Book Review-‘After Jutland: The naval war in northern European waters June 1916–November 1918’ by J. Goldrick

Abstract

Rear-Admiral James Goldrick combines enormous experience as a serving officer at sea and ashore with a well-earned reputation as a first-rate naval historian. Recently he rewrote one of his early works, The Kings Ships Were at Sea, as a more comprehensive and deeply and maturely analysed Before Jutland covering naval operations in northern European waters, including the Baltic, up to the battle of the Dogger Bank in 1915. Now he has produced a similar volume on the much neglected and misunderstood period after the battle of Jutland. As the author points out in the introduction, ‘The naval conflict in this period involved much more sustained effort than the popular image of Grand Fleet battleships idle in Scapa Flow and High Sea Fleet squadrons moribund in their anchorages allows.’

The book begins with some very perceptive social analysis of the Royal Navy’s strengths compared to the German and Russian navies. This is followed by an equally perceptive chapter on ‘Operational Challenges’, navigation, unit efficiency, gunnery, engineering , signals intelligence, antisubmarine warfare, submarine warfare, and aviation as well as ‘new developments’ in coastal motor boats and mining…

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Filed under: WW1
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics