The early twentieth-century naval reforms of Sir Jackie Fisher are a favorite topic of contemporary political scientists and defense policy wonks, alike. Fisher’s personal story and the drama around his relationship with his great rival, Lord Charles Beresford, are less well known or understood. At first glance, I was doubtful that a century-old bureaucratic political…

First published in 1961, Arthur Marder’s “From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow” set the standard on scholarship of the Royal Navy in the First World War era for over a generation. To this day, no commentary on the period can be presented without noting its relationship to Marder and his classic multi-volume work. Part one…

At the turn of the century, the cost of naval warship production was spiraling out of control. New technologies and sophistication had doubled the cost of battleships and first class cruisers. Moreover, the ships were growing in size, requiring more crew and substantial upgrades to port facilities. Navy estimates of 22 million pounds in 1898…