HMS Thunderer The story of the Royal Naval Engineering College Keyham and Manadon by John Douglas First published1984 By Kenneth mason, Emsworth, Hampshire

A black cloth bound book in Very Good condition with light shelf bumping to top and bottom of the spine. The dust wrapper also Very Good has a few chips. There is a form/letter from the college loosely inserted. 140 mm. x 222mm. x 23mm. 208 pages ISBN 0 85937 321 5

Jacket blurb

Naval shore stations traditionally are given ships' names. That of the Royal Naval Engineering College at Manadon, Plymouth is HMS Thunderer, hence this book's title. The history of the College and its predecessor, Keyham, traces the development of naval engineering since steam first aroused Their Lordship's somewhat suspicious interest early in the 19th century. The steamship's role then was merely to tow sailing men-of-war out of harbour in contrary winds, or upwind for tactical fighting advantage.

Above all, of course, the book traces the role of the engineer, as trainee and instructor, from the simplicities of the 1822 Comet to the sophistication of the latest nuclear-propelled guided missile submarine.

It reflects Admiralty's early malaise with the role of the engineer in the Fleet and his subsequent resentment at being regarded as a second class— and segregated— officer until the arrival on the scene of Jacky Fisher swept all that away.

From then on the importance of the engineer grew exponentially to establish him in his rightful place alongside his seaman peers.

After a lifetime's experience and three years' specific research the author, himself a former Commander at Keyham and Manadon, has produced the definitive story of the RN Engineering College— graced by a foreword from Prince Philip.
ISBN 0-85937-321-5

The author

Commander Geoffrey Penn joined the Royal Navy as a special entry cadet in January 1937. He joined the Royal Naval Engineering College, Keyham the following year. During the war he served as damage control officer of the cruiser HMS Newcastle in the East Indies, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, taking part in one of the Malta convoys during which the ship was severely damaged by a torpedo attack. Only two years after leaving Keyham he found himself Senior Engineer of the submarine depot ship Lucia, built in 1904, and responsible for the maintenance of 12 submarines and large numbers of escort vessels operating out of Colombo. He is therefore probably the last surviving engineer officer to have served in a large coal-fired, triple-expansion-engined ship. After the war he was
Senior Engineer of the cadet training cruiser HMS Devonshire followed by three years in a dockyard management position at Rosyth. He was promoted to Commander in 1952 and appointed to
the staff of the RNE College. After service as Deputy Manager (Production) at Chatham dockyard and at the Admiralty he was appointed Engineer Officer, HMS Eagle, 152,000 horsepower, the largest ship the British Navy ever had, subsequently returning to Chatham as Chief Engineer with the rank of captain. He retired for personal reasons in 1964 . He has written extensively on naval subjects, has had two earlier books published, Up funnel, down screw and Snotty, with a number of articles and short stories. He is married with three sons..

Contents

Foreword by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 Mere engine men: the early years
Chapter 2 Marlborough days 1876 - 1886
Chapter 3 Marlborough and Keyham 1879 - 1889
Chapter 4 The last of the Victorians 1889 - 1903
Chapter 5 The Selborne-Fisher Scheme 1902
Chapter 6 The war years 1914 - 1918
Chapter 7 The great betrayal 1925
Chapter 8 The tranquil years 1925 - 1939
Chapter 9 College at war 1939 - 1945
Chapter 10 HMS Thunderer 1946 - 1954
Chapter 11 Post-war experiments 1946 - 1962
Chapter 12 Manadon 1086 - 1963
Chapter 13 Changing times
Chapter 14 Manadon today
Chapter 15 The Falklands and the future

APPENDICES

The seven Thunderers
Prizes and awards
Commanding officers of the College
Alphabetical list of subscribers

Bibliograph
Index

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