Publisher's Synopsis
Illustrated with fascinating archival photography, this is a complete guide to the development of the aircraft as an instrument of naval power from its inception in the early 20th century all the way through to the modern day.
Naval warfare was transformed by airpower, but it was a hit and miss process.The Royal Navy pioneered the use of aircraft carriers during World War I, but famously lost Prince of Wales and Repulse to land based Japanese bombers in 1941. From the early days of airships and bi-planes, the carrier planes of the Pacific to the very latest in carrier based strike aircraft, and anti submarine helicopters, Bernard Ireland reveals how airpower has revolutionized naval warfare.This authoritative book combines detailed development histories, specifications and stories of successes and failures of ships and aircraft that dominated the seas. Detailed and dramatic photos from the 1920s to the present day showing the range of naval aircraft in use around the world.
Preface
Part 1 Early Experiments
Chapter 1 Earliest Experiments
Chapter 2 Lighter than Air, Developments to 1914
Chapter 3 Heavier than Air, Developments to 1914
Part 2 World War I
Chapter 4 Aviation in Action, World War I
Chapter 5 Developments in the United States 1913-1918
Chapter 6 Development of Naval Aircraft during World War I
Part 3 Between the Wars
Chapter 7 The losing of peace, Naval Aviation 1919-1939
Chapter 8 The Emergence of the Fleet Carrier
Chapter 9 Naval Aircraft Development
Part 4 World War II
Chapter 10 Atlantic, Northern Europe and Mediterranean waters
Chapter 11 The Indian Ocean and the Pacific
Chapter 12 Aircraft versus the U-boat
Chapter 13 The Carriers
Chapter 14 The Aircraft
Part 5 Naval Airpower since 1945
Chapter 15 Evolution during the cold war era
Chapter 16 Into the Future
Index
