Vanguard to Trident: British Naval Policy Since World War II

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: Excellent analysis of UK post-war Naval policy. Backed up with a lot of detail. Excellent photographs of ships, and a number of plans and drawings of proposed types that weren't built. Strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Vanguard to Trident
Review: Written by a UK academic who has taught at both the UK and US Naval colleges, 1987 edition book provides an accessible and balanced introduction to post WW2 UK naval development. It portrays the gradual downsizing of the fleet and the politico-economic debates that shaped UK defense procurement. Written before the end of the Cold-War, it should be approached as more of a historical text than a guide to current UK naval thinking.

The style is very easy to follow with many photographs and illustrations, yet also provides many statistical details and over 60 pages of appendices and references, which should keep the average naval buff happy for a while. The overall impression I received from the author was of a once-glorious institution whose paint is now chipped and faded.