This is an excellent little treatise on the Royal Navy - and the sea- and their part in the Defence of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, Commonwealth and Dominions. Admiral Richmond, one of the greatest naval thinkers, discusses ships, warships, naval bases, fuel, protection of trade, and the Defence of the Realms.

Written in 1937, reading this book in 2024 - some 87 years after publication - not much has changed in the reasons for the Royal Navy and its place in the defence of our islands and British interests worldwide. At the time of writing, the world seems more unsafe than in the lifetime of almost anyone alive today and the Navy at its smallest for decades, particularly given its lack of people, ships and the right ships and weapons.

Some lessons are never learned but, of course, one has to take into account the public purse available and the interests of the general public. ( )