The Royal Oak Courts Martial, by Leslie Gardiner, hardcover (good condition; no dust jacket and scratch on front cover)
 
This is a fine book dealing with the inner workings of the British fleet between the World Wars. The Royal Oak courts martial (1928) revolved around a clash of personalities among Vice Admiral Bernard St. George Collard, his flag captain aboard the HMS Royal Oak, Captain Kenneth Dewar, and Dewar's executive officer, Commander Henry Martin Daniel. The "Courts Martial" of the title is something of a hyperbole since it arose from a fairly simple controversy over what was perceived by Dewar and Daniel as imperious behavior by the Vice Admiral. The main reason a courts martial was thought to be required appears to have been the necessity to settle the matter in time for all three principles in the disagreement to take part in naval exercises scheduled to be conducted in a few weeks' time. Nonetheless, two of the three sacrificed their careers over this fracas with only Dewar emerging among the walking wounded.