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During the American War of Independence (1775-83), Congress issued almost 800 letters of marque, as a way of combating Britain's overwhelming naval and mercantile superiority. At first, it was only fishermen and the skippers of small merchant ships who turned to privateering, with mixed results. Eventually though, American shipyards began to turn out specially-converted ships, while later still, the first purpose-built privateers entered the fray. These American privateers seized more than 600 British merchant ships over the course of the war, capturing thousands of British seamen. Indeed, Jeremiah O'Brien's privateer Unity fought the first sea engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Battle of Machias of 1775, managing to capture a British armed schooner with just 40 men, their guns, axes and pitchforks, and the words 'Surrender to America'. By the end of the war, some of the largest American privateers could venture as far as the British Isles, and were more powerful than most contemporary warships in the fledgling US Navy. A small number of Loyalist privateers also put to sea during the war, and preyed on the shipping of their rebel countrymen. Packed with fascinating insights into the age of privateers, this book traces the development of these remarkable ships, and explains how they made such a significant contribution to the American Revolutionary War.

Austria-Hungary did not have an overseas empire. The 1890s saw the beginning of a series of naval building programs that would create a well-balanced modern fleet. This book details the five classes of Austro-Hungarian battleships in service during World War I.

This fascinating title explains and analyzes the history, technology, and service of the Soviet Navy''s nuclear attack submarines, the formidable high-tech boats on the front line of the Cold War at sea. In this highly detailed book, naval historian Edward Hampshire reveals the fascinating history of the nuclear-powered attack submarines built and operated by the Soviet Union in the Cold War, including each class of these formidable craft as they developed throughout the Cold War period.The November class, which were the Soviet Union''s first nuclear submarines, had originally been designed to fire a single enormous nuclear tipped torpedo but were eventually completed as boats firing standard torpedoes. The Alfa class were perhaps the most remarkable submarines of the Cold War: titanium-hulled (which was light and strong but extremely expensive and difficult to weld successfully), crewed with only thirty men due to considerable automation and 30% faster than any US submarines, they used a radical liquid lead-bismuth alloy in the reactor plant. The Victor class formed the backbone of the Soviet nuclear submarine fleet in the 1970s and 1980s, as hunter-killer submarines began to focus on tracking and potentially destroying NATO ballistic missile submarines. The Sierra classes were further titanium-hulled submarines and the single Mike-class submarine was an experimental type containing a number of innovations. Finally, the Akula class were being constructed as the Cold War ended, and these boats form the mainstay of the Russian nuclear attack submarine fleet today.This book explores the design, development, and deployment of each of these classes in detail, offering an unparalleled insight into the submarines which served the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War period. The text is supported by stunning illustrations, photographs, and diagrams of the submarines.

The epic story of the American battleships that turned the US Navy into a global power, and were made famous in the cruise of the ΓÇ£Great White Fleet.ΓÇ¥ The last predreadnought battleships of the US Navy were critical to the technological development of US battleships, and they were the first tool of international hard power wielded by the United States, a nation which would eventually become the world''s dominant political and military power of the 20th century. These battleships were the stars of the 1907ΓÇô09 Great White Fleet circumnavigation, in which the emerging power and reach of the US Navy was displayed around the world. They also took part in the bombardment and landings at Veracruz, some served as convoy escorts in World War I, and the last two were transferred to the Hellenic Navy and were sunk during World War II.This book examines the design, history, and technical qualities of the final six classes of US predreadnought battleships, all of which were involved in the circumnavigation of the Great White Fleet. These classes progressively closed the quality gap with European navies--the Connecticuts were the finest predreadnought battleships ever built--and this book also compares and contrasts US predreadnought battleships to their foreign contemporaries. Packed with illustrations and specially commissioned artwork, this is an essential guide to the development of US Navy Battleships at the turn of the twentieth century.

The US Army requirement for a light utility helicopter was formulated after the Korean War. This title details all the technological background behind the development and use of the Huey "Slick" in Vietnam, as well as covering all the major uses that this transport aircraft was put to.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, a combination of coastal defence for the homeland and fleet defence for the East Indies became the established naval strategy for the Royal Dutch Navy and set the template for the world wars. Battleships were too expensive to build and maintain, so after World War I, there was significant investment in submarine development and construction. A handful of modern light cruisers and a new class of destroyers were also constructed during the interwar years to serve as a small Fleet-in-Being in the East Indies, as well as to support the actions of the navy's submarines. The light cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter and the Java-class light cruisers were the most powerful units of the new fleet whilst the backbone of the destroyer fleet was the Admiralen-class and the Tromp-class of destroyer leaders. Beginning in December 1941, the Dutch Navy played a very active role in the defence of the East Indies against the Japanese during World War II. The Battle of the Java Sea at the end of February 1942 crushed Dutch naval power in the East Indies, sinking the cruisers Java and De Ruyter and killing Admiral Karel Doorman. However, several Dutch surface warships and submarines continued the fight against the Axis powers alongside the Allies until the end of World War II, including a pair of British-built destroyers, Van Galen and Tjerk Hiddes. This beautifully illustrated book from a leading scholar on Dutch military history provides a comprehensive guide to the Royal Netherlands Navy of the World War II period, complete with detailed cutaways and battleplates of the fleet in action.

