His work included ethnographic research into different forms of shipbuilding, especially the construction of vessels without the use of metal fasteners, which took Seán to sites near and far, from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of India.
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine.
Built in the Northern Irish capital in the mid-1930s, the nine-deck Town-class light cruiser played a major role in the Second World War, initially as part of the British naval blockade against Germany.
The discovery was made as part of a joint research project between maritime archaeologists at Bournemouth University and scientists at Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences.
The Fitted Rigging House at the Historic Dockyard Chatham won The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) South East Sustainability Award 2021 for its £8.2m preservation project.
MHM offers a glimpse into the best military history exhibitions and experiences available to the public in July 2021, including The Tank Museum's fair and auction, and the National Army Museum's exhibit on West Indian servicemen.
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions, with Calum Henderson.
The battle scenes are, in the main, well made, especially in showing what it was like for men hiding in dugouts and wadis in the desert under intense artillery-fire.
Graham Goodlad concludes our series on naval leadership with a look at the legendary figure of Horatio Nelson.
Military History Matters' Neil Faulkner analyses Nelson’s culminating tactical masterpiece.
Who is Britain's greatest military hero? In a poll of the general public, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, came in third place on 11%. In second, on 19%, was Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. But the clear leader – with 27% of the vote – was Horatio Nelson, the inspirational admiral whose victory at Trafalgar is often regarded as Britain's greatest naval triumph.
In 1793, Nelson was appointed to command HMS Agamemnon, reputedly his favourite ship. By what nickname was the vessel known to its crew?
Although primarily closed because of the pandemic, Belfast has undergone significant restoration in that time. Work
The wreck of the Royal Navy’s first long-range diesel-powered submarine has been awarded protected status by the British government.
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine.
In 1982, Britain went to war in the Falklands, relying for the last time on an aircraft that was entirely made within the country: the Harrier Jump Jet. Not only this, but the head of the department that produced the…
Patrick Mercer begins an occasional series looking at some of history’s less well-known battles.
Now approaching her 200th anniversary, HMS Unicorn is the third oldest ship still afloat in the entire world.
Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, famously sank in the Solent almost 500 years ago. Her partial remains were recovered by archaeologists in 1982 – what has been learned since then? Peter Marsden explores some of the latest thinking on the Tudor vessel’s appearance and her crew.
John Sweetman analyses the relative failure of repeated Fleet Air Arm attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz.
Patrick Mercer reports on a tough fighting regiment of the Napoleonic Wars, let down by dismal command in 1809.
Malta’s strategic significance to the Allied war effort was not lost on the Luftwaffe: in the spring of 1942 alone, they dropped more bombs on the island than they did on London during the entire Blitz. In his latest book,…
In 1941, the Admiralty agreed to support the making of a propaganda film about the Battle of the Atlantic.
They depict one of the most significant events in English history. Now a collection of incredibly rare maps representing the defeat of the Spanish Armada will remain in the country, following the success of a last-ditch fundraising appeal. After a…
The victor of the Battle of Trafalgar may have been a naval genius. But it has now emerged that Admiral Lord Nelson was also uncommonly wise when it came to another subject: vaccination. In a letter to his mistress, model…
Taylor Downing reviews a classic war movie.
Sometimes poor quality-control can be as lethal as bad design – this was certainly true in the case of HMS Glatton. On the outbreak of war in August 1914, the Admiralty began buying warships that British shipyards were building for…
MHM'S Assistant Editor Calum Henderson delves into the history of HMS Victory.
A campaign has finally cleared the Falkland Islands of thousands of mines laid during the war there almost 40 years ago. The project removed the estimated 13,000 lethal devices that were still buried on the islands. The war began in…
In the half century between the Battle of Quiberon Bay (1759) and the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), Britain’s Royal Navy transformed naval tactics and established global maritime supremacy. Developments in the technology of sail power and naval gunnery had combined…
In the second article in our occasional series, Graham Goodlad assesses two 18th-century admirals whose flaws were offset by outstanding victories.
Neil Faulkner analyses the fighting on 1 June 1794 and sees a new British tactical system still in development.
All great artists need great subjects. Joseph Mallord William Turner was no exception. Although extremely talented, he was especially fortunate to have lived through stirring times.
The early 17th century marked a period of rapid growth in warships as the galleons of the previous century began to give way to the ship-of-the-line, which would dominate naval warfare for the next 250 years. One of the first such vessels was the English 55-gun Prince Royal, completed in 1611, which remained in service until her destruction in 1666 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
Chris Bambery takes issue with Churchill’s claim that 1940 was ‘the finest hour’, arguing that the true moment of imperial greatness was 1815.
Timmy Gambin and Lucy Woods report on the discovery and exploration of HMS Olympus, which sank off the coast of Malta in 1942.