warfare, few recall the significant naval actions which accompanied the medieval world’s military engagements. In Medieval Maritime Warfare, Charles Stanton chronicles the history of naval warfare, tactics, and ship construction during the Middle Ages. To best explain and contextualize the period’s maritime warfare, the author splits his narrative into two sections: southern and northern Europe. Natural forces and geography conspired to create two drastically different maritime environments, thereby two different maritime cultures on the Mediterranean and the northern seas. Through a detailed examination of historical records, recent scholarship, and the archaeological record when necessary, Stanton comprehensively documents the fitful history of maritime warfare in Medieval Europe.

Stanton begins with the southern theater. Providing initial background with the Roman expedition to Africa, the author transitions into the almost perpetual Byzantine and Muslim fight for control over the Mediterranean, continues to the ascendancy of the Norman Kingdom in southern Italy, and concludes with the maritime rivalry of Genoa and Venice. In doing so, Stanton references many contemporary texts, often including lengthy quotations, in order to capture the context of the many battles, campaigns, and innovations, as well as how the medieval world reacted to them. The author’s robust knowledge of the Norman conquest of Italy is evident, as he describes their mastery of sea power during their dominance of the central Mediterranean. He also notes, rightly so, that their conquest of Sicily set the stage for later maritime powers to expand to the Middle East.

In the book’s second part, Stanton delves into the differences in ship construction and design between the Mediterranean and northern Europe. As the author rightfully points out, archaeological studies of the Bremen cog and the Skudelev viking ships have illuminated much about how northern Europeans constructed naval vessels and conducted maritime warfare. Additionally, northern European naval strategy differed from their southern neighbors. Whereas the Mediterranean witnessed pitched galley engagements and quick amphibious assaults on coastal cities, the clinker-built northern vessels served almost exclusively as troop transports, with the exception of the viking Invasions. The only complaint regarding this section is its brevity, perhaps due to the lack of primary source material on events separate from English and French history.

The most captivating portion of Stanton’s volume remains his explanation of maritime power during the Crusades. Even though the section is discussed within the Mediterranean portion of the book, the Holy Wars brought Europe’s northern realms to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, briefly intertwining the two European maritime cultures. Focusing on the Third Crusade, Stanton reveals the crucial role which the European fleet had during Richard the Lionheart’s campaign in the Levant. Not only did the fleet maintain supplies to the crusaders, but it played a pivotal role in neutralizing Saladin’s naval forces. Additionally, the author uses the context of the Crusades to explain the ascendancy of the Italian maritime states, Pisa, Genoa, and Venice.

Charles Stanton’s Medieval Maritime Warfare chronicles naval warfare through an oft neglected period of maritime history. As such, recreating the narrative, especially when seeking to explain tactics and vessel construction, presents a significant challenge. Nevertheless, the author provides a thoroughly researched compendium which explains the rise and fall of contemporary maritime powers and the paradigm shifts which impacted ship design, naval tactics, and the maritime paradigm of the age. Additionally, the author’s inclusion of many archaeological studies of shipwrecks, particularly in Northern Europe, supplement the historical narrative nicely and direct the reader towards even further knowledge of the topic. Medieval Maritime Warfare is the perfect work for those eager to introduce themselves to maritime warfare during the Middle Ages.

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2020
• 6” x 9”, softcover, vii + 359 pages
• Illustrations, diagrams, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $34.95
• ISBN: 9781526782199

Reviewed by: William Nassif, University of South Carolina

The Power and the Glory: Royal Navy Fleet Reviews from earliest times to 2005

Steve R. Dunn

Steve R. Dunn’s The Power and the Glory examines the history of British Royal Fleet Reviews from 1346 to 2005. Known for their pomp and ceremony, Royal Fleet Reviews displayed British Naval might and connected the monarch to the pride of the nation’s military. In times of dominance or decline, these reviews came to reflect the state of the Royal Navy and the United Kingdom.

Dunn begins his work by explaining the concept of a fleet review and outlining the early roles of the fleet. The navy reflected the ability to project power against France, and many early fleet reviews preceded operations against England’s rival. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, British monarchs regularly used fleet reviews to celebrate themselves, honor and impress foreign monarchs, and to demonstrate the power of the Royal Navy before military operations and after victories.

