When naval aviation was first considered, Britain still ruled the waves
with the greatest fleet and the best technology. It was therefore to be
expected that British naval aviators would be at the forefront of
innovation and exploration of this new method of fighting at sea. As
British power declined, the contribution of British naval aviators
continued to lead other navies.
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NAME: 100 Years of British Naval Aviation
CLASSIFICATION: Book Reviews
FILE: R1564
DATE: 061009
AUTHOR: Christopher Shores
PUBLISHER: Haynes
BINDING: Hard back
PAGES: 311
PRICE: GB £35.00
GENRE: Non fiction
SUBJECT: RNAS, FAA, carriers, naval aircraft, WWI, WWII, technology,
people, battles, naval warfare
ISBN: 978-1-84425-661-7
IMAGE: B1564.jpg
LINKS: http://tinyurl.com/
DESCRIPTION: When naval aviation was first considered, Britain still
ruled the waves with the greatest fleet and the best technology. It
was therefore to be expected that British naval aviators would be at
the forefront of innovation and exploration of this new method of
fighting at sea. As British power declined, the contribution of
British naval aviators continued to lead other navies. Celebrating
these many achievements was long overdue and it was a disappointment
that Fly Navy 100 failed to achieve the news media attention that it
deserved. Taking the starting point as the inclusion of funds for a
first airship in 1909 was a curious choice because it was not the
start of the Royal Navy's preparations to take to the air and the
resulting airship, aptly named Mayfly, was less than successful. This
book is described as an Official Licensed Product which may explain
why the author started at 1909. It has long been a tradition for books
to begin with forewords, introductions, acknowledgements and author's
notes, although how many readers take any great interest in the these
preambles is often debated. Where they are read carefully, they will
influence the purchase. Having started with the Foreword and the
Introduction and Acknowledgements this reviewer is not sure whether to
commend the author for his honesty or wish the Introduction had not
been written as it has been. If the reader skims past this preamble,
there is a well written and lavishly illustrated work which covers its
subject well and is a worthwhile addition to any library or bookshelf.
The Introduction gives the impression that this book has been hastily
put together and does little more than repeat the work of earlier
authors. Clearly any author attempting a history of any kind is
dependent heavily on surviving records and books previously published.
Anyone who has read extensively on a subject such as that covered in
this book will have stuck in the mind phases and concepts from other
work without necessarily being aware of what is remembered and what
is personal conclusion. In researching for a new book there is rarely
the time to carefully check every available piece of information to
trace to source. Hopefully, most potential buyers will ignore the
preamble and flick through the pages, noting the excellent selection
of images that illustrate the text. The publisher has elected to
print onto gloss paper of good weight and this accounts for the
pricing which might deter some potential readers but this is likely
to be a book that the owner will read and reread many times,
demanding the quality of materials. Some images are not sharp but
their inclusion is justified by the subject captured and there is
also justification for not attempting to use enhancement software
which can result in subtle changes to the image that change what it
presents. The author is fortunate to have had access to the FAA
Museum photographic collection which is extensive, well catalogued
and maintained. A centenary book is of necessity a synopsis of events
and as the author points out at the start, so much has been written
over the years about specific aspects of British naval aviation, a
serious reader probably already owns many books that collectively
tell the story in much greater detail. However, the purchase of this
book is justified for the photographs alone and the story flows at a
comfortable pace. The concluding chapter talks of a New World Order
but some will dispute this, claiming that the Cold War ended one
World Order, but the New World Order is still being established. It
is ironic that one hundred years of innovation by British naval
aviators has coincided with a series of enormous challenges and
uncertainties. On the one hand the Fleet Air Arm appears set to
receive the F-35 Lightning II and two large carriers to host them.
The reality may be somewhat different. The severe economic recession
in Britain will demand some very tough decisions in spending cuts and
one potential target is the planned purchase of the two carriers and
their aircraft. Some are already suggesting that only one carrier
will be built and at a very much slower pace, with the cancellation
of the STOVL version of the Lightning II. With the French planning to
built a single similar carrier, there is growing pressure to equip
both with catapults and French aircraft. Other sources have suggested
that the Typhoon II should be adapted for naval use compensating for
the lower than planned procurement of this aircraft as a land-based
fighter and made much of the lack of resilience in the Lightning II
with its single main engine. At the same time the increasing use of
UAV remote controlled and robot aircraft will reduce the use of manned
naval aircraft. The US Navy is already well advanced with trials of
new shore-based UAVs that can be refuelled in the air and smaller UAVs
that can be catapult launched from most current and anticipated
vessels, or hand launched afloat and ashore. In the British system of
dividing duties between the Services, this could mean that larger
aircraft are operated from shore by the RAF and smaller UAVs will be
treated as munitions and become the responsibility of seamen and
weapons officers. As if these challenges are not enough, the Royal
Navy faces potential disbandment once the Treaty of Lisbon is ratified
throughout the European Union and a single structure of European Union
Forces is established.
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