River Gunboats

The first recorded engagement by a steam-powered warship took place on a river, when in 1824 the Honourable East India Company's gunboat Diana went into action on the Irrawaddy in Burma. 

In the 150 years that followed river gunboats played a significant part in over forty campaigns and individual actions, down to the Portuguese and American Brown Water fighting in Africa and Vietnam respectively at the end of the twentieth century. 

They proved to be the decisive factor in operations against the Maoris, with Gordon s Ever Victorious Army in China, during the river campaigns of the American Civil War, in the French conquest of Indochina, during Kitchener's advance on Khartoum, and on the Rufiji and Tigris during the Great War. 

River gunboats fought for the Paris Commune, on the rivers of South America, against the Bolsheviks, and during the Second World War in the open waters of the Mediterranean, while armoured Soviet gunboats fought German Panzers, and a pair of Girls attacked the Japanese on the banks of the Irrawaddy. 

This lavishly illustrated encyclopaedia describes vessels of every nation designed as river gunboats, plus those converted river steamers which took part in combat..Many of the principal actions involving river gunboats are included. 

Their story is brought up-to-date with data on current riverine combat vessels in service today. 

This work also describes gunboats used on lakes worldwide, as they share the same characteristics and operational parameters as river gunboats. 

APPENDIX 1 covers River and Lake Gunboats in Popular Culture. Featured in books and films, and even on postage stamps.

APPENDIX 2 features Camouflage schemes. 

CORRECTION to Page 303

Recent research aided by the son-in-law of a crewman aboard an American LCMG in the Philippines in 1944 has confirmed that these gunboats were converted not from the LCM-6 but from the slightly shorter LCM-3. The Specifications need to be changed to read: Length 50ft/15.25m.

What readers say about this book

5 stars: Send a gunboat......this is what it's about! I've waited over 2 years for this very delayed publication to appear & it was well worth the wait!! A true tour de force on the subject,very well written & illustrated (masses of rare photos) & lots of side view technical drawings (though quite small),like the very similar format book on armoured trains this publication is unlikely to be surpassed in its field..very highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in the subject. Reviewed on amazon by wilddogporter in the  United Kingdom on 26 July 2018. 

5 stars:  Magnifique

Ouvrage super bien réalisé. Trés intéressant pour les maquettistes. Durieux Marc Reviewed on amazon in France on 18 August 2019.

5 stars:  River gunboats

This book is about the unnoticed class of river gunboats, which, however, played a major role in military history, be it on the Missisippi or the Nile or Yangtze to name but a few rivers. You don't learn anything about the rivers, but that's not bad. As the author writes, you will find enough on the Internet, which I can confirm, but and even here I can agree with the author on the Internet, you will not get a complete picture of the river gunboats. Here, the author has taken a lot of effort to present the topic in an exhaustive way. I think he did well. The sketches and photographs range from grotty to good and depend on the source and the source content is often not good, the author has made the best possible of them. Jörn Thorsten Kahtz Reviewed on amazon in Germany on 3 January 2019

5 stars:  You get a lot for your money

Comprehensive is not adequate to describe the contents of this book. Well researched and illustrated it is all you will ever need to know about the specifications of all types of riverine Warcraft through the years. Not much info. on their actual utilization in some cases but still-a lot of information. Gregory A Haggard Reviewed on amazon in the United States on 14 October 2019

5 stars: This is THE book about these mostly unknown combatants.

Lots of very interesting and unique little boats! WeAreAllDavis Reviewed on amazon in Canada on 20 December 2024

5 stars:  Comprehensive

Beautifully illustrated, a thorough, detailed, comprehensive history of river gunboats. A must for naval history libraries. An excellent addition to any collection of Jane's, Conway's, and Combat Fleets. Michael Cavallaro Reviewed on amazon in the United States on 5 October 2018

5 stars:  A great reference work

This book covers all of the various gunboats in all the navies. It is an excellent reference work and one that I will refer to many times in the future when I am looking for information. I highly recommend this book. TMJ. Reviewed on amazon in the United States on 1 January 2019

5 stars: Fantastic Book

This book is exactly as i wanted it to be. Has wonderful pictures as well as accurate descriptions. Love it. homas Reviewed on amazon in Canada on 21 May 2019