A great book, providing a detailed technical history of the transformation of Nelson era ships-of-the-line into World War I’s dreadnoughts. The author, historian Warren Berry, brings a solid assessment of the technical and operational changes influencing Britain’s 19th century warship construction. The book does concentrate on the Royal Navy’s battleship evolution; mentions of other Navies and ship types only appear as comparisons to Britain’s capital ships. Berry focuses on the uneven evolution in the three technologies necessary for battleship construction: guns, armor, and engines. He describes the roughly 80-year period leading up to HMS DREADNOUGHT as one of constant evolution, with designers struggling to find the right balance of established technology in many different fields while facing the pressure of uncertain future development. Berry also discusses the interaction between shipbuilding and politics, both internal to the defense establishment and at the national level. The book emphasizes the need to match technological promise to strategic goals while considering political necessity. A great book for understanding the difficulties of synthesizing Naval force structure in a period of rapid technological change and strategic shifts.
Laboratory Analyst
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