British and Empire Warships of the Second World War (Paperback)

A vast fleet came into existence under the powerful stimulus of war and underwent a dramatic and sudden demise at the end of the conflict. In this comprehensive and definitive reference work H. T. Lenton lists in detail all the warships of the Royal Navy and British dominion, and colonial naval forces that participated in World War II. Included are a large number of vessels from the Australian, Canadian, and Indian navies. The book is divided into seven sections that cover major surface warships, flotilla vessels, minelayers, minesweepers, trawlers, whalers, amphibious forces, coastal forces, and miscellaneous vessels. Each warship category is presented with a background history, extensive tables for the individual units, specifying the name, builder, engine manufacturer, building dates, and ultimate fate of each vessel, where known. For each class of warship dimensions, displacements, armament, and armor thickness are detailed. Hundreds of photographs illustrate the entries. While other books have documented specific categories of these fleets, this book provides the only complete record of all of the ships, from the largest aircraft carriers to the smallest auxiliaries. It is a greatly expanded, revised, and updated edition of a book originally published to acclaim in 1962. In addition, there are detailed appendixes on radar, sonar equipment, and pendant numbers adding to the value of this sweeping study, which will be the standard reference on the subject for many years to come.