The five volumes that constitute Arthur Marder's From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow represented arguably the finest contribution to the literature of naval history since Alfred Mahan. A J P Taylor wrote that 'his naval history has a unique fascination. To unrivalled mastery of sources he adds a gift of simple narrative . . . He is beyond praise, as he is beyond cavil.'

The five volumes were subtitled The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904–1919 and they are still, despite recent major contributions from Robert Massie and Andrew Gordan, regarded by many as the definitive history of naval events leading up to and including the Great War.

This last volume describes the Royal Navy's final triumph. The convoy system brought rewards and the US Navy arrived in European waters. The striking 1918 raid on Zeebrugge was a big morale booster, and in November 1918 Beatty received the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet. In June the following year the Germand scuttled their fleet at Scapa Flow and so came to an end a major era in naval history.

A new introduction by Barry Gough, the distinguished Canadian maritime and naval historian, assesses the importance of Marder's work and anchors it firmly amongst the great naval narrative histories of this era.

This new paperback edition will bring a truly great work to a new generation of historians and general readers.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• PREFACE
• PART I. THE WEMYSS-GEDDES RÉGIME
• CHAPTER I. THE NAVAL DECISION MAKERS
  • 1. BOARD AND NAVAL STAFF CHANGES
  • 2. RESULTS
• CHAPTER II. MEDITERRANEAN PROBLEMS
  • 1. THE GOEBEN SORTIE
  • 2. THE BLACK SEA FLEET
  • 3. THE OFFENSIVE IN THE ADRIATIC
• CHAPTER III. HOME WATERS: BARRAGES AND BLOCKING OPERATIONS
  • 1. THE DOVER STRAITS BARRAGE
  • 2. THE ZEEBRUGGE OPERATION
  • 3. THE NORTHERN BARRAGE
• CHAPTER IV. BEATING THE U-BOATS
  • 1. THE SHIPPING SITUATION
  • 2. THE U-BOATS IN THE FINAL PHASE
  • 3. CONVOY IN FULL BLOOM
  • 4. THE CONVOY SYSTEM: EVALUATIONS
  • 5. GROWING ANXIETIES
• CHAPTER V. ANGLO-AMERICAN NAVAL RELATIONS
  • 1. THE QUEENSTOWN COMMAND
  • 2. THE GRAND FLEET
• CHAPTER VI. THE GRAND FLEET: UNCERTAINTIES AND A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
  • 1. MORALE
  • 2. THE ‘NEW’ STRATEGY
  • 3. THE NUMBERS GAME AND OFFENSIVE IDEAS
  • 4. THE HIGH SEAS FLEET SORTIE
  • 5. INVASION AND OTHER BOGIES
• CHAPTER VII. THE FINAL RECKONING
  • 1. THE BEGINNING OF THE END
  • 2. THE NAVAL ARMISTICE
  • 3. DER TAG
  • PART II. AFTERMATH
• CHAPTER VIII. RIFTS AND REFORMS
  • 1. THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD
  • 2. WEMYSS AND BEATTY
  • 3. PERSONNEL AND NAVAL STAFF REFORMS
• CHAPTER IX. NAVAL POLICY: UNCERTAINTIES AND NEW RIVALRIES
  • 1. THE NAVY ESTIMATES
  • 2. THE ‘SEA BATTLE OF PARIS’
  • 3. THE ‘FREEDOM OF THE SEAS’
  • 4. THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND ARMAMENTS LIMITATION
• CHAPTER X. THE NAVAL SETTLEMENT WITH GERMANY
  • 1. COLONIES, KIEL CANAL, HELIGOLAND, BALTIC, AND SUBMARINES
  • 2. DISPOSAL OF THE HIGH SEAS FLEET
• CHAPTER XI. GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG (21 June 1919)
  • 1. INTERNMENT
  • 2. THE SCUTTLING
  • 3. EPILOGUE
• CHAPTER XII. REFLECTIONS ON AN ERA
  • 1. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NAVY, 1914-18
  • 2. FUNDAMENTAL WEAKNESSES
  • 3. THE HUMAN FACTOR
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• INDEX