A History of the Royal Navy

Reviews / Votes

'An excellent, accessible and highly lucid account of the vital role played by the Royal Navy in British success during the Seven Years War. It situates naval and maritime power firmly at the centre of British grand strategy in this the first truly global conflict.' - Jeremy Black, Professor of History, University of Exeter; 'The Seven Years War proved a major turning point in the Royal Navy's rise to the dominant position it secured in the age of Nelson. The naval achievements in this long war are often overlooked because there was no single decisive battle at sea. Martin Robson fills this gap for the general reader by providing a clear picture of the scale and sweep of naval operations and the impact of naval power during the conflict. Drawing on recent work in this field and on his own incisive insights, Robson offers a highly readable and vigorous interpretation of the Royal Navy's extraordinarily wide-ranging contribution to the war. The hazards of war, the challenges of command, and the effort required to stage joint operations are graphically described. He is very effective in linking naval activity of many different kinds to the larger question of what strategic objectives naval power served. Robson stresses the vital role played by the navy in enabling Britain to defeat the French in North America and India and establish itself as a truly global imperial power. By blending together the overall political purposes of deploying naval forces with vivid accounts of naval actions, Robson succeeds in introducing the reader to a dynamic, successful and probably decisive period of British naval history.' - Bruce Collins, Professor of Modern History, Sheffield Hallam University