Dreadnought

By Richard Hough

The modern battleship era began with the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906.

In their day, battleships were the biggest and most complicated things built by human hand and they became symbols of national prestige. Despite their crippling costs, these mighty ships were built by many of the world’s navies and many remain household names. The losses of the Hood, Bismarck, Yamato and Arizona still echo through the decades because of their fascinating stories.

Dreadnought: A History of the Modern Battleship provides the reader with an informative and exciting tour through the Dreadnought’s history, from the political anxieties to the battles that the ships won and lost.

Richard Hough, the distinguished naval historian, was the author of many acclaimed books in the field, including The Fleet That Had to Die, Admirals in Collision, The Great War at Sea: 1914-18, and The Longest Battle: The War at Sea 1939-45. He was the biographer of Mountbatten, and his last biography, Captain James Cook, became a world bestseller.