Books
All the books featured on this site
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A Century of Submarines |
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| This knowledgeable and passionate account of submarine history is complimented by nearly 200 illustrations, from the crude beginnings to the highly technological present, and will appeal to those interested in the tactics and politics of war as well as those with a specialist interest in the submarine. | ||
| Related Pages: | Peter Lawrence | |
| 2001 Centenary |
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A Submarine at War |
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| The Brief Life of HMS Trooper | ||
| This book encapsulates the life of a wartime submarine. It includes photographs and diary entries, log extracts and sailing orders and exciting personal accounts. Written by a relative of one of the crew, it gives a different flavour to that found in the several excellent books already published by wartime submariners, and now mostly out of print. It is also a salute to all World War Two submariners. HMS Trooper's operational life lasted from commissioning on 29th August 1942 to her loss in mid-October 1943. Brief indeed. The author was two when his half-brother was killed, and had he not become curious to know more about him, Trooper's story would have remained untold. |
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| Related Pages: | David Renwick Grant | |
| Trooper (N 91) |
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A Submariner's Story |
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| The Memoirs of a Submarine Engineer in Peace and War | ||
| After six years in the Royal Navy, Joel Blamey was conscripted into Britain's submarine service in 1926, aged 22. He went on to serve an unprecedented 28 years as a submariner, surviving peacetime accidents and World War II. At the age of 50, Joe returned to general service. He served on several submarines and survived several near fatal incidents. |
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| Related Pages: | Joel C.E. Blamey | |
| Affray - Subsmash Commentary |
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Above Us the Waves |
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| The Story of Midget Submarines and Human Torpedoes | ||
| It was the Italians who pioneered the use of two-man human torpedoes or 'chariots', and their attacks on ships of the Royal Navy in Alexandria Harbour in 1941 caused Winston Churchill to write to the Chief of Staffs committee to enquire what was being done to emulate these daring attacks. The result was the development of British 'chariots' which were regarded as stop-gaps until the X-Craft or midget submarines could be deployed. |
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| Related Pages: | C.E.T. Warren / James Benson | |
| Chariots 1954 - 1958: Stickleback Class 1942 - 1946: X Class 1944 - 1952: XE Class 1943 - 1946: XT Class |
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Astute Class Nuclear Submarine |
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| Owners' Workshop Manual | ||
| The Astute-class is the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarine ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in a versatile vessel. The submarines are nuclear-propelled and fuelled by a nuclear reactor powerful enough to supply a city the size of Southampton. | ||
| Related Pages: | Jonathan Gates | |
| 2010 - Present: Astute Class |
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Baku |
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| A non-submarine related sc-fi novel written by the author of this site | ||
| Galabell thought he was taking his family to the Baku Festival and a long overdue visit to his parents. The trip becomes a nightmare as they all become caught in the middle of a conflict between trans-galactic Industry and the Federal Government. | ||
| Related Pages: | Ian Hillbeck | |
| About Me |
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Beneath the Waves |
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| A History of Hm Submarine Losses 1904-1971 | ||
| Since the beginning of the Royal Navy Submarine Service in 1901, 173 submarines have been lost and in many circumstances with their entire crew. War inevitably takes a heavy toll: in World War Two alone, 341 officer and 2,801 ratings failed to return to harbour. Accounts of these losses and many others of submarine escape are described within this history and whenever possible in the words of survivors or witness. |
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| Related Pages: | A.S. Evans | |
| Losses |
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Blind Mans Bluff |
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| Adventure, ingenuity, courage and disaster beneath the sea: the remarkable reality of Cold War submarine warfare. In Blind Mans Bluff, veteran investigative journalist Sherry Sontag and award-winning New York Times reporter Christopher Drew reveal an extraordinary underwater world. Blind Mans Bluff reads like a spy thriller, but with one important difference, everything in it is true. |
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| Related Pages: | Christopher Drew / Sherry Sontag | |
| Affray - Subsmash Commentary |
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Coffin Boats |
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| Japanese Midget Submarine Operations in the Second World War | ||
| Japanese midget submarines carried out torpedo attacks during WWII at Pearl Harbour, Sydney, and Diego Suarez in Madagascar. The Coffin Boats presents an in-depth examination of these three attacks and provides background information on Japanese midget submarines and their pilots |
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| Related Pages: | Peggy Warner / Sadao Seno | |
| The Tenth Man |
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Cold War Command |
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| The Dramatic Story of a Nuclear Submariner | ||
| The part played in the Cold War by the Royal Navy's submarines still retains a great degree of mystery and, in the traditions of the 'Silent Service,' remains largely shrouded in secrecy. Cold War Command brings us as close as is possible to the realities of commanding nuclear hunter-killer submarines, routinely tasked to hunt out and covertly follow Soviet submarines in order to destroy them should there be any outbreak of hostilities. Dan Conley takes the reader through his early career in diesel submarines, prior to his transition to the complex and very demanding three-dimensional world of operating nuclear submarines; he describes the Royal Navy's shortcomings in ship and weapons procurement and delivers many insights into the procurement failures which led to the effective bankrupting of the Defence budget in the first decade of the 21st century. In command of the hunter killer submarines Courageous and Valiant in the 1980s, he achieved exceptional success against Soviet submarines at the height of the Cold War. He was also involved in the initial deployment of the Trident nuclear weapon system, and divulges hitherto un-revealed facets of nuclear weapons strategy and policy during this period. This gripping read takes you onboard a nuclear submarine and into the depths of the ocean, and relays the excitement and apprehensions experienced by British submariners confronted by a massive Soviet Navy. |
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| Related Pages: | Dan Conley | |
| Courageous (S 50) Valiant (S 102) |
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Cold War Submarines |
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| The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines, 1945-2001 | ||
| By the 1990s the superpowers had created submarine fleets of radically different designs and capabilities. Written in collaboration with the former Soviet submarine design bureaus, Norman Polmar and K J Moore authoritatively demonstrate in this landmark study how differing submarine missions, antisubmarine priorities, levels of technical competence, and approaches to submarine design organizations and management caused the divergence. |
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| Related Pages: | Norman Polmar | |
| The Silent Deep |
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Concepts in Submarine Design |
