The Great War at Sea; 1914-1918

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986. First issue as an Oxford University Pres paperback [stated]. Trade paperback. Very good. xvii, [1], 353, [13] pages. List of Plates, List of Maps, Preface, and Abbreviations. Includes Note on Sources, Notes, Suggestions for Further Reading, and Index, as well as 41 Plates; 11 Black and white maps; and a Preface and Abbreviations. This book is the standard one-volume history of the Royal Navy in the era of World War I. The story is well told, especially in its clear rendering of such potentially confusing actions as Jutland and the Falkland Islands. Richard Hough is a rare combination: An excellent naval historian, as well as a master at putting naval matters in their proper political and strategic perspective. It is not surprising that he has constructed a superb account of this important era in naval warfare. The story is well told, especially in its clear rendering of such potentially confusing actions as Jutland and the Falkland Islands. Richard Hough's vivid rendering of this sea war brings each battle to life, from the initial confrontations to Germany's capitulation at the end of 1918. Hough describes the climactic 1916 Battle of Jutland, as well as major and minor battles fought in the Falklands, the North Sea, and the Dardanelles. Richard Alexander Hough (15 May 1922 - 7 October 1999) was a British author and historian specializing in maritime history. Hough won the Daily Express Best Book of the Sea Award in 1972. After leaving school, he joined the Royal Air Force at the beginning of World War II and received his initial flight training at an airfield not far from Hollywood. He later flew Hurricanes and Typhoons. He also wrote under the nom de plume Bruce Carter. He wrote 90 books. The contest between the German and British navies during World War I was the greatest naval conflict in history. In this volume, Richard Hough presents a vivid and detailed account of this sea war, beginning with the build-up to war and ending with Germany's capitulation at the end of 1918. As much a history of men as of guns and ships, this contest pitted England's Winston Churchill, an arrogant but hard-working leader; the influential ex-First Sea Lord "Jacky" Fisher; and Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet Sir John Jellicoe against Germany's autocratic Kaiser Wilhelm and the men under his command. When war broke out, in August of 1914, Britain had ruled the seas, almost uncontested, for nearly 100 years and boasted the biggest, most heavily gunned battleship in the world, the Dreadnought. German submarines and floating mines put this supremacy to the test, and forced British naval leaders to devise techniques, such as the convoy, to combat German technology. Hough describes the war's major and minor batttles--fought in the Falklands, the North Sea, and the Dardanelles--and especially its climax, the 1916 Battle of Jutland, an indecisive confrontation that bitterly disappointed the Royal Navy. Among the many insights and interpretations that Hough brings to this work is his conclusion that the Royal Navy's defeat of the Kriegsmarine was the prime factor in the surrender of Central Powers' land forces at the end of 1918. With vivid portraits of historic figures, stories of behind-the-scenes political battles, and numerous maps and photographs, The Great War at Sea offers a lively, authoritative account of a dramatic era of naval history. The history of the First World War is dominated by the monumental battles of Northern France. But the Great War was fought at sea as well as on land. And it witnessed the greatest naval battle of all time. In 'The Great War At Sea: 1914-1918', the historian Richard Hough tells the story of those naval battles and how they shaped the eventual outcome of the war. It is a history as much of men as of ships; men like Sir John Jellicoe, 'Jacky' Fisher, and Winston Churchill, who together succeeded in jolting the Royal Navy out of its nineteenth-century complacency. The narrative follows the race to war, including the construction of the Dreadnought, the biggest, fastest, most heavily gunned battleship in the world; and against the backdrop of feuds, scheming, and personality clashes at the Admiralty, examines the triumphs and tragedies of the great battles and campaigns. Could the appalling losses have been avoided during the Dardanelles? Was there 'something wrong with our bloody ships' as David Beatty said at Jutland?
Why was the Battle of Jutland inconclusive?