This work is a close examination of the conditions surrounding and precipitating the last gasp of British naval hegemony and events which led to its demise.

James P. Levy is the author of The Royal Navy's Home Fleet in World War II (2001) and Appeasement and Rearmament (2006). He earned his doctorate in Modern History from the University of Wales and teaches at Hofstra University.

1. Prelude to crisis: May 1941 to November 1941 2. Crisis: December 1941 3. Robbing Peter to Pay Paul January-March 1942 4. The nadir of Royal Navy fortunes April-July 1942 5. An Anemic Recovery: August and Operation "Pedestal" 6. Finding its place in a new world: September through December 1942