Naval forces and warfare Books

Book SynopsisRosslyn Wemyss' life and career was both fascinating and brilliant - a most distinguished admiral who is very little known. As the Allied Naval Representative at the Armistice negotiations on 11th November, 1918, he left an indelible mark on the life of this country when he was responsible, with Marshal Foch, for the creation of Armistice Day. The negotiations took place in a railway carriage at Compiegne in France when the decision was made at 5.30 am to cease hostilities on land, in the air and sea at 11 am on that day. One of the most illustrious of Scottish admirals, he was a member of the Clan Wemyss, whose ancestral seat is Wemyss Castle in Fife, overlooking the Firth of Forth. Rosslyn joined the Navy at the age of 13 in 1877, at the same time as Prince George, the younger son of the Prince of Wales, they became lifelong friends. After they left Dartmouth they joined their first ship together and sailed around the world for the next two years. In his early career, this friendship found him posted to serve on two ships for Royal Tours abroad and on two of the Royal Yachts. In 1915, by then a Rear Admiral, he was sent to create a naval base at Mudros, to serve the Gallipoli campaign and was in command of the landings and then the evacuation of all the troops. The evacuation was so successful that only one man was lost from the approximately 140,000 who were taken off the beaches. From there, he was sent to Port Said to command the East Indies and Red Sea Station. For the next 18 months, the main thrust of his command was supporting the Arab Revolt and helping T.E. Lawrence and the Arabs, under Emir Feisal, to oust the Turks from all the ports on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. Without his support, the Arab Revolt would have collapsed and the legend of Lawrence of Arabia would not have been created. In 1917 he returned to the United Kingdom to become Deputy First Sea Lord, stepping up to the post of First Sea Lord at the end of the year. As First Sea Lord, he represented British naval interests at the Versailles Peace Conference. Through Rosslyn's rich archive of letters and reports and his own words, this book gives a wonderful insight into the life of a man who became one of the most popular and senior officers in the Royal Navy at the time, and who was known throughout the Navy as 'Rosy'.

