Navy Records Society

The Navy Records Society was established in 1893 as a scholarly text publication society to publish historical documents relating to the history of the Royal Navy. Professor Sir John Knox Laughton and Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge were the key leaders who organized the society, basing it on the model of earlier organisations such as the Hakluyt Society and the Camden Society.^[1][2] The American naval historian, Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, was one of the first overseas members to join the Navy Records Society.

The society has published volumes of original documents and papers almost every year since its foundation. The volumes cover all the major figures in British naval history, such as Nelson, Beatty and Cunningham, and a wide range of topics, from signals and shipbuilding to strategy and politics.^[2] In 2006 the NRS published its 150th volume.

Recent volumes

Year	Editor	Title	Volume Number
2016	Paul Halpern	The Mediterranean Fleet, 1930–1939 ISBN 9781317024132	162
2014	Dr M. S. Seligmann, Dr F. Nägler, Professor M. Epkenhans	The Naval Route to the Abyss: The Anglo-German Naval Race, 1895–1914 ISBN 9781472440938	161
2013	Professor D. M. Loades, Dr C. S. Knighton	Elizabethan Naval Administration	160
2012	Dr B. Jones	The Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War, Volume I, 1939–1941	159
2011	Professor P. Halpern	The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean, 1919–1929	158
2010	Professor D. M. Loades, Dr C. S. Knighton	The Navy of Edward VI and Mary I	157
2010	M. Simpson	Anglo-American Naval Relations, 1919–1939 ISBN 9781351958349	156
2009	Dr J. Byrn	Naval Courts Martial, 1793–1815	155
2009	P. MacDougal	Chatham Dockyard, 1815–1865. The Industrial Transformation	154
2008	Dr S. Rose	The Naval Miscellany, Volume VII	153

Online magazine

The society has recently augmented its traditional book publishing activities with the launch of its Online Magazine, an ever-expanding online archive of miscellaneous British naval records. The online collection includes records in archives and museums as well as those in private collections which would otherwise never be seen. New postings to the archive are made at least once per month throughout the year. Every posting receives a detailed introduction explaining how or why the record is important and is posted alongside relevant links in the collection of the Royal Museums Greenwich and, where appropriate, relevant videos. Members can share their knowledge and comment on every posting.

References

1. Richmond, Herbert W. (May 1934). "The Navy Records Society". Royal United Services Institution. Journal. 79 (514): 345–347. doi:10.1080/03071843409419439.
2. Hattendorf, John B. (2000). "Purpose and Contribution in Editing Naval Documents: A General Appreciation" (PDF). Naval History and Maritime Strategy: Collected Essays. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. pp. 91–108. Retrieved 11 December 2024.

External links

• Official Website of the Navy Records Society