Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction: the rise and fall of Spanish naval power; Part I. Money and Materials: 1. Funding the fleets; 2. Counting the trees: the conservation of Spain's forests; 3. Shipbuilding; 4. Preparing to sail; Part II. Personnel: 5. Officials of the quill; 6. Counting the crews; 7. Officers and men; Conclusion: towards an explanation; Appendices.

Promotional Information

The first comprehensive analysis of Spain's naval forces after the defeat of the Great Armada in 1588.

Reviews

'Spanish Naval Power provides an overview of the strategic, political and administrative contexts in which the service operated before undertaking detailed studies of funding, shipbuilding, logistics and personnel. Well written with an eye for the telling example and the poignant touch, Goodman sets out in detail not just the story of a navy but also that of the world in which it existed. It is rare that a work of naval history becomes recognised immediately as a 'classic', but that is the distinction that this book richly deserves.' The Mariner's Mirror 'This is a book of admirable scholarship which, in its insularity, its profound absorption in bureaucratic procedure and its remoteness from practical operations, nicely exemplifies one of Spain's fundamental naval weaknesses.' N. A. M. Rodger, History '... important analysis.' The Mariner's Mirror