THE SILENT SERVICE: The Inside Story of the Royal Navy's Submairne Heroes.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.[Complete number line 10 - 1 descending.] VG+/VG+.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp, clean, glossy laminated,monochrome+colour photographic illustrated dw/dj panels,with white and gilt lettering; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Internally to lower section of rear panel of dw/dj some fluid stain/mark,slightly affecting concomitant area of rear board with some minor wrinkling. Top+fore- edges aged toned but generally bright and clean; contents bright,tight, clean,solid and sound - near pristine - apart from page-edge toning,no foxing/spotting,no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners, appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright, generally clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and clean plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,vii-viiipp+1- 294pp [paginated] includes acknowledgements,16 chapters and an appendix,16pp contemporary and historical b/w photographs in 2 blocks of 8pp apiece, between pp88/9 and pp200/01 respectively,an index; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,contents list/table and 2pp blanks at the rear of the book.
The year 2001 marked the centenary of the Royal Navy's submarine fleet,the Silent Service,from its first operational submersible Holland 1 in 1901 to the giant nuclear vessels of modern times.En route,British submariners made a vital contribution to the nation's defence,although not without great human cost.More than 5,000 British submariners died in the service of their country through two world wars (in which 14 VCs were awarded).They were also at the very forefront of activity during the Cold War.John Parker draws heavily on the personal testimony of men involved in outstanding episodes,and tragedies,in that century, with fresh insight into classic wartime stories.These include the young officer who led the capture of the first Enigma machine from a U-boat, the commander who launched The Man Who Never Was which fed the Germans false invasion plans,courageous men in midget X-craft attacks on German and Japanese battleships and the submarine-borne Special Operations across Europe and from Australia.The sinking of the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano during the Falklands war by HMS Conqueror,the first British nuclear submarine ever to fire in anger,is fully recounted and there is input,too,from Britain's allies, notably long-established links with the US and Canada in the forty-year war of nerves against the Soviet empire.Parker brings the story right up to date with descriptions of life aboard the new breed of submarines carrying Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent and accounts of modern missions including the firing of submarine-launched cruise missiles on Belgrade during the Kosovo crisis. Want more Victoria Cross-related titles? Please search my SIGNED, NAVAL/MILITARY,GENERAL and BIOGRAPHY catalogues - using keywords: Victoria Cross_VC. Since April 2013,again in March 2015,and in this year too,the UK Post Office has altered it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering it's prices, weight allowances,dimensions and lowered it's qualifying compensation rates too!
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