A concisely detailed guide to the Allied tanks that fought from D-Day to the break out from Normandy, their qualities, numbers and performance, and how they were used on the battlefield.When Allied tanks began to roll off the landing craft on D-Day, it marked the start of one of the great periods of tank warfare in World War II. Often outgunned by the German Panzers, and fighting in the close confines of bocage country, they nevertheless managed to break out of Normandy and begin the liberation of Europe. It was a battle that was dominated by the Americans' legendary Sherman, but also saw a wide and complex range of armour committed to battle across the many armies involved, from British Churchills and special-purpose 'Funnies' to the Canadians' Ram tank.This book explains the qualities, strengths and weakness of the major British and US tank types as well as associated Allied units in Normandy including those of the Canadians, Poles and French, and describes how they really fought. It discusses the organization and equipment of the units, providing thumbnail sketches as well as statistical data on the types and categories of AFVs that saw action. This is a handy and concise guide for military historians, wargamers and military modelers interested in tank warfare of World War II.

A study of the history of the US Navy's gunboats and their role in building a worldwide American naval presence abroad and in combat, from the Yangtze era through to World War II.For more than half a century, American gunboats were the ships often responsible for policing small crises and provided deterrence and fast-response capabilities around the world - showing the flag, landing armed parties, patrolling river and littoral areas, and protecting ex-pats. They were often the United States' most-visible and constant military presence in far-flung foreign lands, and were most closely associated with the Far East, particularly the Philippines and China. Most famous, of course, was the multinational Yangtze Patrol.Many US gunboats were built, purchased or reassembled overseas where they usually served out their entire careers, never coming within 7,000 miles of the national homeland which they served. Numerous gunboats were captured from the Spanish during the 1898 war, many being raised from shallow graves, refurbished, and commissioned into USN service.The classic haunt of US gunboats was the Asiatic Station of China and the Philippines. Gunboat service overseas was typically exotic and the sailors' lives were often exciting and unpredictable. The major operational theatres associated with the US gunboats were the pre-1898 cruises and patrols of the earliest steel gunboats, the Spanish-American War of 1898 (both the Philippines and the Caribbean), the guerilla wars of the early 20th century Philippines and Latin America, the Asiatic Fleet and Yangtze Patrol of the 1890s-1930s, and finally World War II, which largely entailed operations in China, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Alaska, and on convoy routes. It was Japan's sudden 1941-1942 'Centrifugal Offensive' that effectively spelled the beginning of the end not just of most American gunboats, but also the century-old world order in Asia that had provided US gunboats with their primary mission.

The light cruiser was a natural development of the sailing frigate - a fast multi-purpose warship that could patrol the sea lanes, protect convoys and scout for enemy battle fleets. While the battleships and carriers grabbed the headlines, these warships quietly got on with the job of securing control of the seas. This book deals with these ships.

The tanks used during the Spanish Civil War are often labeled as little more than test vehicles in a convenient proving ground before World War II. This book takes a look at the tanks deployed in Spain, examining how future tanks and armored tactics were shaped and honed by the crews' experiences.

The Nimitz class aircraft carrier is the ultimate symbol of the United States superpower status. A true behemoth, this is an unsurpassed weapons platform that overshadows all of its nearest rivals. This book looks at the development and deployment of the nuclear-powered Nimitz class aircraft carriers from 1975 onwards.

When war broke out in 1812, neither the United States Navy nor the Royal Navy had more than a token force on the Great Lakes. However, once the shooting started, it sparked a ship-building arms race that continued throughout the war. This book examines the design and development of the warships built upon the lakes during the war, emphasising their differences from their salt-water contemporaries. It then goes onto cover their operational use as they were pitted against each other in a number of clashes on the lakes that often saw ships captured, re-crewed, and thrown back against their pervious owners. Released in 2012 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, this is a timely look at a small, freshwater naval war.

The idea of a heavy cruiser emerged in the aftermath of World War I, and was closely linked to the limits set by the inter-war Washington Naval Treaty. These impressive cruisers were high-sided, spacious and stately - perfect peacetime ambassadors for British power. In war they also packed a considerable punch. This book deals with these cruisers.

Details the history, weapons and tactics of the Japanese destroyers that was built before the war. This book includes the famous Fubuki class called Special Type by the Japanese, which were, when completed in the late 1920's, the most powerful class of destroyers in the world.

