Robert Gardiner (1) (1949–)

Even at the time the war with America in 1812 was regarded as an unnecessary conflict, provoked by mutual misunderstandings and prosecuted by both sides without any real conviction. There were however, many surprises; the seemingly omnipotence of the Royal Navy suffered some serious reverses at sea, while the American Invasion of Canada, supposedly 'merely a matter of marching in' was repulsed by a rag-tag force of colonial militia, native Indians and a handful of proper soldiers. But in show more every other aspect, it was a naval war – the Canadian campaign and even the burning of Washington depended on sea power.

The Americans went to war under the slogan of 'Free Trade and Sailors Rights' but afterwards had gained concessions on neither issue. The British consumed with the titanic struggle with Napoleon at first had no war aims other than forcing the Americans to make peace and preserving Canada. By 1814 however having defeated the French, Britain embarked on a far more aggressive strategy. The failures on Lake Champlain and even before the fighting ended at New Orleans, neither side had achieved a strategic gaol.

It was however, a defining moment in the history of North America and as such, a war with much significance from whence the modern states of Canada and the United States emerged.

It also marked the coming of age of the US navy, which not only won moral boosting victories at sea, but intervened to crucial effect on the Great Lakes.

Lavishly illustrated with diagrams, photos of contemporary paintings, maps and printers and artist's notes, this is a hugely researched tome covering almost every aspect of the naval during the American War of Independence. A 'must have' for anyone interested in that nation defining conflict show less

A balanced and well illustrated account of the passage from a main battle line consisting of 18 knot ships with 12' guns, and a lethal range of about 8000 yards to an aircraft carrier navy. Better written than many books of similar theme. This is a book I read twice.

This 1992 volume is the third installment of Conway's 12-book "History of the Ship" series jointly published by Conway Maritime Press and the U.S. Naval Institute Press. As is seen in the other books of the series, "The Shipping Revolution" is written by multiple authors under the helm of a consultant editor, which in this instance is Alistair Couper. A total of 18 authors made contributions to this work, so a chapter can have multiple contributors.

"The Shipping Revolution" spans 208 pages, show more including a preface, introduction, 13 numbered chapters, a bibliography, glossary, appendix listing merchant ship types, and an index. The first nine chapters cover specific ship types starting with modern tramp ships, bulk carriers, and combination carriers, conventional cargo liners and refrigerated ships, container shipping, and oil tankers, chemical carriers and gas carriers. A chapter on passenger ships is followed by those on short sea and coastal shipping, specialized cargo ship, service support and industry vessels, and fishing vessels. Just as it was arranged in this book's historical predecessor in the "History of the Ship" series, "The Golden Age of Shipping", the last four chapters of this book discuss specific enabling marine technologies/policies that highlight the era encompassed by this book: navigation, propulsion, the shipbuilding industry, and ship registers/flags of convenience. The main result of the adapation of these changed technologies/policies is a sharp decline in the number of crew/employees who perform the function, which has, in turn, impacted a number of economic factors for the shipping industry.

The period covered by theis book runs from 1960 through the book's publication date, about half the period covered in "The Golden Age of Shipping." The rapid changes in the industry certainly distinguishes this era from any other covered in the Conway series. The rate and type of changes certainly required a diversity of contributors, a wise choice on the part of Conway's. The contributors includes lawyers and Asian shipping specialists, along with the traditional ones such as professional seafarers, marine engineers, and maritime historians. This diversit contributes to the overal excellence of this volume. While "The Golden Age of Shipping" emphasized the ships of its era (their design, engineering, and use), "The Shipping Revolution" looks at the business and economic aspects of shipping, their owners, their customers, and the ship builders, all of whose interests are significantly intertwined.

"The Shipping Revolution" is a great starting point for anyone look to grasp today's complex maritime industry environment. show less

There were quite a few merchant ships afloat in the war, but they are not well represented here. There are a few pictures of such ships in a chapter titled "Convoys" but the authors even here found U-boats and U-boat hunters much more interesting than cargo carriers. I have no criticism to lever against the authors and publishers; the book was published in 1978, and would at that time seldom have been bought unseen by someone who, like me, are solely interested in the merchant marine.