Work is apparently progressing on the new Type 26 warships, which it seems must not be called ‘frigates’ (shades of such earlier semantic disasters as the ‘through deck cruisers’ and ‘Daring class ships’). While the current economic situation probably means that far fewer will be built than are actually needed, we will soon be at [...]

One of the curious coincidences of naval history, particularly of the Anglo-Dutch wars, is the high concentration of full-scale fleet engagements within roughly a fortnight at the end of May and beginning of June. 28 May saw both the battle of Solebay (1672) and the first battle of Schooneveld (1673). The Four Days Battle was [...]

Happy Oak Apple day!
29 May 2010 marks the 350th anniversary of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. I’ve already referred in this blog to the strange silence about this in official circles and the media, but at least there have been a few mentions of it in the blogosphere – including this suggestion that Oak [...]

’ve been disappointed with the comparative lack of activity on the Action 4 Archives website in recent months. Essentially, this site was set up in response to the threatened (and now implemented) cutbacks at the National Archives, Kew, which mean that the building now closes on Mondays and has also culled significant numbers of specialist staff. However, [...]