The Worship of Naval Power - 1900 The two decades before the outbreak of the First World War saw naval power being perceived as an essential feature of any self-respecting nation’s power and prestige. Captain, and later Admiral, Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) of the US Navy was to be the supreme apostle of this view [...]

Bombardment and U-Boat action off Gaza  November 1917 November 1917 saw the key battles that allowed British and Anzac forces to break through from the Sinai Peninsula and into Palestine.  Turkish and German defences extended from the Mediterranean at Gaza to Beersheba, some 35 miles inland in the desert. Earlier efforts, in March and [...]

The Loss of HMS Viknor 13th January 1915  In January 1915 the First World War at sea was ramping up as the German submarine and mine technology began to take an ever increasing toll on British naval and merchant shipping. The vast majority of the losses sustained are wholly forgotten today, except by the families [...]

The Loss of HMS Romney 1804 One thinks today of the services of marine pilots being confined to bringing vessels in and out of specific ports. From the moment a pilot steps on board the responsibility for navigation rests on his shoulders. In earlier centuries however the role of pilots often covered much larger areas, especially those [...]

The Mutiny on De Zeven Provinciën (1933) The Netherlands was at peace in Europe from 1830 until 1940, and faced little external threat for much of this time. Until the first decade of the 20th Century a coast-defence navy was considered adequate for homeland protection but high standards of efficiency were demanded, as befitted [...]