The son of the well-known historian of the early American republic and editor of the Papers of
Alexander Hamilton,
Harold Syrett (d. 1984), David Syrett was graduated from
Columbia University in 1961. After completing his M.A. at Columbia in 1964, he went on the
University of London, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1966 with a thesis on “Shipping and the American War."
The Lost war: letters from British officers during the
American Revolution edited and annotated by Marion Balderston and David Syrett; introduction by
Henry Steele Commager (1975)
The Royal Navy in American waters 1775-1783 (1989)
The commissioned sea officers of the Royal Navy, 1660-1815, edited by David Syrett and R.L. DiNardo (1994)
The battle of the Atlantic and signals intelligence : U-boat situations and trends, 1941-1945 (1998)
The Royal Navy in European waters during the American Revolutionary War (1998)
"The Raising of American Troops for Service in the
West Indies during the
War of Austrian Succession, 1740-1", Historical Research Vol. 73, No. 180 (February 2000), pp. 20–32.
The Battle of the Atlantic and signals intelligence : U-boat tracking papers, 1941-1947 (2002)
The Rodney papers: selections from the correspondence of Admiral
Lord Rodney (2005, 2007)