World War 1 at Sea Charting the naval history of the Great War

World War 1 at Sea

Charting the naval history of the Great War

Latest Articles

Forty Percent of the Fleet's Lifeline: The Shipping Crisis That Forced the Admiralty's Hand
Naval Strategy

Forty Percent of the Fleet's Lifeline: The Shipping Crisis That Forced the Admiralty's Hand

By April 1917, German U-boats were sinking merchant shipping faster than Britain could replace it, and the nation's food reserves had dwindled to weeks. This account examines the Admiralty's reluctant adoption of the convoy system and the bureaucratic battle that preceded it.

Smoke, Screens and Secret Guns: Reassessing the Royal Navy's Mystery Vessels
Ship Histories

Smoke, Screens and Secret Guns: Reassessing the Royal Navy's Mystery Vessels

Disguised as harmless trawlers and colliers, the Royal Navy's Q-ships fought a peculiar and dangerous deception war against the U-boat menace. This archival study examines the career of HMS Farnborough and asks whether the legend of the mystery ships survives close scrutiny.