This book studies the clash of international law with the introduction of the submarine to the field of naval warfare. Germany's use of the U-boat for unrestricted warfare against merchant shipping during the First World War revolutionised submarine warfare but it also doomed Germany to failure. Although Britain countered Germany with its own brand of economic warfare, the actions of both sides were at odds with existing international law. Regulatory and humanitarian aspects of international law were also found to be inadequate when faced with the revolutionary changes brought about by the U-boat. This book brings together the disciplines of military history, grand strategy and international law to provide a new perspective on the First World War at sea. (Publisher)

The final instalment of N.A.M. Rodger's definitive, authoritative trilogy on Britain's naval history At the end of the French and Napoleonic wars, British sea-power was at its apogee. But by 1840, as one contemporary commentator put it, the Admiralty was full of ‘intellects becalmed in the smoke of Trafalgar’. How the Royal Navy reformed and reinvigorated itself in the course of the nineteenth century is just one thread in this magnificent book, which refuses to accept standard assumptions and analyses. All the great actions are here, from Navarino in 1827 (won by a daringly disobedient Admiral Codrington) to Jutland, D-Day, the Battle of the Atlantic and the battles in the Pacific in 1944/45 in concert with the US Navy. The development and strategic significance of submarine and navy air forces is superbly described, as are the rapid evolution of ships (from classic Nelsonic type, to hybrid steam/sail ships, then armour-clad and the fully armoured Dreadnoughts and beyond) and weapons. The social history of officers and men – and sometimes women – always a key part of the author’s work, is not neglected. Rodger sets all this in the essential context of politics and geo-strategy. The character and importance of leading admirals – Beatty, Fisher, Cunningham – is assessed, together with the roles of other less famous but no less consequential figures. Based on a lifetime’s learning, it is the culmination of one of the most significant British historical works in recent decades. Naval specialists will find much that is new here, and will be invigorated by the originality of Rodger’s judgements; but everyone who is interested in the one of the central threads in British history will find it rewarding.

This book provides expert analysis of the impact of international and national courts on the development of international law applying to armed conflicts.

The first German arrived in Newfoundland with Leif Eirikson's Viking expedition. By 1914 St. John's was home to a vibrant German community while a Moravian enclave thrived in Labrador. Contemporary Newfoundland, however, remembers its German heritage largely in terms of U-Boat captains and local spies. Gerhard Bassler reveals what was lost when almost all earlier memories of Germans in Newfoundland and Labrador vanished.

The recent centenary of WWI has prompted a shift in the way attention is focused on legacy shipwrecks. This timely book considers the development of the laws that apply to these wrecks and the issues that surround them, and deftly analyses the adequacy of the existing legal framework to fulfil its promise of protecting legacy wrecks for future generations as historical and archaeological resources, memorials and, most importantly, as maritime war graves. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial}

“An absorbing work for those interested in both the Great War and early submarine-based strategic theory.” —Naval History This deeply researched and engaging account of the use of U-Boats in the First World War focuses on both diplomatic and economic aspects as well as the tactical and strategic use of the U-boats. The book also examines the role played by US president Woodrow Wilson and his response to American shipping being sunk by U-boats—and how that ultimately forced his hand to declare war on Germany. Includes photos and illustrations “An excellent illumination of a multiclass, militaristic, and diplomatically inept state trying to adapt to the realities of modern war and the exploitation of new technology—and catastrophically failing.” —Naval History “Highly recommended.” —The Northern Mariner