Yangtze River Gunboats 1900-49

by Angus Konstam, Tony Bryan (Illustrator)

Overview

From the end of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th, most Western powers maintained a naval presence in China. These gunboats protected traders and missionaries, safeguarded national interests, and patrolled Chinese rivers in search of pirates. It was a wild, lawless time in China as ruthless warlords fought numerous small wars to increase their power and influence.

This book covers the gunboats of all the major nations that stationed naval forces in China, including America, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Japan, and looks at such famous incidents as the Japanese bombing of the USS Patay and the dramatic escape of the HMS Amethyst from Communist forces in 1947, which marked the end of the gunboat era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849084086
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	06/21/2011
Series:	New Vanguard , #181
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Angus Konstam hails from the Orkney Islands, and is the author of over 50 books, 30 of which are published by Osprey. This acclaimed and widely published author has written several books on piracy, including The History of Pirates and Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate. A former naval officer and museum professional, he worked as the Curator of Weapons at the Tower of London and as the Chief Curator of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. He now works as a full-time author and historian, and lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chronology
Design & Development
Construction & Operation
Life on Board
Gunboats in Action
The Gunboats
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

“This monograph presents the true story of the gunboats from the U.S. Navy and the navies of many European powers and Japan that patrolled the Yangtze River, protecting missionaries and trade and diplomatic outposts, as well as countering warlords and pirates. Each type of gunboat is described in detail, but even more valuable are the descriptions of life on the gunboats and the exotic political and cultural environment in which they operated.” —Richard R. Burgess, Seapower(September 2011)

“This is another well written [Osprey] book. It details the early days of the river boat force and carries the reader up until the end of the riverboat force in 1949.” —Jim Adams, AeroScale

“Provides a fine survey of early gunboats that protected traders and missionaries from the end of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th ... Any China or military history library will find this specific and informative.” —The Midwest Book Review (September 2011)

From the Publisher