The Battleship "Warspite" [Hardcover]

Conway Maritime Press are well known for their "Anatomy of the Ship" series in which they provide the finest technical documentation for specific ships or ship types ever published. "The Battleship Warspite" is hard-back measuring 10" (wide) x 9" with 120 pages of detailed and factual information. The wide format allows the publishers to produce first class detailed line drawings of every aspect of this ship in a size that is easy to see and follow. All the information is there - right down to the last nut and bolt.

Commencing with a potted history of the Queen Elizabeth class, we then have a career summary of the Warspite before coming on to a series of "Tables" which provide us with the technical details of construction, general arrangements, hull structure, protection, machinery, comparisons, armament, fire control, aircraft and so on. Next is 22 pages of historic photographs followed by 80 pages of detailed line drawings and technical information.

And detailed it is too; Under just one main heading "General arrangements" we have drawing after drawing showing every aspect of this ship in cross section - deck by deck and room by room, from aft to bows. Then everything is repeated from above as we work our way down through every level of the ship from the highest part of the superstructure to the keel. These are followed with more specific technical information under such headings as hull construction, machinery, accommodation, superstructure, rig, armament, fire control, fittings, disruptive camouflage, ground tackle, boats and finally aircraft arrangements.

The inclusion of even the humble Signal Locker (that box comprising almost 100 small "pigeon-holes" in which the different signal flags were kept) gives an indication of the attention to detail put into this book and, once again, I congratulate both the author and publishers for a job well done.

NM

However good this book is, the Dreadnought book in this series is notably superior. This Warspite book has fewer pages of background and history, fewer photos and drawings, and this for a warship with a sprawling history in two world wars with many modifications.

Still an excellent book, and probably the most comprehensive available on this subject. Well worth a conservative 4 stars.

In the Second World War Warspite was bomb damaged in 1942 and repaired in the USA,severely damaged by guided bombs in 1943, repaired and reputed to have opened the naval bombardment on D Day, damaged by a mine later in 1944, repaired again and saw more action bombarding Brest. In a final show of defiance she broke her tow en route to scrapping, ran aground 23 April 1947 and was finally cut up where she lay.

Sadly in Britain we did not preserve any 20th century battleships, this book is a fitting tribute.