Description

Examines Russian destroyers' exports, global influence, wartime service, and shipbuilding from 1904 to 1954.

While Soviet and Russian combat aircraft, tanks, and air defence systems have long attracted significant attention in the West, far less has been written about the warships built by the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Yet these vessels -- particularly destroyers -- played crucial roles in shaping multiple navies around the world.

Soviet and Russian Destroyer Exports examines the export and service history of destroyer-class warships between 1904 and 1954. Often overlooked in Western literature, these ships were instrumental in the development of the fleets of Estonia, Finland, French Indochina, Germany, Japan, Peru, and others -- and later fought on several important fronts during the Second World War.

This volume explores in depth the negotiations and political context behind each transfer, the wartime careers of the vessels, their modernisation and upgrades, and the personal stories of many of their commanding officers. It also offers valuable insight into the shipbuilding industries of Imperial Russia and the USSR, and how their influence extended to emerging naval powers such as China and India.

Covering destroyers built between 1904 and 1941, this first volume presents a rich and previously under-documented history, supported by a wealth of rare archival photographs and specially commissioned colour profile illustrations.