author
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
A vivid storyteller of naval and maritime history, he brought the long sweep of P&O's past to life with a clear, accessible style. His work combines a historian's eye for detail with the pace of a good sea story.
1 Audiobook
An Abstract of the Proceedings of the Select Committee of the House of Commons, Appointed Session, 1849, to Inquire Into the Contract Packet Service
by Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee to Inquire into the Contract Packet Service
About the author
David Armine Howarth was a British naval officer, boatbuilder, historian, and author, born in 1912 and remembered for turning complex history into lively, readable books. After studying at Cambridge, he worked as a BBC war correspondent, then joined the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
His wartime service shaped much of his later writing. He became involved in special operations linked to the Shetland Bus, the clandestine route between Shetland and occupied Norway, and that firsthand experience gave his history books an unusual sense of immediacy.
Alongside many works of naval and military history, he co-wrote The Story of P&O: The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, a richly illustrated account of one of Britain's most famous shipping companies. The book fits well with the rest of his career: serious research, strong narrative energy, and a lasting fascination with ships, sailors, and the wider world they connected.