Full Description
In November 1923 the Royal Navy dispatched what was named the Special Service Squadron on a ten-month tour around the British Empire. Led by the battlecruiser HMS 'Hood', the pride of the Royal Navy and, at the time, the largest ship in the world, and including the battlecruiser 'Renown' and the First Light Cruiser Squadron, the role of the Special Service Squadron was to 'show the flag' in a public relations exercise and to strengthen ties across the Empire. Much publicised, the cruise served as a subtle reminder that in the aftermath of the Great War, Britannia still ruled the waves. This book charts the situation faced by Great Britain and the Royal Navy in the years immediately after the Great War, and details the origins of the cruise before charting the course of the expedition.
Contents
Acknowledgements; Introduction; Chapter 1: Planning the Cruise; Chapter 2: The Ships of the Squadron; Chapter 3: Admirals and Captains; Chapter 4: 'The "Floating Power" of Britain'; Chapter 5: 'The Warmest Tribute in its Power'; Chapter 6: 'The Navy Means Everything'; Chapter 7: 'We Only Did Our Duty'; Chapter 8: 'We Surrender Our City Unto You'; Chapter 9: South America; Chapter 10: 'A Halo of Splendour'; Chapter 11: Return of the Squadron; Epilogue; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index
