All the titles mentioned here are still available, either in bookshops or in good libraries. Many explore aspects of the subject in far more detail than has been possible in this book, and are therefore recommended as a source for further study.
One of the drawbacks of British light cruisers compared to those of other nations was the persistence of the open bridge, seen here in the Southampton class cruiser HMS Sheffield. During the Arctic convoy operations this proved a distinctly uncomfortable place to be.
Archibald, E. H. H., The Fighting Ship in the Royal Navy, 1887–1984, Blandford Press, Poole (1984)
Bennet, G., The Battle of the River Plate, Ian Allen Ltd, Shepperton (1972)
Brown, D. K., The Design and Construction of British Warships, 1939–45: Volume 1: Major Surface Warships, Conway Maritime Press, London (1995)
Campbell, John, Naval Weapons of World War Two, Arms and Armour Press, London (1990)
Friedman, Norman, British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After, Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley (2010)
Gardiner, Robert, (ed.), Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships, 1922–1946, Conway Maritime Press, London (1980)
Gardiner, Robert, (ed.), Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships, 1906–1921, Conway Maritime Press, London (1985)
Gardiner, Robert, (ed.), The Warship: The Eclipse of the Big Gun, Conway Maritime Press, London (1992)
Greene, Jack and Massignani, Alessandro, The Naval War in the Mediterranean, 1940–43, Chatham Publishing, London (1989)
Konstam, Angus, The Battle of North Cape, Pen and Sword, Barnsley (2009)
Lavery, Brian, Churchill’s Navy: The Ships, Men and Organisation, 1939–1945, Conway Maritime Press, London (2006)
Padfield, Peter, Guns at Sea, Evelyn Publishing, London (1973)
Raven, Alan and Roberts, John, British Cruisers of World War Two, Arms and Armour Press, London (1980)
Roberts, John, British Warships of the Second World War, Chatham Publishing, London (2000)
Stephen, Martin, British Warship Designs since 1906, Ian Allen Ltd, Shepperton (1984)
Stephen, Martin, Sea Battles in Close-up: World War 2, Ian Allen Ltd, Shepperton (1988)
Whitley, M. J., Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopaedia, Arms and Armour Press, London (1995)
Williams, Davis, Naval Camouflage, 1914–1945: A Complete Visual Reference, Chatham Publishing, London (2001)