John Jordan (1)

Although warships of the "classic" period (say, 1890-1950), with steel hulls, stream propulsion, and heavy artillery armaments still remain the predominant subject of this annual, it's interesting to see the editorial team and their writers continue to branch out. This means you also find articles about French "Cold War" escort ships, contemporary trends in European medium-weight surface combatants, and the development of radar in the Royal Navy post-1945. If you have been investing in this series there is no good reason to stop now.… (altro)

Another typically good edition of the long-running series, which, as is also typical, doesn't have a lot to offer those interested in American naval history; this series being very much driven by the interests of the contributors. That said, there are articles on French & Soviet battleships, Japanese carriers & submarines, British ASW operations & royal yachts, German cruisers of World War I, and, probably best of all, a detailed examination of the 11th-hour efforts of the Italian navy to get aircraft carriers into service during World War II.… (altro)

"Warships After Washington" is yet another fine work by this French author. This work is a comparison/contrast analysis of what is arguably one of the first attempts at arms control in the modern era, and Jordan shines an unblinking eye at this largely American initiative and its consequences at the strategic, tactical, and shipbuilding levels in each of the five signatory nations: Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy. Blamed by the first post WWII generation of American naval historians (men such as Samuel Eliot Morrison and the Belote brothers) for the crushing defeats suffered at the hands of the Japanese at the beginning of the Pacific War, the Washington Treaty has not been given a fair evaluation by the naval historian community until this book.

There is a lot to unpack from this book of only 338 pages. My copy is the 2015 soft cover version released by the U.S. Naval Institute; Seaforth released a hard cover printing in 2011. Jordan begins his work with the customary table of contents, followed by a brief preface, then a useful conversion table, as all of the navies discussed used different standards of measure that are extensively used in these pages. Jordan then includes an introduction giving a background to the Washington conference before beginning the first of 11 numbered chapters.

Chapter 1 investigates the navies of what would become the five contracting parties, while Chapter 2 looks at the post-World War I shipbuilding plans of the five countries, plans that would have quickly led to outlandish naval spending that four of the five parties would not have been able to afford. Chapter 3 describes the Washington Conference itself--the issues, the national stances, the personalities--and the subsequent negotiations. Chapter 4 evaluates which parties gained and which lost as a result of the Treaty.

Chapter 5 begins a sequence of the next five chapters dedicated to describing the Treaty's effect on specific ship types arranged roughly by size/importances. Chapter 5 addresses battleships, Chapter 6 cruisers, Chapter 7 aicraft carriers, Chapter 8 the so-called "super destroyers" such as the esploratori of the Italian Navy and the contre-torpilleurs of the French Navy, Chapter 9 destroyers, and Chapter 10 submarines. The chapter on cruisers is particularly important given the significant effort made by all of the contracting parties on this type of warship. Chapter 11 explains (and sets the stage for another book) the two naval limitation conferences held after Washington--Geneva in 1927 and London in 1930--where the five contracting parties attempted to correct their particular issues with the 1922 Treaty. Jordan then includes as Appendices 1 and 2 the text of both the Washington and London Treaties. There follows a brief bibliography, notes, and an index.

"Warships After Washington" is a well-researched and balanced account of a significant and naive post-WWI effort to eliminate causes of conflict between nations. Jordan shows not only why this effort was futile, but also how it exacerbated tensions between the Japanese on one hand and the British and the Americans on the other. Similarly the Mediterranean powers of Italy and France were not pacified by their standing in the Washington Treaty, also leading to increased tensions in that theater. Jordan also lays bare the historical biases held against future Axis powers Japan and Italy as they have always been labeled as cheats in the naval shipbuilding boom that came after Washington. That purported cheating supposedly led to crushing Allied defeats early in the Pacific War such as Java Sea and Savo Island. Jordan proves that all of the contracting parties cheated to some extent, just some did it more than others. Jordan also demonstrates the futility of such arms limitation agreements bereftof some means of verification.

A most enjoyable read! I look forward to getting "Warships After London".… (altro)