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| This book explores the many engineering and architectural aspects of submarine design and how they relate to each other and the operational performance required of the vessel. Concepts of hydrodynamics, structure, powering and dynamics are explained, in addition to architectural considerations which bear on the submarine design process. |
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| Related Pages: | Roy Burcher | |
| The Silent Deep |
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Destination Dardanelles |
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| The Story of HMS E7 | ||
| When the First World War started in 1914 the potential of the submarine as a tactical weapon was largely a matter of conjecture. |
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| Related Pages: | Michael Wilson | |
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Dive! |
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| Australian Submariners at War | ||
| Australian submariners have done extraordinary deeds in the First and Second World Wars and, more recently, the Cold War. In April 1915 the Australian submarine AE2 penetrated the Dardanelles Strait to run amuck, a historic feat that was a turning point in the Gallipoli campaign. Eventually captured, her crew spent three harrowing years as prisoners-of-war in Turkey. Submarines and the sailors who serve in them have been and remain the tip of the spear of Australia's defences. For the first time, this is their unique story.. |
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| Related Pages: | Mike Carlton | |
| AE 1 - Missing Sub |
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Down to the Sea in Submarines |
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| A Cold War Odyssey | ||
| This unique memoir charts the career of the author in the Royal Navy Submarine Service during the period 1967 to 1997, and in doing so details many of the Silent Service's remarkable achievements since the end of the Second World War | ||
| Related Pages: | Dan Conley | |
| Rob Forsyth - My Life As A Cold War Submariner |
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Dreadnought |
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| Britain's First Nuclear Powered Submarine | ||
| This book details the history of the design, construction and service career of this most important of Britain's post war nuclear vessels. | ||
| Related Pages: | Patrick Boniface | |
| 1963 - 1980: Dreadnought Class |
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DVD: HMS Splendid |
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| The Complete Series [1997] | ||
| David Suchet narrates the BBC series featuring the Royal Navy's Hunter-Killer submarine, the HMC Splendid, on a top secret three-month mission. After travelling from its Farlane base to San Diego, the sub is charged with testing the first Tomahawk cruise missile, and the crew is followed every step of the way. Also included is a feature on the sub's new Lieutenant Commander as he undergoes the 'Perisher' selection course. Runtime 1 hour and 54 minutes |
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| Related Pages: | David Suchet, James Hayes | |
| Splendid (S 106) |
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Fatal Ascent |
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| HMS Seal 1940 | ||
| The story of how HMS Seal's crew miraculously escaped death in their flooded submarine but are forced to surrender to the Germans and endure five years as prisoners of war while bombs rain on Germany. | ||
| Related Pages: | Melanie Wiggins | |
| Lieutenant-Commander Canon Rupert Lonsdale Seal (N 37) RN Submarines scuttled or captured in WWII |
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Few Survived |
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| A History of Submarine Disasters | ||
| A revised edition of an account of peacetime submarine disasters from 1774 to the present day, previously published in 1991. Examines the development of the submarine from experimental stages in the late 18th century to the present day, and provides details of all disasters ever reported. | ||
| Related Pages: | Edwyn Gray | |
| Lost & Found |
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Fort Blockhouse |
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| Until recently Fort Blockhouse or HMS DOLPHIN provide a spiritual ad physical home for the Royal Navy’s Submarine Service. This short article details the Forts long history |
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| Related Pages: | Keith Hall | |
| Fort Blockhouse |
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Going Deep |
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| John Philip Holland and the Invention of the Attack Submarine | ||
| Going Deep is a vivid chronicle of the fierce battles not only under the water, but also in the back rooms of Wall Street and the committee rooms of Congress. A rousing adventure at its heart, surrounded by an atmosphere of corruption and greed, this a story of bravery, passion, and the unbreakable determination to succeed against long odds. |
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| Related Pages: | Lawrence Goldstone | |
| Story Of The First Dive 1901 - 1913: Holland Class The Man Who Invented The Submarine The First Barrow Submarines Chapter 3: The Spindle Hull Types - Holland, A, B and C Classes |
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Grey Funnel Lines |
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| Traditional Song & Verse of the Royal Navy 1900-1970 | ||
| Originally published in 1987. In this book we find songs reflecting every aspect of life in the twentieth-century Royal Navy, both upper and lower deck: war, ship's routine, aviation, submarines, the antics of dockyard personnel, not to mention the matelot's shore-going adventures, both amorous and bibulous. | ||
| Related Pages: | Cyril Tawney | |
| Poetry Lyrics |
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Harwich Submarines in the Great War |
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| The first submarine campaign of the Royal Navy in 1914 | ||
| The authoritative story of the Royal Navy's first submarine campaign, told using new research. The Harwich Submarine Flotilla played a key role establishing British dominance in the North Sea at the beginning of the First World War. Letters, diaries, memoirs and combat reports of the participants are used to give a complete account. Much of this is in print for the first time. Foreword by Rear Admiral Jonathan Westbrook CBE, former Royal Navy Submariner. Written in collaboration with the Friends of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, with profits from royalties contributing towards the work of the Museum. |
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| Related Pages: | Mark Harris / Rear Admiral Jonathan Westbrook CBE | |
| 1902 - 1920: A Class Lieutenant Edward Courtney Boyle 1907 - 1919: D Class 1911 - 1924: E Class 1914 - 1922: F Class 1914 - 1921: G Class Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Saxon White The Harwich Submarine Flotilla in WWI Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook 1915 - 1929: J Class 1915 - 1926: K Class Lieutenant Commander Anthony Cecil Chapel Miers Lieutenant Commander Martin Eric Nasmith Lieutenant Richard Douglas Sandford 1941 - 1958: V Class |
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Hitler's Attack U-Boats |
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| The Kriegsmarine's Submarine Strike Force | ||
| This is the story of the Types II, VII and IX that became the workhorse' of the Kriegsmarine's submarine fleet and put out to sea to attack Allied shipping right up to the end of the war. The Type II was a small coastal boat that struggled to reach the Atlantic; the Type VII was perfectly at home there, but lacked the technology to tackle well protected convoys; whilst the Type IX was a long-range variety that was modified so that it could operate in the Indian Ocean. In this latest book by the renowned Kriegsmarine historian Jak Mallmann Showell, these attack U-boats are explored at length. This includes details of their armament, capabilities, crew facilities, and just what it was like to operate such a vessel, and of course the story of their development and operational history. |
