The Royal Navy Day by Day

The Royal Navy Day by Day, the splendid history of the Senior Service across 500 years, presented as a diary of daily events, has become a familiar and much-loved part of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. It is the standard naval history reference book employed daily throughout the Fleet. Here are recorded not just great battles but also minor actions by small ships, and the service of men and women, sailors, Royal Marines, the WRNS, aircrew, submariners, and RFA and Merchant Navy personnel, down the generations. It is also the Royal Navy’s own story – what was done to it by the sea, the enemy and the Admiralty – and the traditions and customs, the quirks and eccentricities it has gathered around itself.

This book is a tribute to the Royal Navy but it is not a company history; it records just a few of the Navy’s dropped catches and own goals which give added credibility to this very fine record. The Royal Navy Day by Day is highly regarded in the Royal Navy and it is issued to all HM ships and establishments. First published in 1979, this expanded fifth edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, and contains many fresh images.

‘I am hugely grateful to Lawrie Phillips for his years of dedication and commitment to capturing the many achievements, traditions and anecdotes from our rich naval history.’ – General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, Royal Marines, First Sea Lord 2026