Laughton Naval Unit

The Laughton Unit educates and researches in the field of naval history and maritime strategy to support and shape the evolution of naval history as a tool across a broad spectrum of disciplines and debates in the world around us.

The Laughton Unit provides the ideal basis for original and challenging research on all aspects of naval history, sea power studies and strategy, preparing the next generation of thinkers from all around the world, ready and able, for a spectrum of career possibilities and destinations.

Under the guidance of the first Laughton Professor of naval history, the unit delivers researchers, scholars and thinkers whose output has impacted a broad spectrum of debates, organisations, governments, industries and armed services around the world. These researchers as civilians or armed services personnel have reached out across a range of topics and fields with the scholarly skills and knowledge they have developed in the unit from Bachelor level through to Masters certification and Doctorates.

The Laughton chair of naval history is designed to continue permeance of naval history in British and global academia but also public life. Read more here.

The unit continues to build an intellectual forum for the exchange of ideas across a global audience. By mastering the naval past, both in theory and practice, this provides the idea basis for furthering our knowledge of the past and comprehending the present and future.

To this end, our mission aims to:

The unit enshrines permeance for the field of naval history and maritime strategy in British academic and public life.
To understand the central role of naval history in understanding the past, and evolving thinking for present and future national and global challenges.
Supports the evolution of naval theory in military doctrine and defence policy while furthering debate on maritime strategy to enhance the knowledge of historians, decision makers and defence professionals globally.

It executes this by:

By recruiting the leading naval historians of the future by providing a rich and diverse approach to the subject that stretches beyond the disciplinary boundaries of history.
Explore avenues of research that enhance the subject in breadth, depth and context.
Establish and maintain an international research network for naval history linking British, European, American, Commonwealth and global institutions providing both academic and defence education.
Expanding the understanding of students as well as civilian and military professionals on the role of naval history in understanding the past, and evolving thinking for the present and future, melding naval and cultural perspectives on the sea as a strategic environment in world history.
Provide a central forum for intellectual exchange for ideas, theory and research.
Enable research to outreach to the widest possible audiences to engage in debates that the naval and maritime world influences.
Educate and enhance the scholarly and wider debates at both the individual and group levels through the dissemination of high quality research in the form of lectures, seminar, conference presentations, digital engagement, articles, literature and books.
Networks the unit and its research with other research networks, centres and forums.
In partnership for the exchange of ideas, research, students, staff, PME and more with the United States Naval War College, John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research.

Members

Marcus Faulkner

War Studies Online Director of Studies, Deputy Chair and Senior Tutor

Alan James

Senior Lecturer

Andrew Lambert

Laughton Professor of Naval History

Timothy Moots

PhD Candidate

Stephen Phillips

PhD Candidate

James W.E Smith

PhD Candidate

Carlos Zaforteza

Teaching Fellow (Laughton Naval History Unit)

Naval History & Maritime Strategy

The unit provides the ideal basis for original and challenging research and projects on all aspects of naval history from classic period through to contemporary times including the research and study of maritime strategy and naval theory.

Corbett 100

The Corbett 100 project marks the centenary of the death of British naval historian and maritime strategist Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922) in 2022.

Georgian Papers

In partnership with the Royal Archives, King’s College London is undertaking a major project to digitise and interpret the archives of the Georgian papers held at Windsor Castle. The five-year programme, officially launched by Her Majesty the Queen on 1st April 2015, will digitise some 350,000 pages of original archives, including official and private papers of Britain's Hanoverian monarchs, as well as other members of the Royal Family, politicians, courtiers and the Privy Purse.

First World War at Sea

Studying the First World War at sea is ongoing research at the unit. The Laughton unit marked the centenary of the First World War 1914-1918 [2014-2018] with series of events and lectures.

Naval Wargaming Research Group

The Naval Wargaming research group was created in 2016 to regenerate research into the study and practice of wargaming both for naval and maritime research, historical research and use as an educational tool. It regularly hosts wargames and lectures.

Falklands 40

Falklands 40 marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War in 1982, looking at the naval and maritime perspective.

Contemporary Naval History Research Network

The Contemporary naval history research network, advances historical research into post-1945 naval affairs by networking researchers from around the globe. It was created by postgraduate research students.

Maritime and Space Research Network

The Maritime and Space Research Network was created by a postgraduate research student to network researchers from around the world who are interested in the application of naval and maritime strategic concepts to space strategy, space policy and space theory.

The Laughton unit outputs across a wide medium of outlets. Our members, researchers and alumni output their expertise in their own name. We recommend you view their individual staff or research pages for extended lists or searching for alumni and researchers online.

Maritime History Seminars

Our long running series of lectures on maritime and naval history

View our full list of seminars

The Laughton Unit supports Bachelors and Masters courses at King’s. It does this by teaching, supporting and maintaining modules on seapower, naval history, maritime strategy and various other related topics as part of War Studies and related courses. Doctoral supervision is also supported by various members of the unit’s staff. Please contact Department Staff about doctoral supervision or visit the main War Studies webpage.

Contact us

Please direct enquiries for the Laughton Naval Unit to:

Laughton Unit
Department of War Studies
King's College London
Strand
London WC2R 2LS
Email: Laughtonunit@kcl.ac.uk

If you wish to contact Professor Andrew Lambert please visit his staff page

Laughton Naval Unit