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| Related Pages: | Jak P Mallmann Showell | |
| The U-Boats that Surrendered U-Boats in the Royal Navy post May 1945 The Sinking of U-593 U889 a TYPE IXC U-Boat U Boats & Other Navy's 1941 - 1944: VIIC Class |
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HMS Dolphin |
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| Gosport's Submarine Base | ||
| Fort Blockhouse, originally established in 1495, was updated and became the home of the Royal Engineers' Submarine Mining School in 1873. This book looks at the history of this submarine base at Gosport. | ||
| Related Pages: | Keith Hall | |
| Fort Blockhouse Training Submariners: The Early Days |
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HMS Thetis |
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| Secrets and Scandal - Aftermath of a Disaster | ||
| After an exhaustive two-year search for the truth about the events and aftermath of this terrible Submarine disaster in Liverpool Bay, June 1939, David Roberts has at last found some shocking hitherto unpublished details. | ||
| Related Pages: | David Roberts | |
| Thetis (N 25) Thunderbolt (N 25) The Thetis Disaster Relief Fund The Loss of HMS Thetis |
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How to Trace Your Family Tree |
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| Discover and Record Your Personal Roots and Heritage: Everything from Accessing Archives, Public Record Offices and Using the Internet | ||
| Related Pages: | Kathy Chater | |
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Hunter Killers |
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| The Dramatic Untold Story of the Royal Navy's Most Secret Service | ||
| Hunter Killers will follow the careers of four daring British submarine captains who risked their lives to keep the rest of us safe, their exploits consigned to the shadows until now. Their experiences encompass the span of the Cold War, from voyages in WW2-era submarines under Arctic ice to nuclear-powered espionage missions in Soviet-dominated seas. |
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| Related Pages: | Iain Ballantyne | |
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K Boat Catastrophe |
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| Eight Ships and Five Collisions | ||
| The Full Story of the 'Battle' of the Isle of May Island. As they approached navigational confusion broke out, caused by the misinterpretation of ship's steaming lights and mayhem followed. During the next couple of hours five collisions occurred involving eight ships and resulting in the death of 105 officers and ratings. This fiasco and the resulting naval investigation and court marshal were shielded from the general public and kept in secret files until the full details were released in 1994. From this official report, the author now tells the full story of that dreadful night and the proceedings that followed. Background information on the evolution of the ill-fated and much hated K Class submarines is also included together with the investigation and court marshal proceedings of the events surrounding that tragic night. |
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| Related Pages: | N S Nash | |
| 1915 - 1926: K Class K 14 Steam Submarines Unlucky Thirteen |
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K Boats |
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| Steam-powered Submarines in World War I | ||
| The twin-funnelled K Boat was the biggest, fastest submarine of World War I. It suffered a series of accidents from the day trials began. This documentary answers questions about the numerous accidents, had while reconstructing the best concealed debacle in British naval history. |
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| Related Pages: | Don Everitt | |
| 1915 - 1926: K Class Steam Submarines Unlucky Thirteen |
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K13 Remembered |
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| An untold Story | ||
| The British submarine, K13, was due to leave the Fairfield yard in Govan on the River Clyde, for her final acceptance trials at 0800 Monday 29th January 1917. On board were 80 men, both naval personnel and civilian contractors. A problem with one of the mooring wires caused a delay and she had only travelled a mile down the river when the submarine to ground at Whiteinch, Despite this she reached the Gareloch by 11:30 and carried out various tests that were required as part of the acceptance program. After the diving trial her engineer, Lieutenant Arthur Lane, reported that there was a small leak in the boiler room, he suggested a further short dive to determine the source of the leak As the submarine dived the aft compartments of the submarine flooded and it sank. 32 crew members and contractors lost their lives, 48 were saved. It is the worst ever British submarine accident, conversely, despite the lost of life, it remains the most successful submarine rescue ever The Board of Inquiry laid the blame for the accident solely on Lt Arthur Lane, the vessel's engineer. The book will provide an in-depth analysis of the sinking of the K 13 in the Gare Loch. It will offer a different perspective on the accident, a view that calls into question the legitimacy and accuracy of the Board of Inquiry’s findings and verdict. The investigations and conclusions that lead to this interpretation are based on detailed examination of archived records, personal accounts and in-depth analysis of the evidence. |
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| Related Pages: | Keith Hall | |
| K 13 (K 22) Wartime Memoirs of Coxn Oscar Moth Steam Submarines Unlucky Thirteen |
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Lousy Poems on Morbid Themes |
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| A non-submarine related title by the author of this site | ||
| A selection of eclectic poetry and prose on various topics which will hopefully entertain, inspire and stimulate the mind. | ||
| Related Pages: | Ian Hillbeck | |
| About Me Poetry |
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M-class Submarines |
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| Related Pages: | Martin H. Brice | |
| Chapter 9: Monitor M Class Types 1916 - 1932: M Class M 1 M 2 M 3 M 4 Supergun Submarine located 74 years after tragic loss |
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Midget Submarine Commander |
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| The Life of Godfrey Place VC | ||
| Of all the acts of gallantry in World War II few were as audacious as the attack by midget submarines on the pride of the German fleet, the battleship Tirpitz, lying in her fortified mooring in a Norwegian fjord. Lieutenant Godfrey Place was in command of submarine X7 in September 1943 and travelled over 1000 miles, negotiating minefields and antisubmarine nets to accurately place four tons of high explosive under the hull of the Tirpitz. |
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| Related Pages: | Paul Watkins | |
| Lieutenant Donald Cameron. Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place |
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Midget Submarines of the Second World War |
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| An account of the development and use of the human torpedoes, semi-submersible and midget submarines mainly in WW2 but including some of the developments that took place in 1918, with many half tone photo ills. and brief accounts of many of the actions involving these craft | ||
| Related Pages: | Paul Kemp | |
| Lieutenant Donald Cameron. Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser, Royal Naval Reserve Temporary Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis Bill Morrison Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place 1942 - 1946: X Class |
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Never Forgotten |
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| The Search and Discovery of Israel's Lost Submarine Dakar | ||
| This book tells the exhilarating story of the will, endurance, and technical know-how of extraordinary people who made a lifelong impact on an entire nation and sixty-nine grieving families, recounting the search, discovery and the resulting attempts to find out what really happened that night, over thirty years previous. The story of the lost submarine captured the public's heart. Many Israeli cities and towns have a Dakar Street, and several schools and other public institutions are also named for the lost submarine. Full Circle, a television documentary of the project was first aired on the National Geographic Channel in November 2003, adding to public recognition of this event. |
