J. J. Colledge's masterful work is an absolutely essential reference book for anyone interested in maritime history. It seeks to list each individual fighting vessel which served in the Royal Navy, and it gives key data for each vessel. Not only does the book include details of size and weight, however, but it also presents a brief summary of when the ship was in or out of service. In addition the vessel's eventual fate - whether sinking, destruction or being sold off - is also revealed. The work, taken as a whole, was an astonishing labour of love and copies are much sought after by collectors and naval enthusiasts. This new reprint, revised and brought up to date by respected naval historian Ben Warlow, completes the picture and makes Ships of the Royal Navy the authoritative guide to British warships. Included in the pages are such ships as the Hood, the Renown, Victory and Ark Royal; but alongside them are more obscure vessels that did sterling service such as the Hussar, the Lowestoft and the Algoma (sold to the Venezuelans in 1946).