The Scrap Iron Flotilla

Carlton writes with wondrous knowledge of the ships, which he knows intimately, the men, likewise, and the traditions of which he knows more, I suspect, than many navy men ... Pleasingly to readers of Australian military history, Carlton writes in the Bean tradition ... The last chapter of this truly magnificent book is a surprise ... In this short piece of writing, the final appendix, Mike Carlton shows how well he understands the continuity of the Royal Australian Navy across the generations. And the extraordinary changes in personnel and technology. It is the latest of his love-letters to a navy that has served Australia so well.

Mark McKernan, Canberra Times

To my mind Carlton is one of Australia's foremost naval historians ... The Scrap Iron Flotilla is the most detailed analysis yet and by far the most insightful giving us a full picture of not only the events but also the crews who did the best with what they had ... Thanks to Mike Carlton's immaculate research and crystal-clear writing, that flotilla is now an immortal, yet easily accessible, part of Australian history ... while Carlton gives us all the facts, he certainly doesn't let those facts get in the way of a good story.

Ross Fitzgerald, Australian

Some chroniclers are ideal authors for their subject, and some neglected, half-forgotten, or never known accounts of valour at sea need to be written before they are lost to memory. So it is with Mike Carlton and ... his latest naval history book The Scrap Iron Flotilla. The fusion of the journalist’s eye for telling detail and the first class research from primary sources make this book a compelling tale ... Carlton’s skill is that he can move the reader seamlessly from the personal and the particular to the enormous scope of the war in the Mediterranean ... This] is a valuable addition to any naval history collection and, I suggest essential reading for serving RAN members who wish to understand the spirit that animated their professional ancestors in battle eighty decades ago.

Desmond Woods, Lieutenant Commander, Royal Australian Navy

[An] engrossing exploration of a little known chapter in Australian history ... Carlton recounts their joint and various deployments in the eastern Mediterranean with a confidence born of thorough research, and a contagious affection for the ships and their crews ... the story of hundreds of tenacious, terrified, brave and battle-weary Australian sailors who had no idea whether they'd make it home ... Carlton does them proud.

Pat Sheil, Sydney Morning Herald

Mike Carlton has emerged as a gifted historian of Australia’s outstanding naval contributions in two world wars. He polishes this reputation in his new book ... The pages of The Scrap Iron Flotilla may not be encrusted with salt, but the Mediterranean breeze is certainly there to be felt. This is a very fine testament to the courage of the Royal Australian Navy in a most difficult period of World War II. Future generations of Australians will stand in Mike Carlton’s debt.

Stephen Loosley, Strategist, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Dads who like military history will appreciate Mike Carlton's The Scrap Iron Flotilla ... a fascinating and well told account of the activities of the ships and the challenges they faced during the War.

Canberra Weekly magazine