Dreadnoughts: A Photographic History

The construction of British Dreadnought warships between 1905 and 1920 was an enormous financial and industrial undertaking which involved all the major ship builders in Great Britain and two Royal Naval Dockyards. The speed at which these warships could be built became a matter of national importance as Britain was inexorably drawn into an accelerating naval race with Germany.

The massive Dreadnought construction programme had to be mediated through the craft skills and working practices of a wide range of dock and shipyard workers. The leviathans of the sea were built across the country at key ports, including Portsmouth and Devonport.

This updated edition encompasses rare and previously unpublished photographs from across Britain, which provide a timely and important insight into this defining period in British naval history.

ROGER D. THOMAS is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Portsmouth. He has contributed to articles on a wide range of historical topics to a number of journals. He lives in Southsea.

BRIAN PATTERSON was curator of the Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Collection and Keeper of Historic Boats at the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust. He was a shipwright in the dockyard for forty-three years and is the author of nine books and numerous articles on military and naval topics.