Dunn, Steve R. Coal Ship!

How Black Diamonds Transformed the Royal Navy 1830–1918

The formidable British fleet that enabled the Allied victory in the First World War was one powered largely by coal. Over the course of the preceding century, the burgeoning Industrial Revolutionand the Royal Navy that emerged from its new technologieshad become utterly dependent on those precious "black diamonds." When Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, ships were still driven entirely by the wind; by the end of her reign, the Navy was already propelled by coal. What transpired in the intervening years forms the core of this book. It is the story of a maritime revolution that eclipsed all those that had come before. The free and inexhaustible wind was supplanted by expensive coal; ships became faster, their offensive power more devastating, and the Royal Navys command of the seasacross the burgeoning British Empirebecame unchallenged. Steve Dunn explores a wide range of themes and facets to demonstrate how coalthe very heart of this revolutioninfluenced every aspect of the Navy. The impact of steam propulsion on shipbuilding; the evolution of seamanship for iron-hulled vessels; the establishment of coaling stations across the globe; the mining and transport of coal; that deeply detested chorecoaling the ships; and the challenges of working in the hellish heat of the engine roomsthese are just a few of the topics illuminated here, spanning both peacetime and war. By focusing on the human as well as the technological dimensions of the narrative, *Coal Ship!* offers fascinating insights into every corner of the Navy during the long era of *Pax Britannica* and the First World War. At the outbreak of that conflict, Britains coal reserves enabled the Royal Navy to safeguard British maritime trade. The book details how, in times of war, coal transports were transformed into warships, and sheds light on the social impact of the conflict on the coal mining industryconsequences that repeatedly led to labor disputes and, ultimately, to nationalization. It examines the challenges involved in fueling the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow and describes how coal became a weapon used to enforce the blockade of Germany. At the heart of this narrative lie the "black diamonds"the key element behind the Royal Navy's undisputed supremacy; this book tells that very far-reaching and captivating story.