Admirals often write books, but mostly memoirs, and usually after they retire. That said, on rare occasions, they write popular science books while still holding high-ranking positions. However, for Andriy Tarasov, this book was likely more than just an expression of his genuine fascination with warships—a fascination that every reader of his text will surely feel. It also became perhaps the only way available to a loyal officer on active duty to respond to the propaganda campaign in favor of the “mosquito fleet” concept. After the occupation of Crimea, the long-neglected debate over what kind of fleet Ukraine needs suddenly found itself at the center of public attention, and this concept itself gained significant traction in the media.
At the same time, as is often the case under the influence of propaganda, the target audience was simply not supposed to ask any unnecessary questions. For example: what exactly is a “mosquito fleet”? After all, the boats that Ukrainian sailors received had nothing in common with it except their size. Or why haven’t cheap and effective compact missile boats replaced the “vulnerable and expensive” larger ships in other countries?
But a reader of *From Sailing Ships to Steel Giants* would know about the French *Jeune École*, the “Young School,” and the frenzy at the time surrounding cheap 100-metric-ton torpedo boats, theoretically capable of sinking an enemy battleship a hundred times their size. And also why they didn’t work. And what long-term consequences Britain’s attempts to build a fleet “cheap and fierce” had for its traditional rival. All this without a shred of counter-propaganda! The book explains the reasons behind the French decision, the strengths of high-speed torpedo boats, and how their emergence influenced capital ships and the logic of their subsequent development.
The book is aimed at a general audience. So, you don’t need to have rounded Cape Horn or even have experience fighting pirates in the Gulf of Aden to read it. Nor will you need to constantly consult a dictionary of nautical terms. Everything necessary for understanding is clearly explained in the text. The book masterfully combines readability, a dynamic narrative, and a high concentration of information. In fact, if the reader isn’t a naval history enthusiast but simply wants to get a sense of the subject, they can easily limit themselves to reading *From Sailing Ships to Steel Giants*, at least as far as the period covered by the book is concerned.
That said, the book will also be useful for knowledgeable enthusiasts of naval history. Of course, for them, the battle between the Peruvian monitor “Huáscar” and the British frigate “Shah” or the victory of the Japanese fast cruisers at the Battle of Yalu are unlikely to be new discoveries. But we don’t always know what exactly we don’t know. The book is rich in interesting facts and technical details, so almost everyone will find here the answer to some long-standing question they were too lazy to research themselves at the time, and will say more than once, “So that’s how it is!”
Most importantly, Mr. Tarasov’s work offers a systematic account of the evolution of ships, which is helpful for clarifying the less obvious connections within this complex process. This book is an excellent starting point for one’s own more in-depth research into a specific niche topic, such as the study of a particular type of ship or even the fate of a single vessel.
The systematic approach of *From Sailing Ships to Steel Giants*, which essentially gives the book an encyclopedic character, has several dimensions. First and foremost, it is the book’s clear chronological structure. Each chapter is devoted to the development of naval technology during a specific decade. When you know the answers to “what?” and “when?”, it is much easier to understand “why?” and “how?” Furthermore, this approach allows us to view the development of the fleet as a specific ecosystem, where the same factor influences the development of different types of ships in different ways. For example, the emergence of rapid-firing medium-caliber artillery in the 1880s affected both battleships and cruisers.
A side effect of this approach is chapters that vary greatly in length. After all, the naval ecosystem in the 1860s was significantly less complex than in the 1900s, not to mention the 1910s. But this also underscores Mr. Tarasov’s comprehensive approach, which does not focus solely on giant dreadnoughts or fast cruisers and destroyers, but also discusses the modest “rank-and-file” warships. Minesweepers or the first, still very small, specialized submarine hunters did not capture the imagination, but were often no less important than formidable gunboats in carrying out the tasks of the naval forces.
Finally, the author examines the evolution not only of ships as a whole but also of their individual components—armor, engines, and boilers. Even the development of something as seemingly uninspiring as ship boilers is presented in a surprisingly engaging way: from the transition from fire-tube boilers to water-tube boilers to the rivalry between different types of water-tube boilers in the Royal Navy of Great Britain, where Yarrow boilers ultimately prevailed.
