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Captain Stephen Roskill
Captain Stephen Roskill, a retired RN captain, was born in 1903 and educated at the Royal Naval Colleges of Osborne and Dartmouth.
He commanded HMS Warspite at the beginning of the Second World War before being attached to the Naval Staff.
After further sea service, he became Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence.
He wrote the Official History of the Royal Navy in World War Two in four volumes, and knew Churchill and most of the Royal Navy officers about which he writes.
He later wrote a number of highly regarded books, including a biography of Admiral Beatty and a study of Churchill and the admirals.
Recent Reviews
Warships After Washington
… deeply satisfying encyclopaedic book that compares the development of British, French, Italian, Japanese and US navies after the Washington naval treaty of 1922. ‘Warships after Washington’ benefits from some international research and is well-written, with carefully chosen illustrations , and useful tables. Whether new to the subject, or already well-versed in interwar naval history, this book merits a place on the serious naval student’s shelf. 
Warships International Fleet Review
… deeply satisfying encyclopaedic book that compares the development of British, French, Italian, Japanese and US navies after the Washington naval treaty of 1922. ‘Warships after Washington’ benefits from some international research and is well-written, with carefully chosen illustrations , and useful tables. Whether new to the subject, or already well-versed in interwar naval history, this book merits a place on the serious naval student’s shelf. Warships International Fleet Review
A Century of Sea Travel
Contains a delightful collection of illustrations. Recommended as an entertaining book to delve into again and again.
Marine News A real delight. Beautifully and lavishly illustrated, there are photographs. Anyone interested in ships will delight in this book – the wonderful images alone, make it a must, but complemented by the excellent narrative it will be a welcome addition to any ship lover's library. Highly recommended.
Seabreezes A delightful insight into an era when travel, even for pleasure, was still much more of an adventure than it is today.
The Nautical Magazine Super - beautifully produced and fascinating to read. A real captive of the period.
Richard McNicol of Malmsbury A Century of the Sea Travel......fantastic, absolut great!!!
Reto Raeth of Zurich, shipping specialist
Contains a delightful collection of illustrations. Recommended as an entertaining book to delve into again and again. Marine News
A real delight. Beautifully and lavishly illustrated, there are photographs. Anyone interested in ships will delight in this book – the wonderful images alone, make it a must, but complemented by the excellent narrative it will be a welcome addition to any ship lover's library. Highly recommended. Seabreezes
A delightful insight into an era when travel, even for pleasure, was still much more of an adventure than it is today. The Nautical Magazine
Super - beautifully produced and fascinating to read. A real captive of the period. Richard McNicol of Malmsbury
A Century of the Sea Travel......fantastic, absolut great!!! Reto Raeth of Zurich, shipping specialist
Ordeal By Ice
Quite simply, wonderful. It is beautifully presented , lavishly illustrated and, above all, thoroughly researched. Very successfully, Rorke Bryan presents a convincing and compelling story of polar exploration and its ships.
James Caird Society Journal 'Ordeal by Ice' is a monumental achievement in its own right that represents the culmination of an historical odyssey spanning half a century.
Eastern Daily Press This is an outstanding book and I would very highly recommend it to our readers.
Shipping Today and Yesterday A fascinating and very informative book...highly recommended.
Model Boats This book serves as a fitting tribute to the seafarers who braved almost indescribable cold, mountainous waves and navigational perils to nurse their ships through some of the most inhospitable waters in the world.
This encyclopaedic 536-page work begins with theories about the very earliest expeditions into the area- made possible by dramatic advances in navigation and ship construction techniques that owed much to the Chinese.
The book explains how the explorations these vessels supported helped to advance knowledge about astronomy, botany, biology and science.
Nautilusint Telegraph
Quite simply, wonderful. It is beautifully presented , lavishly illustrated and, above all, thoroughly researched. Very successfully, Rorke Bryan presents a convincing and compelling story of polar exploration and its ships. James Caird Society Journal
'Ordeal by Ice' is a monumental achievement in its own right that represents the culmination of an historical odyssey spanning half a century. Eastern Daily Press
This is an outstanding book and I would very highly recommend it to our readers. Shipping Today and Yesterday
A fascinating and very informative book...highly recommended. Model Boats
This book serves as a fitting tribute to the seafarers who braved almost indescribable cold, mountainous waves and navigational perils to nurse their ships through some of the most inhospitable waters in the world. This encyclopaedic 536-page work begins with theories about the very earliest expeditions into the area- made possible by dramatic advances in navigation and ship construction techniques that owed much to the Chinese.
The book explains how the explorations these vessels supported helped to advance knowledge about astronomy, botany, biology and science.
Nautilusint Telegraph
Periscope View
A remarkable memoir indeed. This reprint of a classic first published in 1972 is invaluable. It should be read, in fact studied, by every young and aspiring naval officer. Indeed, it should be read by anyone who is likely to be a leader in bad times or good. This brilliant book describes one man's major part in the final positive outcome. One of the greatest war books.
AUSMARINE
A remarkable memoir indeed. This reprint of a classic first published in 1972 is invaluable. It should be read, in fact studied, by every young and aspiring naval officer. Indeed, it should be read by anyone who is likely to be a leader in bad times or good. This brilliant book describes one man's major part in the final positive outcome. One of the greatest war books. AUSMARINE
The Battle for Norway
There are great many interesting, fresh and well-captioned photographs. I must recommend both Geirr Haarr books as the definitive work on the invasion of Norway. He must be congratualated in setting out this very complex struggle in a logical, detailed and even-handed manner.
Warships International Fleet Review
There are great many interesting, fresh and well-captioned photographs. I must recommend both Geirr Haarr books as the definitive work on the invasion of Norway. He must be congratualated in setting out this very complex struggle in a logical, detailed and even-handed manner. Warships International Fleet Review
