HMS London: From Fighting Sail to the Arctic Convoys & Beyond

The book "HMS London: A History of Britain's Most Famous Warship" explores the ship's history, including its encounters with battleships, landings, and missions during World War I and II, the Cold War, and the modern era. It also discusses the ship's role in British naval history and its future as a futuristic submarine hunter.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2022
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

When the British Prime Minister announced a new warship was to be christened HMSLondon in 2018, it revived a name that is covered not only in glory but also tinged with controversy. In this vividly told narrative, we voyage in the company of those whose fates have been intertwined with London's in peace, war, and even during mutiny. For the ship's companies of fighting vessels named HMS London have witnessed the highs and lows of British naval history spanning centuries.

The epic story includes:

An ill-fated encounter between wooden wall battleships off Chesapeake in 1781, whose result arguably lost Britain its American colonies.

The hell of the Gallipoli landings in the First World War.

The disastrous PQ17 convoy of the Second World War.

A valiant foray into the teeth of communist Chinese fire during the 1940s Yangtze Incident.

Leading the British naval task group in Operation Desert Storm.

Sailing into the Arctic on a mission to end the Cold War at sea as the 1991 hard-liners coup in Moscow collapsed.

This new edition offers enhanced and new imagery in addition to other fresh material, including a young officer's part in the climactic events of the Second World War in East Asia. We also learn how the London of Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II is offering up treasures from the murky waters of the Thames.

A new final chapter looks at the next HMS London, which will be a futuristic City Class (Type 26) submarine hunter. It also considers the missions the new London will face amid great power rivalry on the oceans that sees an increasingly volatile face-off between the West and Russia with China.

Weight: 688g
Dimension: 169 x 235 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399012867