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Home of Naval History and News

Welcome to the home page of the Navy General Board website! This is your portal to all things navy, whether it be current events or historical topics. You can find a wide range of news stories or historical articles on the website. You can also connect with fellow readers on the website forum.

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History Articles

Navy General Board was created to help share all aspects of naval history from throughout the ages. Here you will find our collection of history articles. It has come a long way and has something for everyone. Take your time and browse them all!

Battleship showdown: Vanguard vs. Tirpitz – what might have happened

In the previous article we looked at HMS Vanguard, Britain’s last battleship. She was completed too late for the Second World War.[1] But what if she had been able to join that conflict, as originally intended when she was first planned in 1939? Could we have had...

Speed and armour: Fisher’s battlecruisers vs Admiralty politics

In 1919 the embittered Admiral Sir John Fisher, former First Sea Lord and the long-standing champion of naval technology, summed up his recent thinking about heavy warships in three words: ‘speed is armour’.[1] The phrase has since been inextricably associated with...

The Malta class: the carriers that never were

During the 1930s, as the world’s major navies began rearming, it was clear that aircraft carriers were going to play a significant role in any future combat. Just how significant was not wholly anticipated at the time – but there was no question that carriers were...

Yamato Class Armor – Battleship Examination

Based on popular perception, the Yamato class battleships might be associated with a sledgehammer. A tool conveying power, weight, size, and simplicity. Today, the Yamato class are remembered for their large naval guns, tremendous size, and singular purpose of...

HMS Dreadnought – revolution or evolution?

In early 1907, the battleship HMS Dreadnought sailed on her shake-down cruise to the Caribbean under Captain Reginald Bacon. She was a remarkable vessel in many ways, one whose name became synonymous with all battleships during the First World War period, and whose...

Battleship showdown: USS South Dakota versus the British 16B/38

One of the most ingenious battleship types of the Second World War was the US Navy's four-strong South Dakota class, which packed excellent fire-power, armour protection, good range and reasonable speed into a Treaty-limited displacement. In part the design was a...

A Cold War Warrior: A Walkthrough of a Foxtrot Class Submarine

By Blair Shaw Looking quite out of place in a tiny marina in the town of Zeebrugge Belgium is the former Russian project 641 NATO code name Foxtrot class submarine B-821. B-821 and her seventy-four other sisters would become one of the most produced post World War 2...

Four Great Features of the Richelieu Class Battleships

Battleships are amazing pieces of engineering. Technological masterpieces that were unique to the Navy that developed them. As Navies honed their designs and introduced newer classes, they incorporated several design features that often set them apart from their...

The largest class of battleships ever built: the Majestics. Part 1.

Britain's Majestic class of the 1890s was the largest class of battleships ever built. In many ways the nine-strong class symbolised the age. The names selected for them were redolent of the period, particularly the neo-classical revival that had become a British...

Stories from the Navy with Fred Dufault

In our first ever interview for our stories from the navy series, we sit down with Fred Dufault. Retiring a Master Chief in 1975 with a navy career spanning 21 years behind him, Fred has seen a great many things. He has been kind enough to chat with me and share some...

Convoy a Brief Synopsis

A brief look into the convoy system

The many names of the Washington Treaty of 1922

The term ‘Washington Treaty’ frequently appears in specialist naval books and even general histories of the inter-war period. There is no mistaking the meaning: it refers to the treaty signed on 6 February 1922 between the United States, Britain, Japan, France and...

How Britain gained two new battleships from the Washington conference of 1921-22

Between 12 November 1921 and 6 February 1922 the world’s major powers met in Washington to resolve a wide range of international issues. Outcomes included a naval treaty – the ‘Five Power Treaty’, afterwards known as the ‘Washington Treaty’ – which ended a naval race...

Warships of Mare Island Shipyard during World War 2

Of the many shipyards used by the United States Navy during the Second World War, few were as busy as the Mare Island Shipyard in California. Famous as the first United States Naval Base on the Pacific Ocean, Mare Island was a hive of activity during World War 2....

David and Goliath in the Solomons: the ‘pocket corvettes’ Kiwi and Moa vs I-1

By early 1943 the battle for Guadalcanal was in full swing. Japan was supplying its forces on the island by night, often by submarine. United States forces were supported by New Zealand and Australian ground, air and naval units, which included the three Bird-class...

News and Current Events

A relatively new addition to the Navy General Board website. While we remain focused on sharing history, we also want to examine naval current events that are occuring across the world. This section is still new, but more articles are coming. 

The Navy’s FFG(X) Program : Foreign and Domestic Options

The Navy has all but admitted that the Littoral Combat Ships are a flop. Therefore, they have started looking at potential ships to fulfill requirements for a new frigate design known as the FFG(X) Program. Make makes things interesting is that this time the US Navy...

Why China’s Island Bases are Not a Big Deal

Over the past few years, the media has made a big deal of the artificial island bases that China has built in the South China Sea. Several of these islands are well fortified, featuring harbors, airstrips, and formidable land-based weaponry. Some in the media have...

China’s Newest Warship : The Type 55 Destroyer

At a time when the United States Navy is struggling to determine the future of its Navy, China has been quietly building up its naval forces. The People’s Liberation Army Navy has risen to be the second largest navy in the world by tonnage. It’s not just quantity that...

Canada’s Next Generation Submarine

My own opinion and hypothesis on what class of submarine could become Canada’s next generation submarine

Want to go a little bit further than simply reading an aritcle? Interesting in writing your own and sharing it with Navy General Board? Check out our about us page for information on becoming a guest writer for the Navy General Board website! We are looking for both historical pieces and current events happening with navies across the World. 

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