British Warships & Auxiliaries 2015/16

By Steve Bush

The fully revised and updated well respected guide to the ships,aircraft and weapons of the fleet. Over 80 colour photos. Complete with pennant numbers and silhouettes. Now expanded to include Royal Marine Craft and Border Agency vessels.
This book, published annually, is the best reference tool available on the Royal Navy and is edited by LCDR Steve Bush RN (Ret'd). The latest issue, as usual, contains glossy high resolution images of ships and aircraft and should be on the bookshelf of naval personnel as well as those with an interest in the Royal Navy. 

Order your copy today.

British Warships & Auxiliaries 2014/15

British Warships & Auxiliaries 2014/15

The Complete Guide to the Ships & Aircraft of the Fleet

By Steve Bush

Maritime Books navybooks.com 120 Pages Softcover 2014

One of our yearly treats is the release of the latest edition of British Warships and Auxiliaries and this year’s version by Steve Bush lives up to the standards. Profusely illustrated with almost all color photographs, a description of all current and planned warships, submarines, aircraft and auxiliaries are listed with their particulars. In addition, the book covers British Army and Border Force vessels. This books is a must for naval bookshelves.

British Warships and Auxiliaries 2013/14

Maritime Books 2013 

The annual welcomed edition from Maritime Books, British Warships and Auxliaries is now available. Nobody has a better grasp on the current Royal Navy than the editor of Warship World, Steve Bush. Fully illustrated in color (with the exception of the author's portrait picture) and detailed, this book is a must for the bookshelf of navy professionals and enthusiasts alike.

C Class Destroyers

Maritime Books 2012

40 ships of the C Class were planned for the Royal Navy in World War II with 32 completed and the last eight cancelled in favor of newer designs. The class was broken down into five groups of eight, with each octet being given CA, CH, CO, CR and CE names. The Royal Canadian Navy was to receive the who CH group (something I did not know) but due to manning considerations this was deferred to the later CR group. In any event the war ended before the CRs entered service and only two went to the RCN, four to Norway and two to Pakistan.
Each variant of the C Class incorporated improvements over the previous batch with later ships having a large dual purpose gun director which necessitated the removal one of bank of torpedo tubes.
The CA group were given a partial modernization in the 1950s and HMCS Crescent was the only member of the class to receive a Type 15 style modernization. Coming in 1955-56, Crescent's modernization was far and away the best Type 15 style modernization of any navy.
Profusely illustrated in the Maritime Books manner, this book is an entertaining read.

Town Class Cruisers

2012 Maritime Books

After reading this book right after completing C Class Destroyers from the same publisher, I can tell you that reading of both was enjoyable.
Other works to date have focused on the technical history of these famous cruisers, but this one details their operational service.
Conceived in the 1930s as a response to the growing size and capability of cruisers, these ships were the British response. Four of these ships were lost in action, Edinburgh, Gloucester, Manchester & Southampton. Six served in the postwar fleet with one preserved by the Imperial War Museum in London, HMS Belfast/
Three small errors noted in the text:

• Plumper blocks called plummer blocks
• Type 279 numbers transposed as Type 297
• Confusion on Saint John, New Brunswick and St John's. Newfoundland

Profusely illustrated, this book is highly recommended. 

THE ROYAL NAVY IN FOCUS 1980-89

Maritime Books ISBN 9781904459484

Steve Bush, Editor of Warship World Magazine, has done a credible job since assuming the authorship of this popular pictorial histories from company founder Mike Critchley. 
The 1980s was a period the began with the infamous John Nott cuts which were about to be implemented when the Falklands War broke out in 1982. Most of the remainder of the decade was an upbeat period of the future of the Royal Navy until the end of the Cold War in 1989 when cuts continuing to this day have reduced this proud service to a mere shadow of its former self.
The book contains about 150 full color photographs of ships of the  Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service and Ships Taken Up From Trade (STUFT).
This book makes a fine addition to the bookshelf of any ship lover.

British Warships and Auxiliaries 1952

British Warships and Auxiliaries 1952

Steve Bush

375 pages illustrated 9781904459453 £25 hardback Maritime Books 2012

Author Steve Bush, who authors the annual British Warships and Auxiliaries, has undertaken the daunting task of compiling what this book would have looked like in 1952, the year of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne by including the Royal Navy and their Commonwealth cousins.

Fully illustrated, all ships from that era are included with in tabular format along with a representative photo of each ship class.

Congratulations of Mr Bush and Maritime Books for another fine product.

HMS Ark Royal Zeal Does Not Rest 1981-2011

HMS Ark Royal Zeal Does Not Rest 1981-2011

Alastair Graham and Eric Grove

368 Pages illustrated 9781904459460 £29.99 hardback Maritime Books 2012

This is a superb looking book and is a history of this British aircraft carrier, which spent much of her life in refit or reserve. Her active duty periods were indeed very busy and included the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Many anecdotes are included from former commanding officers and those with a role in the life of the ship. Luckily it appears this famous name will go in the future with a new HMS Ark Royal about 2020 or so.

This book is Maritime Books at their 
best, bringing Royal Navy history to life for future generations.

British Warships and Auxiliaries 2012/13

British Warships & Auxiliaries 2012/13

Maritime Books

By Steve Bush

2012 £6.99 | $10.90

Published every year since 1979, first edited by Mike Critchley and latterly by Steve Bush, this book is indispensible for follower of the Royal Navy. Of particular interest are the supplementary craft operated by private contractors; many of which are of new construction or charter and some of the previous craft operated by the Royal Marine Auxiliary Service (RMAS) before  privatization.
This reasonably priced reference comes in full color format and is highly recommended (as usual!)

US Navy Warships & Auxiliaries including US Coast Guard

By Steve Bush

216 pages Maritime Books; 2nd Revised Edition (December 2010)

English 1904459439 978-1904459439 8

£7.99 | $12.45

The 2nd Edition of this pocket sized guide to the ships, submarines and aircraft of the US Navy, Military Sealift Command and Ready Reserve Fleet has been expanded to include the ships & aircraft of the US Coast Guard. This reviewer looks forward receiving the next work from Steve Bush and this book does not disappoint. This work is profusely illustrated with color photographs of the ships and aircraft of the US Navy, Military Sealift Command and US Coast Guard covers all but the smallest craft. This book is truly a timely reference tool at an affordable price.