Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:38:25-3:39:03

Reginald Custance beyond Mahan and Corbett

Custance's 1913 lectures illuminate the wider professional debate that surrounded the better-remembered theories of Mahan and Corbett.

Alfred Thayer MahanJulian CorbettNaval BooksNaval HistoriographyNaval TheoryReginald CustanceRoyal Naval War College
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Question

Is Reginald Custance's 1913 collection The Ship of the Line in Battle worthwhile?

Short answer

Yes, especially as evidence of contemporary Royal Navy War College debate beyond the familiar names of Mahan and Corbett.

Notes

The Ship of the Line in Battle is worth reading for the ideas circulating at the Royal Navy War College in 1913. Mahan and Corbett's later prominence can obscure other contributors to contemporary debate. Custance was among the officers whose work fed into those discussions. His lectures help place the better-known writers among the other voices being read at the time.