Peter C. Smith on Tribal and J-class destroyers

The review finds Peter C. Smith too harsh on Tribal-class destroyers, though it accepts his praise for the J class and other types. That disagreement establishes critical distance before the strong endorsement of his Skua study. The praise does not extend to the author's wider naval judgments. The passage offers a compact lesson in reading naval history: a useful specialist study can deserve praise even when the reviewer disputes some of its author's other conclusions.