Description
Book SynopsisProvides a comprehensive overview of the activities of the British navy in the Indian and Pacific Oceans from the earliest times to the present. This book outlines the early voyages of the English East India Company, its building of its own naval forces and its conflicts with Indian states. It examines the opening up of the Pacific Ocean, the wars with the French in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and the activities of the British navy in the later nineteenth century, both off the coasts of China and Japan, and also in the many other places to which the navy's very great power extended. It goes on to consider the wars of the twentieth century, Britain's withdrawal from east of Suez, and Britain's continuing relative decline. Throughout, the book provides accounts of battles and other actions, and relates the activities of the British navy to the wider political situation and to the activities of other European and Asian navies.
Trade ReviewThis is a huge canvas, and John Grainger draws on his considerable experience as a naval author to give the reader an overview and hopefully a stimulus for further research. -- Jon Wise * Warship *
Creates an engaging narrative which is far more accessible than older reference volumes that precede this work. In addition to providing a chronology for scholars, it will also prove to be a very enjoyable text for interested non-specialist readers. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *
This text equips those thinking about the future of the region to understand the strategic advantage that the sea provides. -- Andrew Lambert * THE MARINER'S MIRROR *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: The Company and the Bombay Marine 1. The Company's Early Struggles (1600-1625) 2. The Company Survives (1625-1680) 3. Interlopers and Union (1680-1710) 4. Wider Interests, Greater Threats (1710-1750) Part II. The Bombay Marine and the Royal Navy 5. British Dominance Established (1748-1763) 6. The French Threat Continues (1763-1782) 7. The Decisive War (1782-1783) 8. A Ring of Enemies (1783-1803) 9 Destroying all Rivals (1803-1811) Part III: The Royal Navy and the Indian Navy 10. The Company Reduced, its Empire Expanded (1811-1838) 11. Imperial Warfare (1838-1863) 12. The British Lake (1863-1935) 13. A Successful Defence (1935-1945) 14. Imperial Withdrawal (1945 and after) Bibliography