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| Related Pages: | David W. Jourdan | |
| Israeli sub wreck found 31 years on Totem (P 352) |
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No Occupation for a Gentleman |
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| The story of a boy who became a man serving in H.M. Submarines Thrasher and Trenchant during World War Two | ||
| This gripping personal account of life as a young World War Two submariner on two famous Royal Navy submarines, gives vivid detail of depth charging, gun actions and other operations. | ||
| Related Pages: | Roy Broome | |
| Petty Officer Thomas William Gould The Lucky Thirteen Lieutenant Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts |
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Only Four Escaped |
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| The Sinking of the Submarine Thetis | ||
| The hour-by-hour account of the bravery, bungling, helplessness and heroism of men trapped by the sea. On June 1, 1939, the Submarine Thetis sailed out of Liverpool Bay with 103 men on board for diving trials, but on the very first dive it failed to surface, the escape hatch jammed, and help was too slow in coming. |
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| Related Pages: | James D Benson / Charles Esme Thornton W | |
| Thetis (N 25) Thunderbolt (N 25) The Thetis Disaster Relief Fund The Loss of HMS Thetis |
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Operation Title |
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| Sink the Tirpitz | ||
| rime Minister Winston Churchill referred to Tirpitz as 'The Beast' and on 25th January 1942 he wrote, The destruction or even the crippling of this ship is the greatest event at this present time. No other target is comparable to it. With these words the seeds were sown for Operation TITLE, an Allied mission to sink Tirpitz. | ||
| Related Pages: | Glyn L Evans | |
| Chariots |
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Perisher |
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| 100 Years of the Submarine Command Course | ||
| The Royal Navy's Submarine Command Course, or 'Perisher', is a unique course, training, assessing and qualifying officers for submarine command which is, itself, unique, challenging and demanding; the epitome of mission command, with no succour, referral or support in a continuously threatening environment. It is therefore essential that those 'in command' are proven to be worthy and capable of their appointment. | ||
| Related Pages: | David Parry | |
| Perisher The History Of The Submarine Attack Teacher |
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Polaris |
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| The History of the UK’s Submarine Force | ||
| Between 15 June 1968 and 13 May 1960, the first missile-armed nuclear-powered submarine (SSBN) left on patrol, with forty more to follow in subsequent years. Two years later, when Britain's Blue Streak and Skybolt plans were cancelled, Harold Macmillan and John F. Kennedy agreed for Polaris to be supplied to the Royal Navy. In 1996, the Polaris submarines of the 10th Submarine Squadron carried out a total of 229 patrols, travelling over 2 million miles |
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| Related Pages: | Keith Hall | |
| 1967 - 1996: Resolution Class One Submarine, Two Captains - The Early Years of HMS Repulse |
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Red Star Under the Baltic |
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| A First hand Account of Life on Board a Soviet Submarine in World War 2 | ||
| Red Star Under The Baltic is the graphic memoir of a Soviet submariner during his years at sea in the Baltic during the Second World War. Not only is this a superb record of the appalling conditions endured on these basic craft, but a very human account detailing the comradeship and tensions among the crew as they operated in the most life-threatening conditions. | ||
| Related Pages: | Viktor Korzh | |
| The Silent Deep |
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Royal Navy Submarine Manual |
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| 1945 onward ('A' class - HMS Alliance) | ||
| Former submariner and historian Peter Goodwin gives Alliance the Haynes Manual treatment, examining in detail her construction and restoration, and describing what it was like to live, work and go to war in a submarine. | ||
| Related Pages: | Peter Goodwin | |
| 1943 - 1977: Amphion Class Diesel Submarines 1948 - 1958 Origins Of The Amphion Class Submarine Alliance (P 417) |
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Sea Wolves |
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| The Extraordinary Story of Britain's WW2 Submarines | ||
| Sea Wolves is the story of the crews who bravely manned British submarines in the Second World War. This small band of highly trained and highly skilled individuals fought in the front line for six long years, undertaking some of the most dangerous missions of the war. | ||
| Related Pages: | Tim Clayton | |
| In Service |
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Secrets of the Conqueror |
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| The Untold Story of Britain's Most Famous Submarine | ||
| Prebble has waited for thirty years to tell his story. It is a story of incredible courage and derring-do, of men who put their lives on the line and were never allowed to tell what they had done. This story, buried under layers of official secrecy for three decades, is one of Britain's great military success stories and can now finally be told. |
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| Related Pages: | Stuart Prebble | |
| Conqueror (S 48) |
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Sink the Belgrano |
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| With all the pace and tension of a thriller, Sink the Belgrano takes us inside the battle for the South Atlantic and shows us the human drama behind the famous, and controversial, Sun headline 'Gotcha!' | ||
| Related Pages: | Mike Rossiter | |
| Conqueror (S 48) |
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Songs & Ditties of the Fleet |
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| A Miscellany of Maritime Melodies & Memorabilia | ||
| A collection of song lyrics, poems and humorous observations informed by the authors' combined experiences in the Royal Navy 1950s-1980s Richard Barr and Bernie Bruen met while serving in the Royal Navy in the 1970s aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Bulwark. With other crew members they formed a ship's band, which went on to perform under the unlikely name The Malawi International Airways String Quartet ~ MIASQ for short, entertaining audiences in various far-flung parts of the world with their light-hearted ditties about nautical life |
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| Related Pages: | Richard Barr / Bernie Bruen | |
| Poetry Lyrics |
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Submarine Admiral |
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| From Battlewagons to Ballistic Missiles | ||
| Presents an account of the development of the ballistic missile submarine, and a lifelong love affair with submarines. Submarine Admiral is a well written, well documented personal narrative of submarine development through times of breath-taking change in war, both hot and cold. Readers of THE SUBMARINE REVIEW will find it fascinating and a key book for their submarine library. |
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| Related Pages: | J.J. Galantin | |
| The Silent Deep |
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Submarine Diary |
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| The Silent Stalking of Japan | ||
| A vividly detailed account of life aboard U.S. submarines in the Pacific during World War II. An understated but absorbing journal from a veteran of 11 underseas missions in the close quarters of a fleet submarine against Japanese shipping during WW II's Pacific campaigns. A 1939 graduate of the US Naval Academy. |
