Empire of the Deep: The Rise and Fall of the British Navy
£4.30£16.10 (-73%)
The bestselling complete history of the British Navy – our national story through a different prism.
The story of our navy is nothing less than the story of Britain, our culture and our empire. Much more than a parade of admirals and their battles, this is the story of how an insignificant island nation conquered the world’s oceans to become its greatest trading empire. Yet, as Ben Wilson shows, there was nothing inevitable about this rise to maritime domination, nor was it ever an easy path.
EMPIRE OF THE DEEP: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH NAVY also reveals how our naval history has shaped us in more subtle and surprising ways – our language, culture, politics and national character all owe a great debt to this conquest of the seas. This is a gripping, fresh take on our national story.
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Additional information
| Publisher | W&N (11 Sept. 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 720 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 9780753829202 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0753829202 |
| Dimensions | 13.2 x 4.3 x 19.7 cm |
by Gaarghoile
The story of the development of our English then the british or rather LONDON’S Sea Power from small beginnings leading on to centuries of sea warfare. This process was composed of a series of minor setbacks invariably pointing the way towards the realisation of magnificent exploits to accomplish a complete Victory at Trafalgar. Then the navy tolerated a century of peace until the Furst World War and the standoff at Jutland and a twenty year armistice and a final flowering of a Navy which changed toe history of The World and lost London it’s private Empire – officially? This intense conflict was followed by the inevitable decline towards the compact navy of 21st century.
Now all that is left is a garishly immoral wage tax supported submarine based navy of today. The armed forces have always been intended to back up the London based elite investment portfolio’s in the world at large? We must question why we ordinary taxpayers are now paying for an establishment dominated navy – army and airforce which primarily exist to protect the the geologically challenged wealth and non taxable privileges of a small elite all living in one malevolent and selfish so called World Capital City who ensure that they will never ever pay their share? This particular state of affairs increasingly resembles The Ming Dynasty in China with the English being subjected to the same treatment as the conquered and humiliated chinese people…
by Shoeburymike
Although I am only up to the post Elizabethan One era, it has opened my eyes as to why we, as a nation, developed along the lines we did do! My family goes back to Norman times, so I can speak as an ‘indigenous’ citizen! We are quite a mean little nation that trumpets freedoms but can be extremely cruel in many ways. We are NOT team players – vis-a-vis the EU and the opt outs, as we want the benefits but not the pain! Our biggest industry is the Financial Services Industry which is a parasite on the rest of the world in that we try to make make money out of other people’s efforts. This is very similar to the way in which monarch after monarch supported piracy on the high seas for hundreds of years. Even some of our more famously named heroes – Drake, Hawkins etc. were no more than pirates! I like the way in which the lid is lifted on the myth of the ‘sinking of the Spanish Armada’ as well! We actually took out very few of the hundreds of ships, and we actually ran out of ordnance in doing so. It was really the weather and poor seamanship that sunk the Armada yet in our schools we used to teach it as a great victory!
by Amazon Customer
Even if you don’t have a natural interest in the Royal Navy but a general interest in the history of England and the wider United Kingdom, this book is a must! A very exciting read for those wishing to learn more about our past and possibly hazard a guess as to where our future lies.
I will be purchasing a second book to gift to a friend, the price of £4.49 does not represent the great value of knowledge and entertainment that this book provides – perfect if you’re stuck at home and want a binge-worthy novel that you certainly won’t put down.
by Andy Butterworth
Thoroughly recommended for all interested in naval history. Well written and well argued points. Very thought provoking. The decline is all too real.
by Scunnerd
Could not fault this book a great read for the general reader.
by Steve
An excellent and comprehensive account of the English, then the British Navy. The only thing I would say that was skimmed over though was the War of 1812 as it just mentioned that there was a few frigate confrontations which the Royal Navy mainly lost. Apart from that, the book mentions most of the main admirals and battles as well as the times the fleet was laid up and often rotting away and neglected between wars. Lessons should be learnt by the politicians of this country as Britain is an island nation, dependent on the sea lanes for 96% of everything we import and consume. Around the world there are choke points such as the Gulf of Hormuz and the Suez Canal which can be blockaded. Only ships can deal with these problems and we neglect the Navy at our own risk. When the price of food and petrol go through the roof and we no longer have the ships to do anything about it, only then will the British come out of their sea blindness and appreciate the role of the Royal Navy. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of English/British sea power.
by Amazon Customer
Really enjoyed reading this, didn’t really cover to much naval history at school and it’s a fascinating part of England’s history. I found it informative, well paced and engaging with just the right level of detail for me.
by T
Very well researched, skips over a few bits of naval history I would have liked to know more about, and I would have liked him to have gone in to more depth into ship design, but that’s a personal thing and not a criticism.
I disagree with the analysis of the modern British navy, lets be honest and say that massive defense cuts have produced a navy that is a shadow of its former glory. Yes, as the author points out the navy did well against Argentine and Iraq, but these countries aren’t superpowers. Gone are the days when Britain could fight more than one powerful country at the same time and emerge victorious. Best to be realistic and accept that.
Apart from that, excellent book.