A Century of South African Naval History – The South African Navy and its Predecessors 1922–2022 by André Wessels (Signed)

A Century of South African Naval History: The South African Navy and its Predecessors 1922–2022 by André Wessels is an authoritative and comprehensive account of a full century of South African naval history. Published by Naledi in 2022 to coincide with the centenary of the establishment of the South African Naval Service, this substantial 496-page First Edition, First Printing traces the development of South Africa’s naval forces from 1922 through to the modern South African Navy.

A Century of South African Naval History examines the Seaward Defence Force and South African Naval Forces during the Second World War, post-war downsizing, the expansion of the Navy during the 1950s, the establishment of the submarine service and subsequent developments during the 1960s and 1970s. Wessels also considers the effects of South Africa’s increasing international isolation, the operational environment of the 1977–1989 period, the political transformation following 1994 and the creation of a transformed Navy.

Particular attention is given to the Navy’s broader role, including naval diplomacy, humanitarian and relief operations, hydrographic surveying, search-and-rescue activities and counter-piracy operations. These developments are examined within the wider context of the Second World War, Cold War and post-Cold War international environment.

André Wessels is a respected historian whose research into the South African Navy and its predecessors spans more than four decades. A Century of South African Naval History underwent an independent double-blind academic peer-review process.

This copy is particularly desirable as it has been signed by André Wessels on the title page and dated 1 April 2022 – the precise centenary date of the establishment of the South African Naval Service. That association makes this considerably more interesting than an ordinary signed copy.

Condition – New

New 2022 paperback. Clean, bright and apparently unread, with the covers and contents exceptionally well preserved. Signed by author André Wessels on the title page and dated 1 April 2022.