While Scapa Flow is well known for its role as one of the world’s great naval bases during the two World Wars, the Forth and its estuary had an equally extraordinary story to tell. This river was very much a front line against Germany – a fact to which the intensive fortifications on its islands still bear mute testimony.

This book contains magnificent pictures of the British battle fleet setting sail from the Forth, of the rows of German ships at surrender after both wars, of the extraordinary steam powered K- class submarines for which the Forth was well known and of the destruction caused by Luftwaffe bombing raids.