Conferences and Lectures

The Royal Naval Museum has a well established programme of seminars and conferences as well as hosting other organisation's events.

Wednesday April 14th, 2010,12.00pm - FREE event

Venomous and Valour: A Common Virtue  

(Book launch: A Hard Fought Ship: the story of HMS Venomous)

HMS Venomous was a destroyer of the V & W Class, the most advanced in the world when built and arguably the most successful ever. Sixty-six were built at the end of the Great War. By the end of World War II they had all been sunk or scrapped but during those thirty years thousands of men served on them.

This is possibly the most detailed study yet of the contribution made by a typical “old warrior” of this class to winning the war with end notes and citations plus a list of all its officers from 1919-46 and a list of known ratings. It begins with a comparative survey of the world’s destroyers in 1919 and ends with a list of all the V & Ws giving date of construction and ultimate fate.

However, this story is about her officers and crew as told by them. It is illustrated with 170 of their unique photographs taken in the heat of the action plus paintings, drawings and maps.

About the author: Captain John Rodgaard USN

Their accounts are linked together by Robert J Moore, the former CO of TS Venomous, and Capt. John Rodgaard USN (Naval History “author of the year”, 2000). John Rodgaard is the co-author of “A call to the Sea”, a biography of the nineteenth century American naval hero, Charles Stewart. He is a member of the Nelson Society, 1805 Club and the US Navy Institute and is a regular visitor to England, the country where his mother was born. He took over as lead author when Bob Moore died three years ago. His knowledge of British and American naval history is combined with the practical knowledge acquired during 41 years of naval service.

After his lecture he will be willing to sign copies of “A Hard Fought Ship” which will be available for purchase at a concessionary price to those attending the lecture and book launch. Some of the officers and men who served on HMS Venomous during the war will be present at the lecture and the book launch.

Booking required for this event. For more details contact 02392 727582 or e-mail education.bookings@royalnavalmuseum.org

A Hard Fought Ship: the story of HMS Venomous; by R. J. Moore and J.A. Rodgaard. Holywell House Publishing, 14 April 2010. ISBN 978-0-9559382-0-7. PB £14.99.