- A journey to the heart of the Royal Navy in the immediate aftermath of the First World War

- Beautifully illustrated with many rare and unpublished photographs

- A must-have for military and historians, enthusiasts, modellers, gamers, and those interested in the complexities of naval warfare during the Second World War

In November 1923, the Royal Navy dispatched what was named the Special Service Squadron on a ten-month tour around the British Empire.

Led by the battlecruiser HMS Hood – the pride of the Royal Navy and the largest ship in the world at the time – and comprising of the battlecruiser HMS Renown and the First Light Cruiser Squadron, the role of the Special Service Squadron was to ‘show the flag’ during a public relations exercise and strengthen ties across the Empire.

Much publicised, the cruise served as a subtle reminder that in the aftermath of the First World War, Britannia still ruled the waves.

Empire Cruise: The Special Service Squadron 1923-24 follows the situation faced by Great Britain and the Royal Navy in the years immediately after the Great War and details the origins of the cruise before charting the course of the expedition.