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| Related Pages: | Corwin Guy Mendenhall Jr | |
| The Silent Deep |
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Submarine Operations During The Falklands War |
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| This paper contains an analysis of submarine operations during the Falklands War. This was done to provide some insight on the importance of submarines in this conflict and to show the usefulness of submarines in any maritime conflict The submarine operations by both belligerents are looked at and compared over the duration of the conflict This is an unclassified study that was researched using published books, magazine articles, unpublished papers, unclassified government documents and interviews with officers involved in the conflict. |
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| Related Pages: | Lieutenant Commander Steven R. Harper | |
| War Patrol The Falklands - HMS Onyx |
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Submarine Upholder |
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| The story of HM Submarine Upholder, ordered just days before the Second World War started. Serving with the 10th Submarine Flotilla, she was commanded by David Wanklyn VC. One of the most successful British submarines of World War Two. |
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| Related Pages: | Sydney Hart | |
| Captain Michael Lindsay Coulton (Tubby) Crawford DSC & Bar Upholder Sank 129,529 Tons Of Axis Ships Lieutenant Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn |
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Submariner |
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| The author relates his experiences as a submarine commander for the British Royal Navy during World War II, describing patrols in the North Sea and the Mediterranean and enemy attacks that made submarine operations the most dangerous of combat services | ||
| Related Pages: | J O Coote | |
| Affray - Subsmash Commentary |
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Submariners VC |
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| Describes the personnel and actions that resulted in submariners being awarded the Victoria Cross from 1914 to 1945. | ||
| Related Pages: | William Jameson | |
| Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser, Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook Temporary Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis Lieutenant Commander Anthony Cecil Chapel Miers Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place |
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Submariners' News |
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| The Peculiar Press of the Underwater Mariner | ||
| For many years submariners produced local newspapers, reporting from the deep with a unique take on their unusual lifestyle. Held in much affection by submarine crews, they enjoyed a long period of popularity from the 1970s-1990s for their irreverent and decidedly un-PC approach to underwater living. In this entertaining book, author Keith Hall examines the development of this strange branch of underwater journalism, collating the articles and anecdotes, jokes cartoons and stories that have been published over the years to brighten up the lives of submariners far from home, providing an insight into the bizarre self-contained world of the submariner. |
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| Related Pages: | Keith Hall | |
| In Depth Newsletter |
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Submarines & Deep-Sea Vehicles |
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| Submarines and Deep-Sea Vehicles is a stunning guide to man's exploration and exploitation of the fascinating world under the ocean and still our greatest frontier | ||
| Related Pages: | Jeffrey Tall | |
| The Silent Deep |
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Subsmash |
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| The Mysterious Disappearance of HM Submarine Affray | ||
| It was obvious that whatever had caused Affray to sink, and had ended the lives of all those on board, had occurred quickly. Sixty years later, in this compelling maritime investigation, Alan Gallop uses previously top secret documents, interviews with experts and contemporary news sources to explore how and why Affray became the last British submarine lost at sea, and possibly the greatest maritime mystery since the Marie Celeste. |
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| Related Pages: | Alan Gallop | |
| Disaster Beneath the Waves Affray Riddle Affray - Subsmash Commentary Chief Stoker Mechanics theory about the loss of the Affray |
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Sunken Ships World War II |
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| US Naval Chronology, Including Submarine Losses of the United States, England, Germany, Japan, Italy | ||
| Sunken Ships of World War II is truly one of the greatest compendiums of naval history that has ever been put together. Not only does it give an exhaustive chronology of events and actions of the United States Navy, it also contains listings of the Al-lies (American and English) and of the Axis (Japanese, German and Italian) naval losses wherever they took place. |
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| Related Pages: | Karl Heden | |
| Losses |
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The Admiralty Regrets |
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| The disaster in Liverpool Bay | ||
| The story of the Thetis Submarine Tragedy in 1939, is the definitive account of the whole sorry episode of the Birkenhead built vessel that cost 99 lives; still today the worst submarine disaster in British History. | ||
| Related Pages: | C.E.T. Warren / James Benson | |
| Thetis (N 25) Thunderbolt (N 25) The Thetis Disaster Relief Fund The Loss of HMS Thetis |
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The Big Game |
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| A non-submarine related Sci-fi novella by the author of this site | ||
| Two boys have their game soccer game interrupted by an alien invasion | ||
| Related Pages: | Ian Hillbeck | |
| About Me |
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The Book of Navy Songs |
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| Collected and edited by Trident Society of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland | ||
| Related Pages: | Trident Society | |
| Poetry Lyrics |
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The First Submarines |
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| The Beginnings of Underwater Warfare | ||
| This witty and perceptive account of the early years of submarine development contains much new material and the lives of the forgotten pioneers of submarines. It includes many wonderful inventions and even more colourful inventors, but focuses primarily on John Philip Holland, the Irish-American genius who took submarine development out of the hands of lunatics and visionaries and turned it into a deadly weapon of war |
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| Related Pages: | Richard Compton-Hall | |
| Story Of The First Dive 1901 - 1913: Holland Class The Man Who Invented The Submarine The First Barrow Submarines Chapter 3: The Spindle Hull Types - Holland, A, B and C Classes |
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The Forgotten Submarine Pioneers |
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| When the Royal Navy finally introduced submarines at the turn of the Twentieth Century it was a revolution for the service and its new submariners, but few people know of the many years of struggle by numerous designers and inventors to make this happen. | ||
| Related Pages: | Richard M. Jones | |
| Story Of The First Dive 1901 - 1913: Holland Class The Man Who Invented The Submarine The First Barrow Submarines Chapter 3: The Spindle Hull Types - Holland, A, B and C Classes |
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The History of the British U Class Submarine |
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| Originally designed in 1934 for anti-submarine training, by the end of the war 72 U-Class subs had been commissioned; 17 were lost to the enemy, and 3 in accidents. Manned by crews from seven nations' navies, they served worldwide, and never more successfully than in the Mediterranean. This book is the definitive study of this class of submarine and the men who serve on them. |
