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Sunday, 4 December 2011

Warships after Washington

The development of the modern (i.e. steam powered) warship has interested me for many years. In fact about a third of my bookshelf space is devoted to naval-related topics, and most of that space covers the design and development of different types of warship and their weapon systems.

The 1922 Washington Treaty (and the subsequent 1927 Geneva Conference and 1930 London Treaty) had a major impact on the development of the warships that were in service with the major World War II combatants, and when I read that John Jordan had written a book about the Treaty, I decided to buy it.


The book is entitled WARSHIPS AFTER WASHINGTON: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIVE MAJOR FLEETS 1922-1930 (published by Seaforth Publishing [2011] ISBN 978 1 84832 117 5) and the writer – John Jordan – is the current editor of WARSHIP annual, a publication that occupies a prominent place on my bookshelves.

The book examines the political aspects of the Treaty and the way in which its Articles affected warship design between the wars. It also covers the various design projects that were undertaken by the five signatory nations – Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy – and the ships that were actually built.

10 comments:

  1. Sound like a book I would enjoy reading.

    Must have a look on Amazon for it tomorrow!

    Thanks Bob.

    Jim

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  2. Hi Bob,

    That looks very interesting indeed and is one I shall need to add to the collection in due course.

    All the best,

    DC

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  3. Jim Duncan,

    I am about halfway through the book and I have found it very informative. The author has used simple schematic drawings to illustrate some of the various designs that were proposed (and in some cases, built). The book also contains the complete text of the Washington Treaty as well as lists of ships and when they were due for disposal and replacement.

    I am certainly enjoying it ... and it has given me several ideas for possible wargames.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  4. David Crook,

    It is the sort of book that I think will appeal to you, and I would recommend that you read it if you can.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Added to my Amazon 'wish list'. Looks interesting.

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  6. I have ordered the book from W H Smith (£19.20) as they were cheaper than Amazon and I coudn't find it on eBay this morning.

    Should receive it in a week!

    Will let you know my opinion once I have read it Bob!

    Jim

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  7. Tim Gow,

    There is certainly a COW game in there somewhere. Possibly not for COW2012, but certainly for some time in the future.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  8. Jim Duncan,

    I pre-ordered mine, so I paid a bit more than you did. That will teach me to be less impatient in the future!

    Having hyped it up, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  9. I hope that Tim Gow notices that it is cheaper to buy the book from W H Smith although I normally swear by Amazon.

    Jim

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  10. Jim Duncan,

    Tim Gow is an ace bargain hunter, and you need have no worries that he will pay over the odds for his copy of this book!

    All the best,

    Bob

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