The Battlecruiser Hood (Anatomy of the Ship) [Hardcover]

John Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2010

The year 2001 witnesses the sixtieth anniversary of one of the most shocking and tragic episodes in the history of the Royal Navy; the loss of HMS Hood. Built during the First World War, the Hood was the largest, fastest and one of the most handsome capital ships in the world. This revised edition features a full and detailed description of every aspect of HMS Hood, analysing the genesis of the design and its contemporary significance

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Conway Maritime Press; Rev Sub edition (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 085177900X
• ISBN-13: 978-0851779003
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Ships > Pictorial

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complete technical drawings/detail of HMS Hood w/good photos, April 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Battlecruiser Hood (Anatomy of the Ship) (Hardcover)

Not a narrative of the Hoods experiences, other than a brief description of her tragic end, but a complete technical description of the entire ship from stem to stern, keel to topmast, with exhaustive detailed drawings taken from her plans. It also lays out her complete mechanical history (refits etc). For naval architects, a great book. For history bufs, a bit less so, although there a some excellent rare pictures of what must arguably have been one of the most handsome ships ever built...

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first of the "Anatomy of the Ship" series, July 10, 2001

By 

Robert Lester (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Battlecruiser Hood (Anatomy of the Ship) (Hardcover)

This was the first book in the 36 books of the Anatomy of the ship series, published by Conway Maritime Press and the Naval Institute Press.

Each book depicts an historical vessel. The Hood was the pride of the Royal Navy, and like the Titanic, unsinkable. Until it was sunk by the by the Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen. Why, because the deck armour was too thin. Anyway, this book was a revolution in detail, published first in 1982. It tells the story of the ship, then has many photos, and as the benchmark for the series has wonderful line drawings of every aspect of the vessel.

A collectors item that is worth hundreds in first edition, but the new revised editions are somewhat more reasonable.

Sensational.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know about the Hood., September 28, 2003

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Battlecruiser Hood (Anatomy of the Ship) (Hardcover)

There was a time when the Battlecruiser Hood was the largest, fastest and most handsome capital ship in the world. She was also adored by the British public and in many ways came to symbolise everything that was supremely good about the Royal Navy. On 24 May 1941 the Hood was famously sunk by the Bismarck with only three of her crew of 1,419 surviving. It was an act which resulted in Churchill giving the order "Sink the Bismarck" and, of course, they did. More recently, the remains of HMS Hood have been located at great depth in the North Atlantic resulting in renewed interest in the ship itself. Elsewhere, there are websites dedicated to the vessel and a very strong HMS Hood Association attended by those who had previously served on this, the most beautiful of ships. This is an excellent book for all such interested people.

Conway Maritime Press are well known for their "Anatomy of the Ship" series in which they provide the finest technical documentation for specific ships or ship types ever published. "The Battlecruiser Hood" is hard-back measuring 10¼" (wide) x 9¾" with 127 pages of detailed and factual information. This wide format allows the publishers to produce first class detailed line drawings of every aspect of this ship in a size that is easy to see and follow. All the information is there - right down to the last nut and bolt.

Laid down in 1916, Hood was designed and constructed when ships got close to the enemy and fired straight at them. By the time she was completed in 1918, however, battleships were able to lob their shells great distances with alarming accuracy. This new dimension of warfare at sea with shells "falling from the sky" meant that all warships required armour plating on their decks where previously it had only been on the sides. This requirement, coupled with an explanation of the financial restrictions placed upon the Royal Navy during the inter-war years provides the reader with all the reasons why HMS Hood was lost in the way she was.

This informative introduction continues with a service history of the ship followed by a series of "Tables" which include comparisons in battleship and Battlecruiser designs and information on the ship's; trials, dimensions, displacement, stability, armament, fire control, ship's boats and modifications. Next is 13 pages of historic photographs followed by 93 pages of detailed line drawings and more specific technical information.

And detailed it is too; Under the first main heading "General arrangements" we commence with an external profile of the ship followed by a series of detailed line drawings showing every aspect of this ship in cross section - deck by deck and room by room, from aft to bows. Then everything is repeated from above as we work our way down through every level of the ship from the highest part of the superstructure to the keel. These are followed with more specific technical information under such headings as hull construction, machinery, accommodation, superstructure, rig, armament, fire control, fittings, ground tackle, ship's boats and finally aircraft arrangements.

The inclusion of an expanded view of the clip which secured the quarterdeck hatch gives an indication of the attention to detail put into this book and, once again, I congratulate both author and publishers for a job well done.

NM