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EDWARDS**, BERNARD: : SALVO! Classic Naval Gun Actions

LONDON.ARMS & ARMOUR PRESS,1995.

ISBN 1854092413.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn,but price-clipped dw/dj.Bright,clean, glossy laminated colour pictorial (WWI naval gunbattle action) illustrated upper wrap with 3 b/w contemporary photographs/illus naval ships to rear wrap; with negligible shelf-wear and minimal creasing to edges - no nicks or tears present - almost as new.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight and clean also.Publisher's clean,unblemished blue cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,7-192pp (paginated) includes half-title+title pages, contents list,an introduction,18 chapters,18 b/w schematic gun actions maps,16pp b/w contemporary photographs of ships+actions between pp96/7,a bibliography and an index. Since a simple cannon was first mounted on sailing ships and the warship was thus born,it has had but one principle resolve: to engage and destroy the enemy in action.In the early examples of sea warfare the guns were fixed and hence only by manoeuvering the ship itself could they be aimed,and so after much aligning of fleets alongside each other the power and weight of the all important first broadside was truly decisive.Despite the huge advances in gun design,mounting,loading and aiming that accompanied the evolution of the warship,this single factor in naval warfare remained relevant throughout.Even in the final warship against warship encounters in late WW2 after the gun had been eclipsed by naval air power,the commander who first fired the heaviest and most accurate salvo immediately influenced the odds in his favour. This then is the theme of this new study - the hard-fought ship-to-ship battles where the gun was all important,and where salvo after salvo were fired by the protagonists at all ranges from maximum elevation and distance to virtual open sights point-blank actions.Writing with years of experience of sea life,Bernard Edwards vividly recounts a varied selection of truly classic warship gun actions,emphasising the often sudden change from routine sailing to devastating and potentially lethal combat with an almost unseen enemy. Specific actions include: One of the earliest naval gun battles between ironclads at the Yalu River in 1894,celebrated battle honour epics such as the Falkland Islands in 1914 and Cape Matapan in 1941,night encounters in the Pacific and the bust English Channel,confused and fickle battles such as Dogger Bank and Heligoland Bight in 1914,lone duels to the death on the high seas such as Carmania and Cap Trafalgar in 1914 and Stephen Hopkins and Stier in 1942.Edwards skilfully sets the scene for each action, explaining the background to the naval war at the time as well as that of the individual ships involved before retelling the stirring and dramatic story of each actual clash. Throughout all accounts too there is the recognition that the warship against warship gun battle,while now part of naval history,was a unique experience that often epitomised the most splendid traditions of navies and courage in the face of the enemy.This fascinating collection of epic sea battles and warship stories will both enthrall and entertain all with an interest in warships and maritime history. Please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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