With the power of the Royal Navy at its zenith during the nineteenth century, fleet reviews became much more common and took on new roles during the reign of Queen Victoria. Reviews continued to be a stage for diplomacy with foreign rulers, using the impressive strength of the Royal Navy to attempt to keep balance in post-Napoleonic Europe and protect British interests in areas where European empires vied for control. Fleet reviews also showcased technologies advancements such as ironclads, new battleships, and submarines, further demonstrating British naval prowess. The vast expense of a navy as large as Great Britain’s made the pageantry of these events important to instill a love of the fleet in the minds of the taxpaying public.

The two world wars placed a serious strain on extravagant expenditures such as fleet reviews and they declined in both number and scope. Acceptance of political realities in the post-war era led to a more defense-based Navy which even included other NATO vessels as part of a monarch-attended review. Reviews dwindled in number significantly over the last fifty years and there has not been one at all since 2005, mirroring the serious post-World War II decline of the Royal Navy.

The book includes numerous in-depth descriptions of fleet reviews over several centuries, including their planning, purpose, execution, Royal thoughts and interactions, and descriptions of the ships involved. Dunn provides a great deal of context about British naval history between his details on each review, essentially telling an abbreviated history of the Royal Navy through fleet reviews. Dunn describes Royal Fleet Reviews as “a history of the Royal Navy and of the United Kingdom in miniature.” This keeps a solid narrative through numerous otherwise isolated events.

In addition to the chronological chapters of the book, Dunn deftly explains concepts foreign to some readers such as the types of fleet reviews and the Royal Yacht. The high-quality images used (both paintings and pictures) bring the majesty of these events to life and allows for a better insight into the massive scope of a fleet review. The book is well cited and contains several appendices for detail-oriented readers. If this book has a weakness, it is that Dunn does not always examine the aftermath of a review compared to its desired effect. The qualities this book possess certainly outweigh this drawback however, and The Power and the Glory would be a worthy addition to the library of a professional historian or casual naval history enthusiast.

• Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing, 2021
• Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2021
• 7” x 10”, hardcover, 320 pages
• Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $44.95
• ISBN: 9781526769022

Reviewed by: Tony Peebler, Texas Christian University

Coastal Defences of the British Empire in the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras

Daniel MacCannell

Daniel MacCannell’s latest book explores the coastal defenses of Britain through a lens of military and architectural history. MacCannell’s work primarily covers the timespan between the 1770s and 1815, through the American Revolution, and Napoleon’s conquest of Europe. MacCannell pushes to enlighten his readers on the importance of coastal defenses when defending an island nation. The strategies used in traditional land-based warfare do not properly address the challenges of assaulting a landmass by the way of the sea. MacCannell’s writing guides the reader through the dangers which existed for seaside towns during this period, such as privateer raids, or enemy naval and amphibious infantry attacks. By providing this backdrop, the microhistorical views of particular forts, and defensive emplacements gain relevance for the overall narrative of the book. MacCannell’s choice placement of imagery continues to further the quality of the work by providing a visual stimulus for the reader.

MacCannell uses a series of full-color photographs, paintings, illustrations, and other visual aids to bring his architectural history to life for scholars. His use of photographs of the modern remains of Martello towers shown in contrast to historical paintings of events exemplifies the durability of these defensive emplacements. By showing the placement and usage of the towers which were destroyed, or demolished, the work helps to broaden the perspective for a historian researching the various forts and Martello towers.

MacCannell’s writing shows a passion for military history. The fifth chapter of this book, “Power and Shot,” is wonderfully written, giving elements of command decisions, mixed in with the industrial standardization of weaponry during the period covered by this book. MacCannell’s writing could take even a novice historian and walk them through the evolution of the weaponry of this period to a sense of firm understanding of the how and why for various rifles. Cannons and even rockets. The Martello tower history is the pride of this book. MacCannell gives a walkthrough of how and why these towers were built in Britain and the Canadian colonies, and how they were used to defend against and deter French ships. After explaining the nature of these towers, MacCannell writes of how the towers were used to prevent further incursion to British territories worldwide. In the final chapter of the book, “Endgame,” MacCannell reiterates that the coastal defenses of this period were a combination of multiple tactics which had been tested, proven, and then improved during the relatively short window of history covered by his well-designed book.

• Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2021
• 7” x 10”, hardcover, 240 pages
• Illustrations, notes, index. $50.00
• ISBN: 9781526753458

Reviewed by: Dominick Limle, University of West Florida