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| Related Pages: | Derek Walters | |
| 1936 - 1958: U Class |
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The Hunting Submarine |
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| The Fighting Life of HMS Tally-Ho | ||
| HMS Tally Ho, captained by Commander L.W.A. Bennington was a T-class submarine which achieved spectacular success in the Second World War. Her name was chosen for her by Winston Churchill and it proved a very suitable one for a hunting submarine. In a single commission, lasting from 15th March 1943 to 26th February 1945, she operated in the Malacca Strait. Here, surrounded by enemy air bases and in badly charted shallow waters, so shallow that many experts considered them unsuitable for submarine operations, she took a heavy toll of enemy warships and supply vessels. The boat, her captain and her crew are all vividly portrayed in this exciting chronicle which is the fruit of wide and detailed research. |
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| Related Pages: | Ian Trenowden | |
| Baptism By Bell Tally-Ho (P 317) |
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The Man Wants His Boat |
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| A novella by the author of this site | ||
| Working in a shipyard is hard. Some days it can be fatal. Today was one of those days. | ||
| Related Pages: | Ian Hillbeck | |
| About Me |
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The Polish Navy 1918–45 |
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| From the Polish-Soviet War to World War II | ||
| In exile, the Polish Navy operated not only their own ships, but also Royal Navy warships, including a cruiser, destroyers, submarines and motor torpedo boats which fought alongside the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic, the Arctic Convoys, and at the Normandy landings. This detailed account not only describes the Polish Navy's contribution to the Allied war effort but also the episode of the Polish destroyer Piorun which took on the Bismarck in a lone gun duel leading to the sinking of the great German battleship. |
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| Related Pages: | Przemyslaw Budzbon | |
| 1940 - 1946: The 9th Foltilla When A Wolf And An Eagle Came Up The Tay |
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The Pussers Cook Book |
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| Traditional Royal Navy recipes | ||
| Woven between the recipes in this book are true facts and tid-bits about the food, the cooks and general life aboard ship. Along with the recipes, this book aims to preserve a segment of British history, Royal Navy social history, which is fading all too quickly and would otherwise be lost in the grey sea-mists of oblivion. |
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| Related Pages: | Paul White | |
| Recipes |
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The Real X-Men |
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| The Heroic Story of the Underwater War 1942–1945 | ||
| The Real X-Men tells the story of the sacrifice and heroism of the individual men, many of them little more than teenagers, who volunteered for this dangerous duty and who crewed both the Chariots and the X-craft without knowing the full extent of the risks entailed, nor indeed the very small chances they had of coming back alive. | ||
| Related Pages: | Robert Lyman | |
| Lieutenant Donald Cameron. Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser, Royal Naval Reserve Temporary Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis Bill Morrison Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place |
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The Royal Navy Submarine Service |
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| The year 2001 records the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Submarine Service, and Antony Preston presents a day-by-day account of life in the service. In 1901, Holland One, the Royal Navy's first submarine, fitted with a single torpedo tube, was born at Vickers-Armstrong amidst great controversy, in an era when the submarine was regarded as the weapon of the weaker power | ||
| Related Pages: | Anthony Preston | |
| 2001 Centenary |
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The Sea Devils |
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| Operation Struggle and the Last Great Raid of World War Two | ||
| July 1945. Eighteen young British, Australian and New Zealand special forces from a top-secret underwater warfare unit prepare to undertake three audacious missions against the Japanese. Using XE-craft midget submarines, the raiders will creep deep behind Japanese lines to sink two huge warships off Singapore and sever two vitally important undersea communications cables. Success will hasten ultimate victory over Japan; but if any of the men are captured they can expect a gruesome execution. Can the Sea Devils overcome Japanese defences, mechanical failures, oxygen poisoning and submarine disasters to fulfil their missions? Mark Felton tells the true story of a band of young men living on raw courage, nerves and adrenalin as they attempt to pull off what could be the last great raid of World War Two. |
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| Related Pages: | Mark Felton | |
| 1944 - 1952: XE Class |
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The Ship With Two Captains |
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| The Story of the Secret Mission Submarine | ||
| Terence Robertson uncovers the history of this extraordinary submarine and how these two captains collaborated to pull off some of the most remarkable operations in the Second World War. | ||
| Related Pages: | Terence Robertson | |
| Seraph (P 219) Trials with HM Submarine Seraph HMS Seraph: Star of film and books |
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The Silent Deep |
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| The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945 | ||
| In the year that it is published, Russian submarines have once again been detected off the UK's shores. As Britain comes to decide whether to renew its submarine-carried nuclear deterrent, The Silent Deep provides an essential historical perspective. | ||
| Related Pages: | James Jinks / Peter Hennessy | |
| The Silent Deep |
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The Silent Service |
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| The Inside Story of the Royal Navy's Submarine Heroes | ||
| One of the great untold stories of the British services is that of the Royal Navy Submarine Service which entered the fray in World War I with 100 underwater craft. Through World War II, where submariners' prospects of returning safely from a mission were only 50:50, the Falklands conflict and the sinking of the Belgrano, to present-day elite machines, the Silent Service has played an enormous part in British defence. John Parker's in-depth investigation is very much personality led with diaries from the early part of the century to substantial first-person testimony from survivors of wartime heroics (when many VCs were won). |
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| Related Pages: | John Parker | |
| Lieutenant Edward Courtney Boyle Lieutenant Donald Cameron. Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser, Royal Naval Reserve Petty Officer Thomas William Gould Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Saxon White Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook Commander John Wallace Linton Temporary Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis Lieutenant Commander Anthony Cecil Chapel Miers Lieutenant Commander Martin Eric Nasmith Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place Lieutenant Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts Lieutenant Richard Douglas Sandford Lieutenant Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn |
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The Submarine |
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| Tales of Invention | ||
