A Naval History of World War I

Summary

This book offers for the first time a balanced history of the naval war as a whole covering all participants in all major theaters. The author takes the listener beyond just those World War I operations staged on the North Sea to include the Italians and Austrians in the Adriatic; the Russians, Germans, and Turks in the Baltic and Black Seas; and the French and British in the Mediterranean.

Important riverine engagements—notably those on the Danube—also are included, along with major colonial campaigns such as Mesopotamia and the Dardanelles. The role of neutral sea powers, such as the Swedes in the Baltic and the Dutch in the East Indies, is examined from the perspective of how their neutrality affected naval activity. Also discussed is the part played by the US Navy and the often overlooked, but far from negligible, role of the Japanese navy.

The book is also notable for its inclusion of now-forgotten strategies for naval operations that never materialized. With a clear and authoritative voice, the author lends an admirable cohesiveness to this encompassing view of World War I naval operations, both realized and unrealized.