Treaty Cruisers

Cruisers were once among the most numerous class of warship afloat, able to operate independently of the main battle fleets and to be the eyes and ears of the fleet. They were heavily armed prestigious warships that conveyed an impression of power and authority. Today few navies have cruisers in their inventories their place having been taken by guided missile destroyers and frigates. Leo Marriott is a well-known and well-respected naval historian and writer and this latest work from him focuses on the effects of the Washington Naval Treaty in regard to cruiser construction from the signatories of the document. The first section sets out what exactly a cruiser is from its earliest times in the days of the sail navy right up to modern day. The text then gives a broad overview of the era in the 1920s when Great Britain, France, the United States, Italy and Japan tried to curb an ever-escalating spiral of warship development by imposing internationally agreed limits to various classes of warships including cruisers. These subsequently became the Treaty Cruisers of the title. The book then takes a look at the development of cruisers in the inter-war years from all the Treaty signatories plus Germany which became a de-facto signatory following the signing of a British German treaty. The following sections then give a whistle stop view of how each class of ship faired in conflict during the Second World War. Numerous appendices are included which add flesh to some earlier sections. I found the book to be informative but it is more of an introduction to the subject rather than a detailed analysis and I also found the small 8 point typeface used sometimes hard to read. Overall this book is a worthy attempt to cover a huge subject in a handy-to-read summary.