A WWII Royal Navy commander recounts the struggle to control the narrow seas between Britain and the rest of Europe throughout the war. A Motor Torpedo Boat Commander in the Second World War, Sir Peter Scott—the son of explorer Robert Scott—was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in battle. Combining his own experience with extensive military research, he tells the story of the wide-ranging naval conflict against the Germans, fought in the congested waters of the Channel and the southern North Sea. Actions against convoys and E-boats, often under the shadows of French cliffs; an impossible sortie against Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as they ran the gauntlet through the Straits in February 1942; the attack on St Nazaire; and the defensive and offensive roles taken on by MTBs during the D-Day landings are just some of the events covered in the book. The bravery of the crews of these small ships became legendary. As the War dragged on, their exploits helped to raise the morale of the nation.

Many books and articles have been written on wars in narrow seas. However, none deals in any comprehensive manner with the problems of strategy and conduct of naval operations. The aim of this book is to explain in some detail the characteristics of a war fought in narrow seas and to compare and contrast strategy and major operations in narrow seas and naval warfare in the open ocean..

From the sinking of the British passenger liner Athenia on September 3, 1939, by a German U-boat (against orders) to the Japanese surrender on board the Missouri on September 2, 1945, War at Sea covers every major naveal battle of World War II. "A first-rate work and the best history of its kind yet written".--Vice Admiral William P. Mack, U.S.N. (Ret.). 30 photos.

Winner of the John Lyman Book Award for Naval and Maritime Science and Technology. “A compelling and convincing historical analysis of World War I.” —Navy News While the overriding image of the First World War is of the bloody stalemate on the western front, the overall shape of the war arose out of its maritime character. It was essentially a struggle about access to worldwide resources, most clearly seen in Germany’s desperate attempts to counter the American industrial threat, which ultimately drew the United States into the war. This radical new book concentrates on the way in which each side tried to use or deny the sea to the other, and in so doing, describes rapid wartime changes not only in ship and weapons technology but also in the way naval warfare was envisaged and fought. Melding strategic, technical, and tactical aspects, Friedman approaches the First World War from a fresh perspective and demonstrates how its perceived lessons dominated the way navies prepared for the Second World War. “Friedman is a master of the evolution of naval strategy, tactics and technology . . . a rewarding read that will leave many wanting to return again and again just to see what they might have missed the first time.” —Australian Naval Institute “Dr. Friedman’s research credentials are impeccable, and the huge amount of factual detail he has unearthed will be sure to delight many . . . there is nothing comparable in either depth or scope out there, and for this reason, if no other, this book is likely to become a standard work on the naval aspects of the Great War.” —Naval War College Review

This is the story of the greatest naval conflict in history ‘The Second World War demanded more of its sailors than any other war in history, in endurance and unremitting need to face danger - danger from increasingly lethal weapons and an ever-increasing need for vigilance by day and night.' The war at sea - the longest battle of the Second World War - never ceased. From the Arctic Circle to the Pacific, the enemy threat was ever-present, on the surface, in the skies, and lurking beneath the waves. In this comprehensive and compelling history, Richard Hough brings the titanic struggle to life. Using personal accounts from veterans of all sides, his book tells the story of the Second World War at sea, including the Battle of the Atlantic and the U-boat menace, the infamy of Pearl Harbor, the American triumph at Midway, naval operations in support of D-Day, and the greatest naval battle of all time, Leyte Gulf. The definitive book about naval power in the Second World War, Richard Hough’s masterpiece is essential reading for followers of Max Hastings and James Holland. ‘We are in Richard Hough’s debt’ New York Times ‘Utterly absorbing’ Financial Times

Mostert's narrative tells the thrilling story of Britain's struggle with Revolutionary France, wherein Napoleon is checkmated by Admiral Horatio Nelson's brilliant naval exploits. 16 pages of illustrations, 6 maps.

The War for England's Shores examines the Kriegsmarine’s S-Boat offensive along the English Channel and the North Sea from 1940 to 1945, together with British (later Allied) responses to nullify that threat. The campaign against the convoys running along the coast of Britain has been overlooked by historians. Swift and armed with torpedoes and mines, the S-Boat posed a serious threat to the convoys forced to run along the British coast as often as six days out of every seven. Using an array of archival materials from Britain, Germany, and the United States, The War for England’s Shores examines why the Germans failed to make the most of this opportunity to disrupt the British war economy. G. H. Bennett analyzes how the British slowly nullified the threat by embracing new technologies and developing a system of sea control to gradually force the German S-Boat arm to transition from offensive action against Britain's coastal convoys to the defensive posture of waiting for an invasion of France. Considering the war along Britain's coastal convoy routes in the context of twenty-first-century interest in littoral warfare, this work has vital, current appeal using the German S-Boat campaign of 1940 to 1945 to offer significant and surprising new insights.