The Changing face of the World's Navies

 Writing the HMS Ambuscade book interested me in the broader development of navies since the Second World War. This book by Bruce Watson chronologically takes the reader through the period, examining the events that shaped changes to the organisation of navies and warship design. It was written in the early 1990s, just as the Cold War ended.

For each period, the author highlights the influential factors and political and military events before looking at how the major and later minor navies of the world responded.

The Cold War began in the post-war period from 1945-50, but the Soviet Union had not developed a blue sea navy, so the USA and, to a lesser extent, Britain still ruled the waves. The aircraft carrier was the physical embodiment of that power projection. The Korean War was a turning point, and the USA developed nuclear-powered warships capable of staying at sea for extended periods. The Soviet Union started to re-evaluate its naval strategy after 1953, recognising that defending Soviet interests required something more than a coastal navy.

The Suez Crisis caused a reconsideration of sea power needs, not least in Britain with its withdrawal from Asia (East of Suez policy). Battleships and heavy cruisers were becoming obsolete, and general-purpose ships displaced specialist warships. Between 1967 and 1979, the British made the questionable decision to go in for Polaris submarines and a ballistic nuclear missile force. This was at the cost of other warship programmes, with the author arguing that 'British leaders had lost the understanding of the true value of naval power'. This was also the period of growing tension between Greece and Turkey, as Greece, in particular, came to believe that the Soviet threat against them was exaggerated. After the 1964 and 1967 Cyprus crises, Turkey started to look elsewhere than the USA for its warships and began the development of its own warship-building capacity.  

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union experienced its golden era based on Admiral Gorshkov's doctrine, as set out in 'Sea Power of the State.' New Soviet designs came off the slipways while the USA suffered from its post-Vietnam hangover, which wasn't reversed until the Reagan years. Britain's naval cuts were ruthlessly exposed by the Falklands War, where only good training and leadership plugged the gaps in the Royal Navy's capacity to recapture the islands. 

The Cold War ended because the Soviet economy could not keep up with the USA's rebuilding of its fleets, bringing the Superpower era to an end. The author's forward-looking conclusions highlight the role of smaller navies enabled by small-boat missile technology. He also recognised China's growing role in the Pacific, although he could not have foreseen the scale of Chinese shipbuilding or the impact of drone warfare.

This is a really well-argued and structured book, which is essential reading if you are interested in this period. It is out of print, but secondhand copies can be picked up cheaply.

I have been using Naval Command rules for modern naval actions on the tabletop. I found other systems far too complex. So far, I have used them for Cyprus conflict what-ifs and a brief dabble in the Falklands. However, writing about the Pakistan Navy in the Ambuscade book reignited my interest in the Indo-Pakistan wars.

Hellenic Air Force attacks on a Turkish convoy heading to Cyprus.