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So far Antoine Vanner has created 369 blog entries.

The Battle of Heligoland 1864

War in the North Sea, 1864 – The Battle of Heligoland            Tegetthoff In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries the “K.u.K” – “Imperial and Royal” – Navy was probably the most efficient and well-equipped part of the Austro-Hungarian armed services. Operating out of bases on the Adriatic coast [...]

The Battle of Heligoland 18642022-08-27T06:25:51+00:00

The Chesapeake – HMS Leopard Incident, 1807

The Chesapeake – HMS Leopard Incident, 1807 The three-year “War of 1812“between Britain and the United States, brought no great benefit to either nation. Though the issues involved were complex, one in particular, the British claim of the right to search neutral vessels for deserters from the Royal Navy, had the power to trigger American outrage [...]

The Chesapeake – HMS Leopard Incident, 18072023-09-28T18:34:37+00:00

Battle of Ushant 1778 – its farcical aftermath, the guillotine and a “Citizen King”

The indecisive Battle of Ushant 1778 – and its farcical aftermath, the guillotine and a “Citizen King” France’s entry into the American War of Independence was to prove a critical factor is assuring the survival of the United States. It did so by winning the only strategically-significant victory in all French naval history – [...]

Battle of Ushant 1778 – its farcical aftermath, the guillotine and a “Citizen King”2022-08-06T09:23:18+00:00

Training Tragedies – HMS Eurydice & HMS Atalanta

Training Tragedies: the losses of HMS Eurydice and HMS Atalanta At first glance, the picture of a frigate such as HMS Eurydice, as above, immediately evokes visions of single-ship actions of the Napoleonic period. It is therefore all the more surprising that this ship was still in service in 1878 and that her destruction was witnessed by [...]

Training Tragedies – HMS Eurydice & HMS Atalanta2022-07-07T16:51:16+00:00

French oared-galleys in British Waters – 1707

Royal Navy frigate vs. French oared galleys – 1707 When one thinks of battles involving oared galleys one thinks automatically of actions in the Mediterranean. The lot of a galley slave chained to an oar must have been dreadful enough in the warm and usually calm waters of that sea, but it must have [...]

French oared-galleys in British Waters – 17072024-01-31T11:44:13+00:00

Fate of Zeppelin L-19, 1916

The Fate of Zeppelin L-19, February 1916 It is now over a century since bombing from the air became an integral feature of warfare, with civilian populations being at the mercy, at best, of collateral damage and, at worst, of deliberate targeting. It is therefore all the more difficult to comprehend the indignation and loathing [...]

Fate of Zeppelin L-19, 19162022-06-16T19:52:03+00:00

French Submarine Curie 1914

One Submarine, Two Flags and Two Heroes: WW1 Two spectacular cases of submarines penetrating enemy anchorages are well known to naval-history enthusiasts. The first was when the Royal Navy’s E14, commanded by  Lieutenant Commander Edward Boyle, surfaced in the Golden Horn, in the heart of Istanbul, in May 1915. This followed penetration of the [...]

French Submarine Curie 19142022-06-09T19:38:04+00:00

HMS Natal & SS Persia Losses 1915

The HMS Natal and SS Persia tragedies Christmas to New Year at Sea – 1915 It was remarkable how little attention waspaid in the media, in popular memory or in large-scale centenary-commemorations in 2014-18 to the events of World War 1 at sea, other than the Battle of Jutland.  And yet, throughout the war, a brutal attrition of [...]

HMS Natal & SS Persia Losses 19152022-06-03T20:19:39+00:00

HMS Dart & Désirée 1800

One of the last fireship attacks: HMS Dart & Désirée, 1800 For many centuries fireships were to be some of the most dramatic and devastating of all naval weapons, albeit that they were difficult to deploy and dangerous to their crews. The most effective and history-changing use ever of such ships was when they were used to [...]

HMS Dart & Désirée 18002022-05-26T16:37:16+00:00
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