Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Running a Big Ship: The Classic Guide to Commanding A Second World War Battleship
    Unavailable
    Running a Big Ship: The Classic Guide to Commanding A Second World War Battleship
    Unavailable
    Running a Big Ship: The Classic Guide to Commanding A Second World War Battleship
    Ebook295 pages2 hours

    Running a Big Ship: The Classic Guide to Commanding A Second World War Battleship

    By Rory O'Conor and Brian Lavery

    5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "‘Battles are won or lost by men, not ships’

    ‘If Moses could control the people of Israel for forty years in the desert with Ten Commandments, it would be surprising if more were needed for the commission of a ship’

    Having completed the highly prestigious commission of commanding HMS Hood, then the most famous warship in the world, in her halcyon pre-war years, Captain Rory O’Conor brought together all of his experiences to create the ultimate officers’ guide for running a steel fighting ship.

    Published in 1937, and now recognized as one of the most influential, yet highly accessible, volumes on naval command and organisation, Running a Big Ship provides a truly unique insight into life at sea during the Second World War.

    O’Conor famously commenced the book with his ‘ten commandments’, a concise code of orders that comprise ‘a little that everyone must know’ so that every man knows what is required of him, whilst each was equally ‘entitled to the understanding and consideration of his officers’. Credited with making a significant contribution to the wartime navy’s esprit de corps, the book had a lasting impact on shipboard understanding and relations on vessels large and small, as young, diverse crews withstood the considerable strain of actual war.
    Such credit is due in large part to the main body of the book which sets out each of the duties required of a Royal Navy Officer in detailed, clear terms and through O’Conor’s insightful advice. In effect, a vital and essential guide for those set in authority to learn ‘the great deal that relatively few need to know’. Such knowledge ranges from tips on the issuing and execution of orders, through to attendance requirements, the treatment of defaulters and shipboard theft, midshipmen training, ceremonies, uniforms, cleanliness aboard ship and on through to the management of the Fleet Air Arm and the high-speed service boats. There are fascinating observations and explanations of the finer points of bugle calls, the treatment of guests and complete instructions for many forms of recreation from cinema to regattas.

    Running a Big Ship truly sets us below decks and at sea in the Second World War. The book was described by The Naval Review as detailing so much that “… Oft was thought, but ne’er so well expressed” and is complete with an extensive introduction by one of the foremost historians of the Royal Navy, Brian Lavery.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCasemate
    Release dateJul 13, 2017
    ISBN9781612005737
    Unavailable
    Running a Big Ship: The Classic Guide to Commanding A Second World War Battleship

    Related to Running a Big Ship

    Related ebooks

    Wars & Military For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Soldiers On The High Seas

      Mar 1, 2022

      Soldiers On The High Seas
      2 min read

    • Article

      Chartroom

      Oct 27, 2023

      Chartroom
      5 min read

    • Article

      Hms Prince Of Wales “I Serve”

      Dec 22, 2023

      HMS Prince of Wales was the second of five King George V class battleships to be built for the Royal Navy. She was to be named King Edward VIII, but as a result of the infamous abdication this was changed to Prince of Wales. She was laid down on 1 Ja

      5 min read

    • Article

      Ships Mail

      May 26, 2023

      Ships Mail
      4 min read

    • Article

      In The Wake Of Dreadnoughts…

      Feb 22, 2020

      In The Wake Of Dreadnoughts…
      6 min read

    • Article

      What Doomed The Mary Rose?

      Sep 29, 2022

      What Doomed The Mary Rose?
      11 min read

    • Article

      Chartroom

      Dec 20, 2022

      Further to the great square-rigger Preussen and her loss (SM, Sept 2022), with Peking now back in her home port of Hamburg, perhaps it is opportune to mention another of the Flying P sailing ships, the great Preussen. A five-masted full-rigged ship,

      6 min read

    • Article

      ‘Standard Fast’

      Jul 24, 2020

      ‘Standard Fast’
      6 min read

    • Article

      At War In nelson’s Navy

      Jun 9, 2022

      At War In nelson’s Navy
      10 min read

    • Article

      Chartroom

      Dec 23, 2020

      Travelling to the Continent by Ferry from Britain 1958-2018 This publication will give the reader a nostalgic insight into the ferry operations from Britain to the Continent from the late 1950s to 2018. Each of the principal routes, serving the Nethe

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Glorious ‘Stringbag’

      Jan 1, 2019

      The Glorious ‘Stringbag’
      9 min read

    • Article

      Bane Of The ‘Sea Wolf’

      Sep 28, 2021

      Bane Of The ‘Sea Wolf’
      12 min read

    • Article

      Ships Mail

      May 27, 2022

      Ships Mail
      5 min read

    • Article

      3 The Big Conversions

      Jun 24, 2022

      3 The Big Conversions
      7 min read

    • Article

      Ships Library

      Dec 22, 2023

      Ships Library
      3 min read

    • Article

      Q&A YOU ASK, WE ANSWER

      Aug 5, 2021

      Q&A YOU ASK, WE ANSWER
      8 min read

    • Article

      Chartroom

      Mar 22, 2024

      Chartroom
      5 min read

    • Article

      Why Did He Fly?

      Apr 10, 2023

      Why Did He Fly?
      5 min read

    • Article

      Birth Of The Raf

      Nov 29, 2018

      WORDS STUART HADAWAY “FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, IT WAS COMMONLY SAID, BRITAIN HAD BEEN SAFELY DEFENDED FROM ANY FOREIGN ATTACK BY THE ENGLISH CHANNEL” The formation of the RAF was the culmination of issues and problems dating back to 1912, but the major

      10 min read

    • Article

      Birth Of The Aircraft Carrier

      Nov 7, 2017

      Birth Of The Aircraft Carrier
      9 min read

    • Article

      “Churchill Was Determined To Show That The British Could Fight”

      May 13, 2021

      In August 1942, a huge British fleet entered the Mediterranean. It was heading to the island of Malta, which had been enduring relentless air attacks from German and Italian forces and was running desperately short of food, fuel and ammunition. Fourt

      10 min read

    • Article

      Ghosts Of The Glorious

      Jul 12, 2022

      Ghosts Of The Glorious
      18 min read

    • Article

      Ships Mail

      Jan 22, 2021

      Ships Mail
      3 min read

    • Article

      Ships Mail

      Nov 25, 2022

      Cruise ships are becoming more and more like theme parks, hosting incredible state-of-the-art activities that would never have been possible 20 years ago. The brand-new Disney Wish, for example, features a water-coaster called the Aquamouse, which Di

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Remarkable Rescue

      Dec 9, 2022

      Here’s a stamp question for you. What makes a common and inexpensive Newfoundland 1919 3c Brown Caribou stamp outrageously more valuable? If you answer: ‘the overprint’, then you are partly correct, in that the Postmaster J.A. Robinson of St. John’s

      4 min read

    Reviews for Running a Big Ship

    5/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words