Tegetthoff Class In 1907 the navy of the dualist, multinational Austro-Hungarian Empire placed an order for a new class of warships, whose design was based on the "all big gun" concept pioneered by HMS Dreadnought. Eventually four Tegetthoff class vessels were laid down, including the flagship Viribus Unitis, Tagetthoff, Prinz Eugen and Szent Istvan. The last warship of the class was not completed until well into World War I. The vessels' careers were not especially eventful. They spent most of their service lives as a "fleet in being" anchored in a well-protected port of Pola with only occasional trips to the Fazana Channel (well-screened by Brijuni Islands) for gunnery practice. During the war the ships were manned mainly by reservists, while the most promising and experienced members of their crews were detached to serve onboard submarines or torpedo boats, or assigned to land-based units. The second ship of the class ended her career in rather dramatic circumstances, which is why she perhaps deserves a more detailed treatment. Viribus Unitis The Battleship IV was laid down at San Marco on July 23, 1910 and launched on June 24, 1911. The Emperor's court used the occasion to organize a lavish celebration designed to carry a strong political message. The Emperor insisted that the battleship be given a rather unusual, Latin name Viribus Unitis (Strength in Unity - Emperor's personal motto).

From the moment when the launching of HMS Dreadnought made every capital ship in the world obsolete overnight, we have been fascinated with these powerful surface combatants. Here Robert M. Farley looks at the history and folklore that makes these ships enduring symbols of national power—and sometimes national futility. From Arizona to Yamato, here are more than sixty lavishly illustrated accounts of battleships from the most well-known to the most unusual, including at least one ship from every nation that ever owned a modern battleship. Separate essays and sidebars look at events and lore that greatly affected battleships.

“[Pynchon's] funniest and arguably his most accessible novel.” —The New York Times Book Review “Raunchy, funny, digressive, brilliant.” —USA Today “Rich and sweeping, wild and thrilling.” —The Boston Globe Spanning the era between the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and the years just after World War I, and constantly moving between locations across the globe (and to a few places not strictly speaking on the map at all), Against the Day unfolds with a phantasmagoria of characters that includes anarchists, balloonists, drug enthusiasts, mathematicians, mad scientists, shamans, spies, and hired guns. As an era of uncertainty comes crashing down around their ears and an unpredictable future commences, these folks are mostly just trying to pursue their lives. Sometimes they manage to catch up; sometimes it's their lives that pursue them.

The Oxford Handbook of the Ends of Empire offers the most comprehensive treatment of the causes, course, and consequences of the collapse of empires in the twentieth century. The volume's contributors convey the global reach of decolonization, analysing the ways in which European, Asian, and African empires disintegrated over the past century.

A compact guide to 40 of the most iconic ships that have shaped warfare from the Ancient world to today. Since the days of the Ancient Greeks, naval ships of all sizes have revolutionized warfare. From the Viking longship, pirate ships and super dreadnoughts to today's nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, naval warfare has proved to be an essential component of military forces across the world. The Ship Spotter's Guide provides essential information on 40 iconic ships, using detailed profile artwork to illustrate and aid recognition, as well as specification boxes to provide all the technical details.

Quite correctly the Derfflinger class was considered to be the best battle cruisers completed up until the end of the First World War. Aesthetically they were also the most handsome. Design work was begun in October 1910 and continued until October 1912. Derfflinger had the sisterships Lützow and the near sister Hindenburg. The design represented the change to a new generation of German Großen Kreuzer. After the final design of cruiser J there were still outstanding issues for the following design. In April 1910 the General Navy Department was asked to prepare the requirements for the cruiser of 1911. The issues were primarily the number of shafts, machinery and armament. A three shaft arrangement would allow the employment of a diesel engine on the center shaft. The advantages of this were better thermal efficiency, easier transfer of fuel, saving in personnel and the price. The General Department thought the change to 30.5cm caliber was essential. The weight increase of 8 30.5cm guns over 10 28cm guns was just 36 tons and the latest English battleships were fitted with 300mm armor. If the cruisers were expected to fight in the line, the increase was mandatory. However, von Tirpitz disagreed and the matter remained unresolved.

Previously unpublished accounts of the Italian frogmen forceMany previously unpublished photos, personal accounts and storiesDetailed accounts of ships destroyed and sunk by Decima Flottiglia MASA highly interesting account of a little-known force A group of determined human torpedoes, motorboat operators and assault swimmers fought bravely for Italy in the Second World War and inspired fear and respect from the British Navy. The actions of these men severely reduced British naval power in the Mediterranean. Even with small numbers and using relatively limited resources, the commandos were a very effective force in the war against the British. By the end of the war, these men would sink or disable over 73,000 tons of Allied warships and over 128,000 tons of merchant shipping. The story of the Italian commandos is one of determination and bravery. Their tactics aroused confusion and nervousness with Allied commanders and their crews. Italy’s Decima Flottiglia Mas predates both the US Navy Underwater Demolition Teams that were formed in 1943 and forerunners of the better-known US Navy SEALs and the British Royal Marines Special Boat Service formed as an offshoot of the Special Air Service in 1941. Perhaps the determination and actions of the Decima Flottiglia Mas qualify them as the best commandos of the Second World War. Illustrations: 16 black-and-white photographs