Abstract
First published in 1997, John Roberts’s classic British Battlecruisers 1905–1920 makes a welcome return to print under the Seaforth label in revised form, and with the publisher’s usual excellent production quality. A valuable stand-alone text, when first released it also provided a ‘type-specific’ companion to the roughly contemporary works of the late David Brown (notably Warrior to Dreadnought and The Grand Fleet), with a somewhat similar style and presentation that is part technical, with additional analysis and summaries where appropriate. The book in original and revised form contains large amounts of data on all of the vessels officially classified as battlecruisers in the Royal Navy, logically presented with chapters dedicated to design and construction, machinery, armament and armour, with additional sections providing an assessment of their origins and summaries of their service. The tabulated information, excellent plans/drawings and photographs of the original book are all present, including the large folding plan of HMS Queen Mary in an envelope affixed to the inside back cover. Attractive and worthwhile additions to the revised work are large colour folding reproductions of original perspective drawings in the ship covers of HMS Invincible and Princess Royal.
The condensing of large quantities of technical data into a clear format that can be used for rapid reference is no easy task, but Roberts achieved this in the original release and it remains a good example of how to structure and present such a book. Additional plans aside, the revisions are most obvious in the latter chapters, although these do not significantly modify the author’s view that the vessels themselves were largely successful interpretations of the Board of Admiralty requirements, but that the underlying concept of the battlecruiser was essentially flawed.
The British battlecruiser is one of the most controversial types of warship in all of naval history; inextricably entwined with the equally provocative Admiral Sir John Fisher, they continue to provoke debate well into in the twenty-first century, with little likelihood the interest and arguments will diminish. What the vessels were for; how they were conceived and developed; how they were to be used and the reasoning behind their particular balance of material features are questions that are unlikely to gain real consensus. Roberts’s take on this matter is that they were intended to be heavy-scouts and provide close-support for the battle-fleet, pursuing a flying enemy, and for trade protection. This is in essence the same conclusion as earlier authors such as Marder and Parkes, albeit with a somewhat more positive perspective on the overall design quality. Within these limits it is a sound assessment, carefully argued and supported, and Roberts’s critique on the details of armour distribution and thicknesses in particular are very well-made, as are his remarks on the technical aspects of artillery and machinery.
Where the original edition of Battlecruisers was weaker was in assessing the wider strategic context and some tactical thinking underpinning the vessels. The revisions to this edition are useful and have partially addressed this limitation, but there are few indications that some of the more recent research, most notably by A. Lambert, N. Lambert, Grove, Brooks, McCartney, Sumida and others has been incorporated in significant detail. This is unfortunate as it limits the perspective and may have led to certain modifications of the conclusions drawn.
Presumably for the sake of brevity, the first chapter on the origins of the battlecruiser is rather short, although it rightly notes the type originated in preceding first-class cruisers and second-class battleships. A change in the character of armoured cruisers designed under Sir William White and his successor Sir Philip Watts is pointed out, but this is somewhat overstated as far as the larger fleet cruisers are concerned. In a similar vein, Fisher’s views on the value of speed and gun power are effectively set out in the first chapters, and Roberts clearly delineates how these altered from his period as C-in-C Mediterranean Squadron to the first months of his tenure as First Sea Lord. Stressing these is perfectly sound, and it is further emphasised that the instigation of a uniform heavy-calibre main armament was largely at the behest of Controller William May rather than Fisher, who was a late-comer to the ‘all-big-gun’ school. The explanation however is not fully developed, and the emphasis on ‘fleet’ use at the time the Invincible class was developed seems an over-literal acceptance of Board statements. This was clearly a significant factor for Board members, with May advocating redesigning the Minotaur class armoured cruisers then under construction to accept 12in artillery, in part inspired by the increased fighting power of the new Japanese Tsukuba class armoured cruisers. Whether Fisher was thinking precisely along these lines at the time though is questionable; his early planning reflected a clear desire to move the Royal Navy away from the classical battle-fleet model toward a force-structure better suited to countering contemporary threats to British maritime trade. The first two classes of British battlecruiser were developed with an eye to this strategic requirement at least as much as a heavy scout or fast-division role, and were not particularly optimised for the latter. Only with the later Lions would the Royal Navy tailor a battlecruiser more closely to these functions.
In terms of build history, the chapter dealing with the Renown, Courageous and Admiral classes are arguably of greatest value (the technical information remaining of uniformly high quality), as the development of these vessels often receives less attention than pre-war types. The revision in design concept of the Renowns back to the first battlecruiser types is stressed, linking well to the chapter covering armour configurations and the focus on defence against medium-calibre weapons and limiting damage to the ‘vitals’. Equally, the development of the unique Courageous class is set out clearly, Roberts taking the view that they were primarily intended as scouts rather than for Baltic operations. While persuasive, recent research by A. Lambert suggests the latter had a greater influence on their characteristics (notably their shallow draught), and could have been a more realistic proposition than has been widely appreciated, underlining the unusual design process and history of the type.
While not all will agree with certain aspects of the strategic and tactical assessments, British Battlecruisers remains an excellent source of technical data and the descriptions and assessments of these features are extremely good. Coupled with the large number of high quality images, the excellent plans and very reasonable price, it is a very easy work to recommend and should have a place on the shelf of anyone with an interest in this period of naval history, or the battlecruiser as a type.