| Centuries in the making, the submarine is a formidable military vessel. Readers will be fascinated by this book about the history of this complicated invention, including information on the key players, the setbacks along the way to success, and the moments of discovery | ||
| Related Pages: | Richard Spilsbury / Louise Spilsbury | |
| Story Of The First Dive 1901 - 1913: Holland Class The Man Who Invented The Submarine The First Barrow Submarines Chapter 3: The Spindle Hull Types - Holland, A, B and C Classes |
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The Submarine Alliance |
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| Anatomy of the Ship | ||
| Provides a full description of the A Class Royal Navy Submarine Alliance, with particulars of the A Class, with photos & technical diagrams. | ||
| Related Pages: | John Lambert / David Hill | |
| Affray - Subsmash Commentary |
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The Submarine Pioneers |
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| Richard Compton-Hall has combined research with his own experience as a submariner to provide an insight into the inventions and motivations of the early submarine pioneers. This study explodes a number of popular myths, such as the claim that David Bushnell's one-man Turtle chased the British fleet out of New York Harbour in 1776. The truth about underwater exploration, however, is stranger than the fiction, not least because of its secrets and brotherhoods, duplicity and deception, determination and despair, frequent failure and rare triumph. |
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| Related Pages: | Richard Compton-Hall | |
| Story Of The First Dive 1901 - 1913: Holland Class |
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The Submariners |
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| Life in British Submarines, 1901-1999 | ||
| Drawn from personal memoirs, official reports, logbooks and private journals, John Winton skilfully weaves together compelling stories of survival and heroism in times of the most intense danger with welcome lighter moments, anecdotes about daily life and domestic arrangements aboard. The Submariners is an authoritative anthology of enterprise, endurance and valour expertly compiled by an author who himself served seven years in the Submarine Service. |
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| Related Pages: | John Winton | |
| The Submariners Bond The Demise Of Jack Tar Bombers Lament Submarine Living A Submariners Life |
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The T-Class Submarine |
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| The Classic British Design | ||
| An evaluation of the predominant submarine of World War II and the post-war years, this book describes each amendment and re-design of the basic structure, and examples are given to portray the vessel in action. | ||
| Related Pages: | Paul J. Kemp | |
| Origins Of The Amphion Class Submarine The Silent Deep The Five Streamlined T Class Submarines of the early 1950s 1935 - 1970: T Class T Class Conversion |
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The Type XXI U-Boat |
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| The design of the Type XXI U-Boat was a radical step in the history of submarine development; indeed, the vessel could be said to have been the prototype of the modern conventionally-powered submarine | ||
| Related Pages: | Fritz Kohl | |
| The Silent Deep |
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The Valiant Sailor |
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| Sea Songs and Ballads and Prose Passages Illustrating Life on the Lower Deck in Nelson's Navy | ||
| Related Pages: | Roy Palmer | |
| Poetry |
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The World Encyclopedia of Submarines |
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| A complete history of over 150 underwater vessels from the Hunley and Nautilus to today's nuclear-powered submarines | ||
| Charts over a century of submarine development, from the earliest attempts to travel beneath the waves, two World Wars and the Cold War, through to the formidable machines in operation today. Specification boxes provide at-a-glance information about each submarine's country of origin, length, displacement, speed, armament, propulsion and complement. Features more than 700 historical and modern photographs illustrating each type of submarine, plus artworks of selected examples. Includes fascinating quotes from military leaders and a glossary explaining key naval terms and abbreviations. |
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| Related Pages: | John Parker / Francis Crosby | |
| U Boats & Other Navy's |
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The World's Greatest Submarines |
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| An Illustrated History | ||
| Each entry includes a brief description of the submarines development and history, a colour profile view or cutaway, key features and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs. The World s Greatest Submarines is a colourful guide for the military and naval history enthusiasts. |
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| Related Pages: | David Ross | |
| U Boats & Other Navy's |
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Thetis |
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| Submarine Disaster | ||
| The true story of loss of His Majesty's Submarine Thetis is still shrouded in mystery. As a result of media coverage at the time, a number of conspiracy theories were spawned, some gaining more credence than others, in light of the inconclusive findings of the official reports. In Thetis: Submarine Disaster, David Paul, having studied the events surrounding the tragedy of HMS Thetis for many years, examines the issues which led to the disaster, and draws some conclusions. |
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| Related Pages: | David Paul | |
| Thetis (N 25) Thunderbolt (N 25) The Thetis Disaster Relief Fund The Loss of HMS Thetis |
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Thetis Down |
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| The Slow Death of a Submarine | ||
| The Slow Death of a Submarine explores in minute detail a more rounded picture of what really happened before, during and after her tragic loss. In doing so Tony Booths book also takes a fresh look at culpability and explores some of the alleged conspiracy theories that surrounded her demise. The result is the first definitive account what happened to HMS Thetis and her men a fitting tribute, as the seventieth anniversary of her loss will be on 1 June 2009. |
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| Related Pages: | Tony Booth | |
| Thetis (N 25) Thunderbolt (N 25) The Thetis Disaster Relief Fund The Loss of HMS Thetis |
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They Were Just Skulls |
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| The Naval Career of Fred Henley, Last Survivor of HM Submarine Truculent | ||
| This compelling story is the result of many hours spent recording the memories of Fred Henley. His life at sea is at the centre of his being and his own words are at the heart of the book. At the age of 14 Fred worked on a Thames sailing barge, then after his training at HMS Ganges, he joined his first ship which took him from the icy Arctic Ocean to the heat of West Africa where the Bismarck and her support ships were hunted. |
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| Related Pages: | John Johnson-Allen | |
| Truculent (P 315) The Sinking of the Truculent |
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Twixt the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea |
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| The story of HMS Saracen | ||
| During her distinguished career, HM Submarine Saracen was responsible for sinking thousands of tons of Axis shipping. But in August 1943 her luck ran out when she was mortally wounded by depth charges from two Italian corvettes, the last Allied submarine to be sunk by the Italians. |
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| Related Pages: | Janet Kinrade Dethick / Anne M. Corke | |
| Captain Michael Lumby Saracen (P 247) RN Submarines scuttled or captured in WWII |
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Type VII U-boats |
