Provides an overview of the events, technologies, and personalities involved in the naval aspects of World War II, focusing on battles and confrontations in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.

Originally published as v. 3 in The Second World War. Oxford : Osprey, 2002-2003.

Background to war : World War II -- Warring sides : reluctant adversaries -- Outbreak : opening moves -- The fighting : across the world's seas -- Portrait of a sailor : Peter Herbert Owen, Royal Navy midshipman -- The world around war : the impact of war -- Portrait of a civilian : John Delaney-Nash, merchant mariner -- How the war ended : the German fleet is scuttled -- Conclusion and consequences : the price of admiralty.