Charge 7

Have you read any of Massie's other books? I read The Romanovs in college its not military history but its highly recommended if you get the urge for Russian History. He wrote another on Peter the Great, which I never read but hear is equally good.

He's probably the best social historian of our time.

Yes, I have read Peter The Great as well. It's as great or near as great as Dreadnaught in my opinion. I probably empathised with Dreadnaught more though because it entails a frame of reference which I am already familiar with. As Winston Churchill said,

I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma: but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.

The Dreadnought was built by Britain and it was revolutionary in another sense. It was the first battleship to mount all its main guns in rotating turrets rather than below deck casements, thus allowing all of her main guns to bear on a target in virtually any direction. In addition, she was the first battleship to have the same calibre of main armament. (10x12 inch guns if I don't have a memory cramp) Before that, the casement mounted guns could only be brought to bear on one quarter of the compass. (i.e. A battery could only fire on targets bearing 0 to 90 degrees, C battery from 90 to 180. etc.) It was impossible for all the guns to engage one target, and because of this, it was relatively easy to predict which way a ship would turn to unmask the next set of guns. Some preceding warships did have turrets, but usually they only had 2 or 4 main guns. The dreadnought had no such weakness, she could fire in one direction and manouvre in any other, and in addition, the casement batteries were a major weakness in terms of armour thickness and water entry in heavy seas. The Dreadnought did not need them.

Dean.