Salvo! Classic Naval Gun Actions

Captain Edwards book on the classic naval surface actions put you on the bridge, with binoculars in hand, with the the whiff of coal or oil smoke in the air, and the shock of the opening rounds your vessel just fired still reverberating from the deck under your feet. He writes from experience. This man has been there and done that, and his writings bear that out. But whereas the British Navy can do no wrong, even in the case of the 8-month old HMS Prince of Wales and its companion the HMS Repulse, both of which were sunk in the Pacific with very heavy losses by Japanese torpedo bombers when the Admiralty stubbornly refused to realise (racial bias?) that the forces facing them would annialiate them before their guns could be brought to bear, the actions of the American Navy "can do no right". The battles in the waters around Guadalcanal are analyised in excruciating detail to emphasize the ineptness and amateurishness of the American Navy. These are explored to show how the Americans lost these actions through the failure to expolit their ship's advantages. In contrast, battles and actions regarded by naval historians inept blunders by the Royal Navy are passed off as supreme sacrifaces by brave men. Also, there is no mention of the several month's reconnisance under the most difficult conditions of the White Hunter Bell that enabled the Royal Navy to finally locate the German Navy battleship Konigsberg. However, it is a must-have, must read, and I will be getting more of Captain Edwards works. Maybe he could do one on the Air War in the Pacific. Something tells me somehow the Royal Navy would single-handedly win this one also, though.

This book is a wonderful supplement to more comprehensive, but usually drier, naval histories. The author has been to sea and knows his subject, and it shows. 18 battles are described. In each case, Edwards discusses the historical context in which the battle took place, then vividly describes the battle and its aftermath. In each case, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the account; it almost felt like I was there.I noticed that twice Edwards referred to destroyers acting like "slavering" hyenas or hounds in engagements. Does he have something against tin cans?An outstanding book.