Merchantmen-at-arms : the British merchants' service in the war

The author surveys the British merchant marine during the First World War, describing its peacetime readiness, organizational structure, and relationships with the Royal Navy and state agencies. He details coastal and oceanic services, manning, convoy procedures, signals and wireless practices, transport and salvage operations, drills and gunnery training, camouflage and flag use. Eyewitness-style accounts convey how merchant crews adapted to submarine threat, convoy rendezvous, outward and homeward passages, and cargo delivery under danger. Technical and institutional chapters explain Trinity House and Board of Trade roles and the practical measures taken to protect trade and maintain seaborne supply.