The British Carrier Strike Fleet: After 1945 - By David Hobbs

JFC


This could be very good. The big gap are the 50s designs and of course the 1962 Escort Cruiser. CVA 01 has been well covered of course.


UK 75
 
Does anyone know any more about this book?
 
Just had a notification form Amazon it will not be available from them.
 
PMN1 said:
Just had a notification form Amazon it will not be available from them.
Click to expand...

Its actually out the cmorons only posted up the USNI version and missed the original Seaforth print so all pre-orders have been canned rather than transfered :mad:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Carrier-Strike-Fleet/dp/1848321716/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1445270332&sr=1-1
 
.


Why not get it direct from the publisher ;


http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-British-Carrier-Strike-Fleet-Hardback/p/11135


I have my copy. It is really an extremely thick text book, relatively few photos or drawings - LOTS of detail
 
Phil,

Can you give a deeper review, does this cover carrier policy, design, politics and strategy or is it a historical recording of operations?

Thanks
 
I had this on pre-order with Amazon, but as you say they only 'had' the USNI edition, which they now have ben unable to source, so my pre-order was summarilly cancelled. Raised 'Merry Hell' with them, and after a couple of emails, got a telephone call from Customer Services, and the guy realised that they had a 'glitch' in their systems and they still had the Seaforth edition available for 'pre-order', so I made a new order, which he verified, now I have to be patient a little longer, but should get it soon (I hope!).
Never hurts to find the 'right' person to raise a problem with, now (hopefully) I will get my copy.......
 
JFC Fuller said:
Can you give a deeper review, does this cover carrier policy, design, politics and strategy or is it a historical recording of operations?
Click to expand...

All of the above. I've only had a copy for a few days and not much time to make much of a dint in it. But it is clearly a chronological layout of everything of importance to affect the multiple risings and fallings of the RN's post war carrier fleet. While a lot of these topics have been covered in other books (Vanguard to Trident, Post War Naval Revolution, etc) this book has quite a few new insights and is firmly centered in the Naval Aviation aspect of this changing time. It also provides quite a bit of new data. The chapters I've looked at so far include the Suez Crisis in which a very detailed report on carrier operations is provided, the chapter on the 'Evolution of Strike Warfare' which focuses a lot on the development of the Buccaneer and the OR546/P.1154 that was meant to be the generation after it. Also has a chapter on the CVA-01 of which I haven't read but the imagery has a lot of wind tunnel models (of the carrier) and details of the flight deck and exhaust stack technology. Other unbuilt projects imagery include an inboard profile of the P.1154 RN version with single BS engine, Gannet AEW with APS-82 radar (WF-1 Tracer) and the original CAH (HMS Invincible) design model without ski jump but with a Double Bedstead radar on a mizzen mast (aft of the aft stack and actually the main mast as there is no foremast forward of the forward stack).

Its certainly a very good book and fits right in beside Cdr David Hobbs RN (Ret.)'s "British Pacific Fleet: The RN's Most Powerful Strike Force" though it is almost twice as wide. As an aside the author mentions that he has the original concept painting of the CVA-01 looking at the ship from the aft port quarter with a Buccaneer sticking out the hangar deck's stern door testing its engines. It hangs in his study!
 
David Brown used to do various public lectures - he did one on the CVA-01 (design and process) - he was very damning of both the politicians (ignorant) and senior naval officers (naive) - he was a mid-ranker specialist on the aircraft/aircraft arrangements. I don't think respect was common.

His worst ire was reserved for the RAF representatives who he accused of outright lying, deliberately misleading behind the scenes briefings of the civil servants and politicians and, basically, "playing the political game" much better than the RN who was too old fashioned and who played "a straight bat".
 
It's a shame, but I think many books from participants in these Cold War events are marred by personal opinions (I've read reviews of other books like 'My Target Was Leningrad' which contain scathing comments about post-war and modern procurement, including the current generation of carriers). Who is to say some of them haven't got valid points and some truth in their personal viewpoints shaped by their experiences (or rumors they heard at the time). Hobbs has obviously done his research but being blinkered distorts any conclusions he's made about the procurement and reviews during that period.

Interestingly in the RAF/RN battles, I've never seen any definitive evidence proposed by either side. I've read a few things lately that bring out that RN briefings and strategic thought during the 1960s-80s were of poor quality. Hennessey and Jinks in ' The Silent Deep' portray Nott as fighting against outmoded and incorrect strategies and poor briefings, who had to go to America to get the latest concepts in naval warfare (the USN had abandoned the concept of convoys when the RN was still placing emphasis on A/S support of convoys).
In the Whitehall world of battles I think both sides became blinkered and felt 'their' arguments were self-evidently true and spent too much time trying to protect their interests rather than thinking outside the box. As for contracts and estimates, generally there were bad failings and practice all round and very slow learning curves.

I think any balanced research on this area is going to be found in an academic textbook on British defence policy rather than specialist books like this, or autobiographical works.
 

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