Jul and Oct 1986 - Navy League of Australia

ROYAL NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIERS,1945-1990by LEO MARRIOTTPublished by Ian AllanReview Copy from Lothian BooksThis book is a well written and informative description of ihe"flat tops" of the Royal Navy in service since the end of the Second WorldWar As well as the remaining wartime ships, the author traces the carrierin the Royal Navy through the light fleet and post war fleet earners, thecommando and helicopter earners and into the VTOL era and the futureSome of the more unusual ships featured include the as'.auit vesselsHMS FEARLESS and HMS INTREPID, the Tiger class helicopter cruisers,as well as helicopter support ships HMS LOFOTEN. RFA ENGADINE. tothe present RFA RELIANT The latest addition to the club, the AviationTraining Ship RFA ARGUS is described, together with a selection offuturistic earner designsThe book, spanning over 140 pages, is very well illustrated andequally well wntten Thoroughly recommendedPS: HMA Ships SYDNEY VENGEANCE, MELBOURNE and(AUSTRALIA) are includedNAVAL WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR IIby JOHN CAMPBELLPublished by Conway Maritime PressReview Copy from Conway Maritime PressLike many books published by Conway dunng the past decade."Naval Weapons of World War II" will undoubtedly become the ultimatereference work for all students of naval weaponry of the 1939-45 periodPacked within its 416 pages are 350 photographs, plus 300 linedrawings, most, if not all. fully tabulated for easy reference andidentification The first chapters are devoted to the seven ma)or wartimepowers followed by chapter number eight describing the other nationsFor the pnncipal powers, each section is normally presented via anintroduction, followed by naval guns, torpedoes anti submartne weapons,mines and finally bombs, rockets and missilesThe Royal Australian Navy is well represented In ihe Great Britainchapter, through its numerous Bntish buih ships in service dunng the warTypical entries include, tabular specifications, a design history, numbersbuilt, how the weapon was employed (ship or aircraft) and theirperformance in the war"Naval Weapons of World War II" will not be a cheap book, butconsidering its massive coverage, is indeed a great investment StronglyrecommendedSHIPS OF THE PANAMA CANALby JAMES L. SHAWPublished by Naval Institute PressReview Copy from Lothian BooksDistnbuted in Australia by Thomas C Lothian, of 11 Munro Street.Port Melbourne. Vic 3207. this 270 page. $70 book is a superb collectionot photographs depicting Naval and Military ships, passenger ships andyachts and cargo ships and work craftEach vessel is illustrated as a full-page photograph with her careerprovided on the opposite page As regards the naval ships. 36 arerepresented from a variety of navies Some of the more impressive includethe USN battleships OHIO and PENNSYLVANIA, and the monitor USSTALLAHASSEPreceding the three main sections is the introduction, featuring asuperb collection of photographs depicting the construction of the canalduring the early years of this centuryRecommended to all ship lovers as one of those "coffee table" typebooksSUBMARINES WITH WINGSby TERRY C TREADWELLPublished by Ian AllanReview Copy from Lothian BooksSub-titled. "The Past. Present and Future of Aircraft CanyingSubmarines", this 144 page book provides an interesting descnption of themore unusual schemes to embark aircraft in submannes at seaEssentially a pictorial work, with many rare views, the bookconcentrates on the post-1945 era. a period in which the United SlatesNavy took much interest in submarine aviation However, to mention onlya few. the Royal Navy's M-class submarine monitors, converted to canyone seaplane during the late 1920s, and the even earlier (1916) HMSE 22 earner of two Sopwith Schneiders (surfaced only) are describedLooking to the future, the author describes possible innovations forthe employment ol VTOL aircraft, some using the Skyhook launch andrecovery system"Submarines with Wings" is illustrated by 110 photographs, and 10line drawings Interesting reading at an affordable price of approximately$35CONWAYS MODERN NAVAL POWER, 1986by HUGH W. COWINPublished by Conway Maritime PressReview Copy from Princeton Books. VictoriaDuring the past few years I've had the immense pleasure of reviewingConways excellent "All the World's Fighting Ships" series and anticipatedwith much interest their new "Modern Naval Power. 