The Destroyer Escort was the smallest ocean-­going escort built for the United States Navy - a downsized destroyer with less speed, fewer guns, and fewer torpedoes than its big brother, the fleet destroyer. Destroyer escorts first went into production because the Royal Navy needed an escort warship which was larger than a corvette, but which could be built faster than a destroyer. Lacking the shipyards to build these types of ships in Britain, they ordered them in the US. Once the US unexpectedly entered World War II, its navy suddenly also needed more escort warships, even warships less capable than destroyers, and the destroyer escort was reluctantly picked to fill the gap. Despite the Navy's initial reservations, these ships did yeoman service during World War II, fighting in both the Atlantic and Pacific, taking on both U-boat and Japanese submarines and serving as the early warning pickets against kamikazes later in the war. They also participated in such dramatic actions as the Battle of Samar (where a group of destroyers and destroyer escorts fought Japanese battleships and cruisers to protect the escort carriers they were shielding) and the capture of the U-505 (the only major naval vessel captured at sea by the US Navy). The destroyer escorts soldiered on after World War II in both the United States Navy and a large number of navies throughout the world, with several serving into the twenty-first century. This book tells the full story of these plucky ships, from their design and development to their service around the world, complete with stunning illustrations and contemporary photographs.

Covers the design, development and operation of USN aircraft carriers built prior to World War II, including their aircraft and weaponry. This book also explains their various successes and losses such as the first carrier vs carrier battle at Midway; the battle of the Coral Sea; the battle of the Philippine Sea; and the Operation Torch landings.

The Israeli IDF has seen the most combat of any major army in the post-war world. This title details the tanks and carriers used in conflicts such as 1968 war, Yom Kippur I 1973 and the invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

Artillery was the principal killing arm on the battlefield of the First World War. This volume details the field artillery of the British Empire, covering the weapons of mass destruction which developed into the infamous artillery pieces of World War II.

The M24 Chaffee light tank was one of the major armoured vehicles used during the Battle of the Bulge. This work traces the history of this design, its combat record in World War II, its many variants and its extensive combat record post 1945.

This volume covers such great events as the Siege of Syracuse and the Roman siege of Masada. It traces the development of siege-towers and battering-rams from the Carthaginian invasion of Sicily in the late 5th century to the fall of the Roman Empire.

The War of 1812 saw the emergence of the US Navy as a powerful force, mainly through the use of their 44-gun frigates. Their victories in the war and their successes against the Barbary pirates caught the imagination of the world - and spurred all navies into re-examining the class.

This title takes a close look at the Jagdpanzer 28 "Hetzer" - one of the most successful of Germany's late-war assault guns. It features an annotated cutaway as its centre piece, this title covers the technical details of the jagdpanzer and its variants.

This title covers the renowned Lichtenstein system, which produced some of the most successful artillery of the Napoleonic Wars. It details the most successful tactics used, tactics previously thought to have been created by Napoleon himself.

The M4 Sherman tank was the mainstay of the Western allies between 1942 and 1945. This title examines developments such as the HVSS suspension. It uses rare archive material.

The M26 was the most powerful US tank produced during World War II, comparable with the best German tanks. This title looks at the M26 and M46 Patton which formed the backbone of the armoured units of the post-war US army.

World War I is often deemed to have been 'a war of artillery', and British heavy artillery played a vital part in destroying the German trenches and providing invaluable cover for advancing troops on the Western Front. This book details the huge guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery, including the 6-in. siege gun and howitzer, the 8-in. howitzer, the 12-in. railway and siege howitzer and the infamous 9.2-in breech-loading siege howitzer. Camouflage and enemy battery locations and transport are covered, as well as tactics used and how the guns were developed and manned.

The highly successful 'stop-gap' M3 medium tank was designed in 1941, and as adequate turret casting facilities were not yet ready, the M3 used an unusual armament configuration patterned after a French tank. British lend-lease demands led to the design of a second turret type with the US version called the Lee and the British version the Grant. It could penetrate Panzer armor, and its explosive firepower was excellent for dealing with German anti-tank guns. This book covers the design, development, service and variants of a vehicle that was the backbone of many World War II forces.

The rapid development of the tank as an offensive weapon following its introduction in World War I gave artillery theorists cause for concern during the 1920s and 1930s. By the beginning of World War II anti-tank guns had been developed, initially at around 37mm and 2 pounds in weight of shot.

This title, following on from Volume One, charts the continuing development of the German U-boat. It covers the development of the Type IX as a long-range "cruiser" intended for solo operations in distant waters, and the revolutionary Type XXI, the first true submarine rather than submersible.

Using detailed descriptions, accurate cutaway plates and reliable historical examples, this text covers the history of Chinese ship design and naval warfare from the beginning of the Han dynasty to the first few years of the Ming dynasty, when a Ming naval force countered Sichuanese rebels.