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| After the narrow defeat of their U-boat fleet in the First World War, the German Navy analyzed their experiences and devised new theories and plans for a future conflict. The principal result of this study was the development of the daring concept of Rudeltaktik, which involved co-ordinated pack attacks on the Allied convoy systems that had proved so successful in defence |
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| Related Pages: | Robert C. Stern | |
| 1941 - 1944: VIIC Class |
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U-Boat Manual |
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| Owners' Workshop Manual | ||
| An insight into the design, construction and operation of the feared World War 2 German Type VIIC U-boat | ||
| Related Pages: | Alan Gallop | |
| The U-Boats that Surrendered U-Boats in the Royal Navy post May 1945 The Sinking of U-593 U889 a TYPE IXC U-Boat U Boats & Other Navy's 1941 - 1944: VIIC Class |
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U-Boats Destroyed |
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| German Submarine Losses in the World Wars | ||
| Covering U-Boat losses in both World Wars, this reference for naval historians and students provides data on the nature, causes, locations, and results of losses. | ||
| Related Pages: | Paul Kemp | |
| The U-Boats that Surrendered Losses U-Boats in the Royal Navy post May 1945 The Sinking of U-593 U889 a TYPE IXC U-Boat U Boats & Other Navy's 1941 - 1944: VIIC Class |
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Unbroken |
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| The Story of a Submarine | ||
| During the bleak, heart-breaking days of early 1942, when beleaguered Malta was reeling under bombardment and blockade and Rommel was making his last desperate thrust towards Egypt, only one British submarine was operating in the western Mediterranean, the tiny, 600-ton Unbroken | ||
| Related Pages: | Alastair Mars | |
| Unbroken (P 42) |
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Unheard, Unseen |
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| Submarine E14 and the Dardanelles | ||
| The crew had said their goodbyes. They had written their farewell letters and given them into safekeeping, knowing that the chances were now against their survival. T his book sets out what happened next and tells the story of the pioneering submarines of the Dardanelles. |
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| Related Pages: | David Boyle | |
| Lieutenant Edward Courtney Boyle E 14 - The One That Got Away Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Saxon White |
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Warship Profile 16 |
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| HMS Upholder, Royal Navy Submarine | ||
| These Warship Profiles were published in the early 1970s and are quite rare now. Each takes a Warship and gives a full history, masses of photos, colour profiles and a well written text, often by serving or ex-Naval Officers. Modellers will find this volume very useful indeed! | ||
| Related Pages: | DSC RN Capt. M. L. Crawford | |
| Upholder (N 99) Upholder Sank 129,529 Tons Of Axis Ships Lieutenant Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn |
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Who Do You Think You Are |
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| Encyclopedia of Genealogy | ||
| The definitive reference guide to tracing your family history. Covering all access levels, from the new beginner to the more experienced researcher, the Encyclopaedia of Genealogy is a comprehensive master class in solving the mysteries of your personal heritage. |
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| Related Pages: | Nick Barratt | |
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Will Not We Fear |
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| The story of HM Submarine Seal | ||
| It was on a difficult and dangerous line-laying mission in the Kattegat that H.M. Submarine Seal was involved in one of the strangest, lost frightening, and most heroically stirring episodes of the Second World War. This is the full story, based on eyewitness accounts and official records, and told in dramatic detail by authors who were themselves submariners. |
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| Related Pages: | C.E.T. Warren / James Benson | |
| Lieutenant-Commander Canon Rupert Lonsdale Seal (N 37) RN Submarines scuttled or captured in WWII |
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X-Craft Versus Tirpitz |
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| The Mystery of the Missing X5 | ||
| Norwegian investigative journalist Alf Jacobsen relates one of the most incredible tales of the Second World War, in which Royal Navy X-craft midget submarines attacked the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway. A daring plan was hatched by the Admiralty to sink Tirpitz using midget submarines to plant high explosive mines beneath the ship's keel. |
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| Related Pages: | Alf R. Jacobsen | |
| Lieutenant Donald Cameron. Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place |
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X.1 |
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| The Royal Navy's Mystery Submarine | ||
| The 'X' stood for experimental, but it might equally have meant extraordinary, exotic or extravagant, as this giant submarine attracted superlatives, the world's largest, most heavily armed, and deepest diving submersible of the day | ||
| Related Pages: | Roger Branfill-Cook | |
| X 1 1921 - 1925: X1 Class |
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X3 to X54 |
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| The History of the British Midget Submarine | ||
| The X and XE-Class submarines were conceived during the Second World War: around 51ft (16m) long, they were designed to be towed by a mother submarine and use their small size to complete stealth missions, such as attacking harbours and performing reconnaissance. Although they would not begin active service until 1942, the submarine crews achieved quite the record, racking up 167 honours between them, including four Victoria Crosses. | ||
| Related Pages: | Keith Hall | |
| Building X Craft Submarines 1954 - 1958: Stickleback Class 1942 - 1946: X Class 1944 - 1952: XE Class 1943 - 1946: XT Class |
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Zeebrugge |
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| The Greatest Raid of All | ||
| The combined forces invasion of the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on 23 April 1918 remains one of Britain’s most glorious military undertakings; not quite as epic a failure as the charge of the Light Brigade, or as well publicised as the Dam Busters raid, but with many of the same basic ingredients. A force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines set out on ships and submarines to try to block the key strategic port, in a bold attempt to stem the catastrophic losses being inflicted on British shipping by German submarines. It meant attacking a heavily fortified German naval base. The tide, calm weather and the right wind direction for a smoke screen were crucial to the plan. Judged purely on results, it can only be considered a partial strategic success. Casualties were high and the base only partially blocked. Nonetheless, it came to represent the embodiment of the bulldog spirit, the peculiarly British fighting élan, the belief that anything was possible with enough dash and daring. The essential story of the Zeebrugge mission has been told before, but never through the direct, first-hand accounts of its survivors, including that of Lieutenant Richard Sandford, VC, the acknowledged hero of the day, and the author’s great uncle. The fire and bloodshed of the occasion is the book’s centrepiece, but there is also room for the family and private lives of the men who volunteered in their hundreds for what they knew effectively to be a suicide mission. Zeebrugge gives a very real sense of the existence of the ordinary British men and women of 100 years ago, made extraordinary by their role in what Winston Churchill called the 'most intrepid and heroic single armed adventure of the Great War.' |
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| Related Pages: | Christopher Sandford | |
| C 3 (I 33) Lieutenant Richard Douglas Sandford |
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