Product Description

In June 1941, the Ark Royal won one of Britain's most famous naval victories. The German destroyer, Bismarck, had been ravaging the British fleet in the Atlantic. Sailing through a ferocious storm the Ark Royal tracked the Bismarck. A dozen swordfish bombers took off from her deck and pounded shell after shell into the German battleship, sending her to the ocean floor. It was a signal victory that resonated around the world. Hitler, furious at the loss of the German fleet's flagship, demanded that the Ark Royal be destroyed at whatever cost. HMS Ark Royal is one of the Royal Navy's most iconic ships. When she was launched in 1938 she was one of the most sophisticated weapons at the disposal of British military command. The aircraft carrier was the latest, and soon to be one of the most feared, developments in naval warfare. In her first two years of operation the Ark Royal survived countless attacks, and was considered one of the luckiest ships in the Navy. But her air of invincibility was to prove wishful thinking. Within one month of sinking the Bismarck, the Ark Royal too was destroyed while sailing off the coast of Gibraltar. And there she has rested, one kilometre below the surface of the Mediterranean, until her wreck was discovered by Mike Rossiter in 2004. In gripping detail, and using the testimony of survivors of the sinking and men who lived, flew and fought on the Ark Royal, Mike Rossiter tells the remarkable story of the life and legend of this most iconic of ships. Also, and for the first time, he reveals the story of the quest to discover the wreck of this naval legend.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108212 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From the Inside Flap
HMS Ark Royal is one of the Royal Navy’s most iconic ships. When she was launched in 1938 she was one of the most sophisticated weapons at the disposal of the British Admiralty. The aircraft carrier was the latest, and soon to be one of the most feared, developments in naval warfare. In her first two years of operation the Ark Royal survived countless attacks, and was considered one of the luckiest ships in the Navy.

In June 1941 the Ark Royal won one of Britain’s most famous naval victories. The German battleship Bismarck had ravaged the British fleet in the Atlantic. Sailing through a ferocious storm, the Ark Royal intercepted the Bismarck. A dozen swordfish torpedo-bombers took off from her deck and, facing a barrage of shell fire, launched torpedo after torpedo at the giant ship, which was crippled and sank the next day. It was a signal victory that resonated around the world. When the Ark Royal returned to the Mediterranean, where her aircraft continued to defy the Luftwaffe, Hitler was determined to sink her.

Within weeks, the Ark Royal was destroyed while sailing off the coast of Gibraltar, torpedoed by a German U-boat. There she has rested, one kilometre below the surface of the Mediterranean, until her wreck was discovered by Mike Rossiter in 2004.

In gripping detail, and using the testimony of survivors of the sinking and men who lived, flew and fought on the Ark Royal, Mike Rossiter tells the remarkable life and legend of this most famous of ships. He also reveals for the first time the true story of the quest to discover the wreck of this naval legend.

From the Back Cover
HMS Ark Royal is one of the Royal Navy’s most iconic ships. When she was launched in 1938 she was one of the most sophisticated weapons at the disposal of the British Admiralty. The aircraft carrier was the latest, and soon to be one of the most feared, developments in naval warfare. In her first two years of operation the Ark Royal survived countless attacks, and was considered one of the luckiest ships in the Navy.

In June 1941 the Ark Royal won one of Britain’s most famous naval victories, sinking the German battleship, the Bismarck, after she had ravaged the British fleet in the Atlantic. It was a signal victory that resonated around the world. When the Ark Royal returned to the Mediterranean, where her aircraft continued to defy the Luftwaffe, Hitler was determined to sink her.

Within weeks, the Ark Royal was destroyed while sailing off the coast of Gibraltar, torpedoed by a German U-boat. There she rested, one kilometre below the surface of the Mediterranean, until her wreck was discovered by Mike Rossiter in 2004.

In gripping detail, and using the testimony of survivors of the sinking and men who lived, flew and fought on the Ark Royal, Mike Rossiter tells the remarkable life and legend of this most famous of ships.

About the Author
Mike Rossiter is an independent documentary film-maker, whose work has been nominated for BAFTA and EMMY awards. He won the Golden Fleece at the Dijon Film Festival for his documentary on the attempted recovery of a B29 bomber from northern Greenland. In 2001 he filmed the search and recovery of the body of Donald Campbell and his record-breaking jet boat, Bluebird, from Coniston Water. In 2004 he filmed the discovery of the wreck of the Ark Royal. He lives in North London.

Customer Reviews

Must read
A "must read" for anyone with an interest in naval history and war at sea. The accounts of the veterans and discovery and subsequent exploration of the wreck make this an even more fascinating read and bring the story of the "Ark" right up to date.

Ark Royal
"Ark Royal": Sailing into Glory
This book is a fascinating glimpse into the history of a very famous Royal Navy ship. However it is marred by some rather annoying mistakes which crop up with monotonous regularity. If the reader knows nothing about maritime history especially about the Royal Navy and its' adversaries it would pass as a good read both historically and also for the frustrations that producers and makers of documentaries face in gaining finance and approval for the production of television programmes. Some of the mistakes which tend to grate are the classification of various ships and aircraft. HMS Hood was a battlecruiser not a battleship likewise HMS Renown was also a battlecruiser. HMS Berwick gets several honourable mentions as a battleship in reality she was a County Class heavy cruiser the same applies to the German Heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen it to was identified as a battleship. A couple of destroyers are wrongly identified as cruisers and HMS Rodney was described as a battlecruiser a relic from the first world war. If we ignore these errors the book is an enjoyable read and worth adding to the collection.

A great read - well written
I found this book a must read for WW11 historians, Mike Rossiter has researched the 'life' of the Ark Royal and its aircrew. The book is based more on the Ark's activities during the WW11, although the finding of the Ark was extremly interesting. This book is full of facts.

I have now become interested in other books - Sink the Bismarck and the Battle of Taranto. How the Fairy Swordfish aircraft played a major role.