The Battlecruiser New Zealand - A Gift To Empire PDF
Preview The Battlecruiser New Zealand - A Gift To Empire
This book tells the story of HMS New Zealand, a battlecruiser paid for by the government of Aotearoa at the height of its pro-Imperial ‘jingoistic’ era in 1909, when Britain’s ally Japan was perceived as a growing threat in Australasia and the Pacific. Born of the collision between the patriotic dreams of Aotearoa and European politics, the tale of HMS New Zealand is further wrapped in the turbulent power-plays within the Admiralty in the years leading up to The Great War. The ship went on to have a distinguished wartime sea career, when she was present in all three major naval battles in the North Sea – Heligoland, Dogger Bank and Jutland.
This informative and detailed work book ‘busts’ many of the myths associated with the Warship; including the intent of the gift, Aotearoa's own ability to pay for its construction and deployment in its home waters, and the story behind the piupiu (skirt) and tiki (pendant) that, the crew believed, bestowed special protection upon the vessel after it was presented to them by Maori elders when it first arrived at Aotearoa.
All this and more is interwoven with the human and social context to create a ‘biography’ of the Warship as an expression of human endeavour, in significantly more detail than any of the summaries available in prior accounts.
Extensively illustrated with 60 B/W & Colour Images, this is a book with appeal to a wide audience, from naval enthusiasts and historians to the general reader with a wider interest in the story of the days of Empire. The use of archival material available only in Aotearoa, including the Ship’s Book, adds a dimension and novelty not previously included in histories of this great RN Battlecruiser and the Officers & Ratings (and ships mascot) that sailed on board her.
"The Battlecruiser New Zealand is a very fine book about a most remarkable ship." - Australian Naval Institute
"Within the book are photographs, ships drawings, appendices with HMS New Zealand technical characteristics and costings, plus an extensive bibliography and notes. A foreword by Nick Jellicoe, grandson of the 1st Earl Jellicoe is a heartfelt tribute to Matthew Wright who has taken the utmost care to produce an eminently readable book on the history of the RN battlecruiser HMS New Zealand" - Roger Coleman.
An Aotearoa based writer with over 35 years hands-on professional experience as a published author who has also worked in the field of publishing, with qualifications in writing, music and anthropology among many other fields. Matthew holds multiple post-graduate degrees in history and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, University College, London England.
To date Matthew has published over 600 articles, academic papers and reviews, along with over 60 books on topics that include biography, engineering, military and social history. These include a best-selling general history of Aotearoa, and two critically acclaimed biographies of Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO 3 Bars & Former Governor General of Aotearoa. This is his first book with Pen & Sword, Seaforth Publishing.
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