5The first recorded engagement by a steam-powered warship took place on a river, when in 1824 the Honorable East India Company's gunboat Diana went into action on the Irrawaddy in Burma. In the 150 years that followed, river gunboats played a significant part in over forty campaigns and individual actions.

This lavishly illustrated encyclopedia describes vessels of every nation designed as river gunboats, plus those converted river steamers which took part in combat. Their story is brought up-to-date with data on current riverine combat vessels in service today.