1986" However. Imust admit that this new book, is a poor relation of the earlier publications"Combat Fleets of the World" and "Janes' Fighting Ships" have littleto worry about in this new rival As the book is arranged by ship type, it isvery difficult to obtain a true idea, of any one Navy, except for the briefintroduction preceding the main warship, naval aircraft and naval missileand gun sections For instance the RAN is described in June. 1984. as aforce of six submarines, three DDGs. one destroyer, nine missile armedfrigates, four "gun only" corvettes? and eight patrol craft?, etcOn the credit side. "Modern Naval Power" will be cheaper than itstwo rivals, is well illustrated, and boasts five separate indexes The authorhas attempted to produce a different type of reference book, but I hope hewill reconsider ihe layout and. when re-published, adopt the style of thewell respected "All the World's Fighting Ships" senesUS BATTLESHIPSAn Illustrated Design Historyby NORMAN FRIEDMANPublished by Arms & Armour PressReview Copy from Capricorn Link Australia Pty LtdThis book, the fourth in a senes which has already described theDestroyers. Cruisers and Aircraft Caniers of the United States Navy. Is amammoth 460 page work"US Battleships" desenbes the development of the American capitalships from USS MAINE and USS TEXAS of 1886. through to theMontana class, cancelled in the Second World War. then up to theresunection of the Iowa's in the post war fleet Like the earlier volumes,this book is lavishly illustrated with black and white photographs, plus,literally "hundreds' of line drawings, provided by Alan Raven and A DBaker IIISpecial sections are devoted to the battleships at war in World WarsOne and Two. including details of the modifications made to the shipsbecause of war experienceAs well as ships commissioned. "US Battleships" describes theprotects for new designs or proposed conversions of vessels already inserviceOne is soon impressed as to the American's resolute efforts to keeptheir four lowas. whether in reserve, or for possible use in some combinedcombatant ancillary role Fortunately for us in Australia, we will be able toview one of the lowas. USS MISSOURI, in October this year, when theship is scheduled to visit Sydney"US Battleships" retails for $75 per copy It is essential reading fornaval historians with an interest in the battleships of the United StatesNavyUS NAVAL VESSELS, 1943Published by Arms & Armour PressReview Copy from Capricorn Link Australia Pty LtdIn a recent issue of "The Navy" we featured a spread of scale linedrawings and characteristics of Allied Landing Craft, originally published inthe Second World WarPaga Thirty-two NAVY July. 1880Now a companion volume. "US Naval Vessels. 1943" has appearedin the bookshops, depicting the strength of the United States Navy at Iheheight of the conflict The now hard cover version Is a comprehensivesurvey of the fleet with more than 900 illustrations, including 679photographs and 227 line drawings Many of Ihe classes are illustratedfrom two. three and sometimes four different views to enable the wartimeusers to recognise as friendly, hundreds of US Navy ships from almost anyangleEach class, or ship entry, is supported by some basic data and noteson salient recognition features, as well as difference? between units of thesame classnumber of rarely published photographs, but unfortunately the standard ofreproduction of some Is fairly low. though this Is mainly due to the sourcePerhaps the most disappointing aspect of the book, even more soconsidenng the authors previous employment as an intelligence analyst, isthe number of enors associated with the various weapons used by thenaval forces despatched lo China These include the descnption of theVictonan contingent's 14-pounders as having come from CERBERUSCERBERUS was armed with 12-pounder QF guns, and not with14-pounder QFs The revolver issued to the Victonan contingent wereEnfield Mk lis. as illustrated in Appendix VII of the book, and not Mk I asstated in the text An example of one of these revolvers is in the HMAS"US Naval Vessels. 1943" retails for $27 95 All classes from CERBERUS Museum Notwithstanding these enors. Mr Nicholl's book is a800-foot battleships to quarter-Ion amphibious )eeps are included Well welcome addition to those already published, dealing with Australianworth a readHOB NICHOI.I.SNaval history, in particular that it deals with a so far neglected area Onreading Mr Nieholl's book one can understand why there has been nomassive flow of books dealing with Australia's naval involvement in Chinafor there was no glorious battle fought, nor any sterling deeds of Empireperformed What emerges is a story of monotonous police duties,interspersed with a little pillaging and plundering However, the new ofPROTECTOR were not engaged in these activitiesAUSTRALIA'S NAVAL EXPEDITIONTO THE BOXER UPRISINGBLUEJACKETS AND BOXERSby BOBNICHOLLPublished by Allen & Unwin AustraliaIn recent years, much has been written about the exploits of thevanous colonial military :ontingenis lo the Sudan and South Africa Butvery little has been written abcut the two colonial naval expeditions Thefirst lo New Zealand and the second to ChinaThe publishing of Bob Nicholis' book "Bluepckets and Boxers" goeshalf way to removing this neglect "Blue)ackets and Boxers" is the story ofAustralia's involvement in China during the Boxer uprisingIn wnting this book on the Boxer Rebellion. Bob Nicholl has produceda highly readable and informative wotk It Is well illustrated by a larget&NAVYPROTECTINGOverall. Mr Nicholl has written a very readable and informative bookwhich would be a worthwhile inclusion in any libraryJOE STRACZEKUNITEDSHIP REPAIRSERVICES(EVANS DEAKIN INDUSTRIES LTDMocDONAlD HAMILON t CO P/l)24 HOURSERVICE TO THEMARINE INDUSTRIESMiddle RoadCairncross DockColmslie, BrisbaneQld,4170Telephone: 399 3011After Hours: 221 3477T*l*x AA4356275th1911—1986AnniversaryAUSTRALIAJuly, If NAVY Paga THirty-thr**