John D Grainger charts the careers of the thirteen vessels that have served the Royal Navy under the name HMS Shark. Despite the ferocious name, they have all been relatively small vessels including one brigantine, five sloops, one Sixth Rate, a gunvessel, four destroyers and a submarine. Collectively they therefore give a good representation of the various roles of these types, which receive far less attention than larger, more glamorous ships. Furthermore, as the first entered service in 1699 and the last was sunk in 1944 (having the dubious distinction of being the only Allied vessel lost on D-Day), they illustrate the changes and continuities in the Royal Navy and war at sea across almost 250 years. In each case the author considers the origin of the ship, the purpose for which it was designed and employed, its captains and where possible its crew, as well as the activities of the ship itself and its final fate; in addition background information of a general nature is included as a necessary context for those actions. AUTHOR: John D Grainger is a former teacher turned professional historian. He has over thirty books to his name, divided between classical history and modern British political and military history. SELLING POINTS: ? Charts the careers of the 13 Royal Navy vessels that have served under the name HMS Shark. ? All were small vessels (mainly sloops and destroyers but also including 1 submarine), giving an interesting insight into the varied roles of these often neglected vessels. ? Their histories span from 1699 to 1944 and therefore give a view of the changes and continuities in the Royal Navy and war at sea across almost 250 years. ? Although small, some were involved in big events: one was sunk at the Battle of Jutland and the last was the only allied ship sunk on D-Day 8 pages of b/w plates
