Overview

Warships named HMS London have been associated with some of the most controversial episodes in British naval history, from the bungled sea battle that lost King George III his American colonies, to the shambles of Gallipoli in WW1 and the notorious decision by the Admiralty to abandon convoy PQ17 in WW2. The WW2 cruiser HMS London was also tasked with hunting down the German battleship Bismarck's supply ships, using information provided by Bletchley Park after it cracked Enigma. Post-WW2, the same HMS London made a brave attempt to rescue HMS Amethyst during the famous Yangtse Incident. The last HMS London, a Type 22 frigate, was flagship of the British fleet's task group in the Gulf War of 1991. Iain Ballantyne's fascinating and lively account of the lives of British warships named London is illustrated throughout with photographs, many of them never published before. London looks at history from the perspective of the men who were there and among the people Iain has interviewed are veterans of the grim Arctic convoys of WW2, the Yangtse Incident and warriors of the Cold War and Gulf War. It all adds up to a thoroughly researched and exciting narrative of naval history. AUTHOR: Iain Ballantyne was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School and has long had a deep interest in Naval history. As a defence reporter on the Plymouth Evening Herald he often went to sea. He is now editor of the naval affairs magazine WARSHIPS International. He lives in Plymouth. He is the author of Warspite (Pen & Sword).

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9781399012867

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Iain Ballantyne has written extensively about navies past and present. He has visited warships and commando units to report on their operational activities in the Middle East, Mediterranean, Adriatic, Asia-Pacific and the Arctic, including covering the fall of the Soviet Union - plus its impact in Russia, Latvia and the Czech Republic - along with the 1990/91 Gulf War. A former newspaper defence reporter and current Editor of the global naval affairs magazine ‘WARSHIPS International Fleet Review’, Iain has also contributed to television news and documentary programmes, and radio shows. He is host of the Warships Pod podcast. Among his other naval history books are ‘Warspite’, ‘HMS Rodney’ and the award-winning ‘Killing the Bismarck’ (all published by Pen & Sword). In 2017, Iain was presented with a prestigious Fellowship Award by the UK’s Maritime Foundation for making ‘a truly outstanding contribution to stimulating public engagement in maritime issues.’

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