Ballantyne, Iain H.M.S. London. Warships of the Royal Navy

Warships named HMS London have been associated with some of the most controversial episodes in British naval history, from the bungled sea battle that lost King George III his American colonies, to the shambles of Gallipoli in WW1, and the notorious decision by the Admiralty to abandon convoy PQ17 in WW2. The WW2 cruiser HMS London was also tasked with hunting down the German battleship Bismarck's supply ships, using information provided by Bletchley Park after it cracked Enigma. Post-WW2, the same HMS London made a brave attempt to rescue HMS Amethyst during the famous Yangtse Incident. The last HMS London, a Type 22 frigate, was flagship of the British fleet's task group in the Gulf War of 1991. Iain Ballantyne's fascinating and lively account of the lives of British warships named London is illustrated throughout with photographs, many of them never published before. London looks at history from the perspective of the men who were there and among the people Iain has interviewed are veterans of the grim Arctic convoys of WW2, the Yangtse Incident and warriors of the Cold War and Gulf War. It all adds up to a thoroughly researched and exciting narrative of naval history.

The same cruiser came to the aid of H.M.S. "Amethyst" in the course of the Yangtze incident and the last ship of this name, a Type 22 frigate, served as the flagship of the British fleet in the 1991 Gulf War.