THE BOOKS OF PETER C. SMITH
H.M.S. ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and her Sister Ships (originally BATTLESHIP ROYAL
SOVEREIGN).
H/B William Kimber, London, 1988 (ISBN 1
7183 0740 6); H/B published by Pen-and-Sword, Barnsley,
September 2009.
The wartime history of a battleship,
along with the story of her four sister ships. Although old and slow, and
bitterly criticised by Churchill and others as being "Coffin Ships",
the Royal Sovereign class battleships in fact played a valiant and
doughty role in World War. The Royal Oak was an early loss, thanks
mainly to pre-war Government parsimony, the other four ships played a full
part, at Norway, bombarding the German invasion fleet in the Channel; escorting
North Atlantic convoys; in the Mediterranean, in the Indian Ocean, the
occupation of Madagascar and
at Normandy and the South of France invasions.
The name ship of the class herself was
handed over to the Soviet Union for several
years and her service there is also detailed along with their final demise
post-war. Many original eyewitness accounts and photographs enhance the book.
The reviewer in Marine News stated
that the book is, “…an interesting and well-compiled account of an
under-rated class of battleships and the author is to be congratulated for
putting their true worth in both World Wars into a proper perspective. A good
read.” Paul Freshney in Test Bench
also praised the book as “…a good read for any marine
enthusiast.” The Nautical Magazine commented
in March 2010 that: “The book draws quite heavily on eye witness accounts
of life on Royal Sovereign. This has
the advantage of giving a flavour of the difficulties the crew had to confront
and the reality of life at sea in wartime.”
Publisher enquiries
welcomed.
