The book follows battleships after their combat heyday across several navies. Its account places Vanguard as Home Fleet flagship for Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Review, positioned opposite the Soviet cruiser Sverdlov. The contrast with the much larger battleship presence at the 1937 review shows how quickly the type had disappeared from active fleets. The gathering, broadcast to a huge audience, illustrates how a surviving battleship could still embody prestige and naval diplomacy.
Chapter · 50:44-53:27
Whatever Happened to the Battleship
A book discussion uses HMS Vanguard's role in the 1953 Coronation Review to show the battleship's final diplomatic value.