The final chapter is particularly rich in technical highlights. And this is not surprising: the increasingly intense conflict at sea demanded new technical capabilities from ships. This led to the emergence of the first mechanical fire-control computers—a sort of ship’s “brain,” without which it became increasingly difficult for artillery officers to handle complex calculations. New “sensory organs” were also developed—hydrophones and sonar for detecting submarines. To combat detected submarines, depth charge launchers and depth charges were introduced and improved. Mine warfare was a separate area of focus: surface ships were equipped with increasingly sophisticated minesweepers, while submarines gained the ability to lay mines via torpedo tubes.
It’s better to see something once than to hear about it a hundred times. An additional advantage of the book is its selection of illustrations: photographs and blueprints of the ships mentioned in the text, as well as diagrams of armor configurations and the operating principles of various mechanisms. For example, I read about steam ramming ships—here’s a photo of the largest such ship (British) and a diagram of the last one built (American). Submarines are described—here’s a simple but informative diagram showing how the design of single-hull submarines differs from that of one-and-a-half-hull and twin-hull submarines.
In addition, bringing us back from the technical aspects to the human dimension of naval affairs, there is a rich collection of portraits of distinguished gentlemen who, in one way or another, contributed to the development of ships or their deployment. Shipbuilders—such as Dupuis de Lôme, the “father” of the first steam battleship and the first seagoing armored cruiser. Visionary admirals—such as Théophile Aubert, the highest-ranking representative of the aforementioned Jeune École. Or naval commanders—such as Heihachirō Tōgō, the victor of Tsushima. Far-sighted political leaders who took an interest in the problems of their nation’s navy—such as U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Inventors—such as Charles Parsons, the inventor of the steam turbine, an anonymous fisherman in civilian life and a member of the Royal Naval Minesweeping Reserve, who, after brief training, dealt with deadly sea mines. And many, many others.
The illustrations accompanying the text are effectively supplemented by the chronological table, diagrams of ship evolution, and graphs showing changes in their key characteristics over time, all included in the appendix—which provides the most concise and visual presentation of the book’s material. The appendix also includes several other interesting resources—for example, a diagram of the evolution of conning towers on major ships and a table that helps determine which type a particular battleship belongs to: battery, barbette, or citadel. This table is especially useful for those trying to make sense of the variety of often rather bizarre designs resulting from the rapid evolution of capital ships during this period.
Perfection is in short supply in our world. And no one has abolished subjectivity. The book’s use of a ship classification system that is traditional in our region creates a certain dissonance. Not so much because it is of Russian origin, but because it is archaic and counterintuitive. It seems as though this classification was originally devised so that the realities of the early 20th-century navy could be easily explained to veterans of the Crimean War.
For example, the term “pre-dreadnought battleship” ( more often simply “pre-dreadnought”) blurs the line between the steel battleships of the 1890s–1900s and early armored ships. The latter even included wooden sailing ships with iron armor and an auxiliary steam engine, which, incidentally, were also intended for service as part of a squadron.
On the other hand, conventional terminology is, precisely because of its traditional nature, more comfortable for some readers. In addition, the author frequently cites the original names of ship classes (which traditionally vary by country) throughout the text, reminding readers that the key is not memorizing labels but understanding the principles of classification.
And when you turn the last page, the question immediately arises: what happens next? Indeed, by the 1920s—when the story ends—the main types of ships had emerged, including aircraft carriers and even the first naval drones. However, no less interesting stages of evolution lay ahead. In Chapter 7, while discussing the “Hawkins”-class “Atlantic cruisers,” Mr. Tarasov writes about their significant role in diplomatic battles. Indeed, it was precisely under pressure from Great Britain that the provisions of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty—which limited the size and main caliber of cruisers—were tailored to the tactical and technical characteristics of the “Hawkins.” The essence of the restrictions was to ensure that new ships would not render the “Hawkins” class obsolete.
I would be delighted to read a follow-up on the naval arms agreements of the 1920s and 1930s and their ambiguous impact on the development of the world’s navies, about the leaders of the destroyer class and “pocket battleships,” about multi-purpose guns and shipboard radars, gas turbines, and the emergence of guided missile weapons. But I understand that Vice Admiral Tarasov has no time for a sequel right now: instead of describing the history of naval warfare, he himself is participating in its new phase.
I suspect that if it weren’t for the persistence and efforts of Anton Sanchenko—a publisher, writer, and tireless organizer of Ukrainian naval studies— we would not have seen even *An Outline of the Evolution of Warships, 1860–1920* for a long time to come.
Everything good comes at a price. If you’re not put off by the price and size of the book, I strongly recommend purchasing it. At least some of my acquaintances who were hesitant are now recommending the book to new readers themselves.
Максим Паламарчук