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Book SynopsisThe emergence of the professional naval officer was related both to the necessities of naval warfare and to the structure of society on land. Originally warships were manned by two separate sets of commanders - gentleman soldiers skilled in fighting, and 'tarpaulins' of humbler social origin skilled in navigation and the manual skills of sailing. Elias traces the onboard conflicts between them, from Drake's famous insistence that the gentlemen 'haul and draw' with the sailors, to the gradual merging of the two hierarchies by the end of the eighteenth century. The innovation of the midshipmen - boys of gentle birth who both learned the manual skills of the sailor and received the education of a gentleman - gave crucial advantage to the British Royal Navy over the French and Spanish, in which the greater rigidity of social barriers ashore prevented a similar solution afloat. Planned but never completed by Elias, this book has been reconstructed from his mainly unpublished typescripts.Trade Review"It is a finely designed and produced volume, with a jacket which reproduces a touching Copley portrait of an archetypal late-eighteenth-century midshipman..." Books Ireland April 2007 "Elias's analysis of the genesis of the naval profession is a clear illustration of the main principles and concepts developed by this atypical sociologist ... this book helps to improve our knowledge about Elias's approach ... Many ... will take pleasure in stories such as the dramatic struggles between Drake and Doughty." Canadian Journal of Sociology Jan 2008 "The Genesis of the Naval Profession is a fascinating account of the development of the English naval profession that illustrates the importance of status based conflict and negotiation ... Elias's emphasis on the importance of status conflict in understanding the development of societal institutions is an important contribution that should not be ignored. [This book] should be of great interest to scholars in military sociology, occupations and professions, and stratification. I found the book to be short, but fascinating." Contemporary Sociology 37, 3 2008 "In this small volume, Moelker and Mennell have compiled a strong reflection of the brilliant work of sociologist Elias that illuminates class distinctions within England beginning in the 16th century and how two dramatically different segments of the population eventually merged towards the development of naval officers and the naval profession in England. Beyond the restraints of bureaucracy, political structure, and reliance on nautical skills, Elias notes that, as an island country, England had to develop an effective navy to maintain an empire status A... Elias's sociology is a rich addition to the literature of stratification, military scholarship, conflict sociology, and understanding the concept of institutional development." J. Stanley, Towson University CHOICE May 2008 Vol. 45 No. 09 "This is a lovely book. The quality and texture of the pages, the beautiful typesetting, the relatively obscure and antiquated subject matter, and the enigmatic yet renowned author make it the kind of object that can be deeply appreciated by the bibliophile and the sociologist A... very little work has been done on life aboard ships, although it is a remarkable little microcosm with strong structural constraints that has played an exceptionally important role in world history. This volume makes a large contribution to that literature. It will also be of interest to sociologists of professions, military sociologists, and social theorists who wish to make a comprehensive study of Elias." American Journal of Sociology Vol 113 No 6 May 2008 "The book works at two levels, as a study of social progress through group/class conflict, and as a historically-based enquiry into a unique profession. It offers a potent stimulus for historians working on societies, social groups and development A... This may be only a fragment of a book but it remains a profound, perceptive contribution to our understanding of the interaction between navies, nations and the modern world." Oxford Journals The English Historical Review CXXIII: 756-757 June 2008 "it is indeed a gem - a very interesting and intriguing document." S. N. Eisenstadt Jerusalem, July 2008 "The enterprise of publishing the collected works of Norbert Elias under the editorship of Richard Kilminster and Stephen Mennell by University College Dublin Press is an extremely important contribution to the contemporary intellectual and academic scene. Norbert Elias was one of the most original minds in the human and social sciences in the 20th century - his work covers not only a very broad range of sociological topics starting with his classical The Civilising Process and later The Court Society, but also many topics ranging from sociology of knowledge to sociology of sport and analysis of historical processes; the broad philosophical problems, such as the idea of the place of the progress of symbolic dimensions in social life. This is really a monumental enterprise, very worthwhile and very constructive, presenting a great challenge to the contemporary intellectual and academic scene - and UCD Press should be congratulated in undertaking this enterprise." S. N. Eisenstadt Jerusalem, 24 July 2008 "Too easily the editors and readers of Books Ireland take it as given that Irish publishers' books are mostly about Ireland or by Irish writers. We wish it were not so because we think our publishers are of world class, and a shining exception and exemplar is this series of eighteen volumes of the life's work in English - some of his work was written in German - of Elias (1897-1990) whose major theme was the theory of civilising processes - Norbert is very interesting on the subject as well as on the dynamics of sports, social (and especially male) bonding, violence and football hooliganism. These books are in the very best tradition of design, with acid-free paper, sewn bindings, cloth boards, coloured endpapers, spine labels and acetate jackets." Books Ireland Nov 08Table of ContentsNorbert Elias, 1897-1990; Norbert Elias (1897-1990); Editors' Preface; Introduction: Elias's Studies of the Naval Profession by Rene Moelker and Stephen Mennell; Gentlemen and Tarpaulins; Tensions and Conflicts; The Development of the Midshipman; Achieving Maritime Supremacy; FRAGMENTS: The Growing Costs of the Naval Establishment: Elizabeth and Cromwell Compared; On Institutions; The Last Act: Elias's Scenario For a Play about Drake and Doughty; Textual variants; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisSince the end of World War 2 the primary role of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm has been airborne power projection; the ability rapidly to respond to any trouble spot across the globe and to protect the interests of the United Kingdom and its partner nations. The principal tools in that response were the strike aircraft which took the offensive to the aggressor. Although from 2010 to 2020 fixed-wing carrier aviation was not part of the Fleet Air Arm, with the advent of the navy’s two new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, that capability has been restored. This renewed focus has not only seen the return of flying high performance aircraft from a carrier, but also the regeneration of the necessary skills, and courage, needed to cope with the extremes of weather and the nature of air operations in a very high-risk environment. However the lessons of the past have not been forgotten, and so many of those previous experiences are related within these pages – true stories of the last 76 years from aircrew, maintainers, aircraft handlers and many other supporting staff both men and women. Following on from the success of volume one, this second volume covers every fixed-wing aircraft type flown from carriers in the strike, anti-submarine warfare and the vital airborne early warning roles; from Scimitars to Hunters, Buccaneers to Skyraiders and many more, plus an extensive fleet of land-based aircraft. As with the first volume, involvement in operations such as Suez, the Beira Patrol, the Falklands, Belize, Bosnia and elsewhere is included. Despite the intensity and all-to-frequent tragedy of operations, the esprit de corps, and the ability to find the necessary release through laughter, shine through. Here are the words of the men and women themselves, profusely illustrated in black and white and colour.

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Book SynopsisThe British Airship Carrier HMS Furious is one of the most unusual units of the Second World War.The ship was designed during the previous conflict as a „great light cruiser” with 457mm guns, but far-reaching changes were made during construction. Furious entered service in June 1917 as aircraft cruiser with a large aircraft deck in the bow and a single turret with a gun of the mentioned caliber in the stern. Thus, Furious made history as one of the precursors of British on-board aviation, becoming a floating platform for various types of trials and tests with airplanes.It quickly turned out that aircraft deck took up the entire bow part and is insufficient to meet the needs of the day-to-day expanding on-board aviation. Therefore, after carrying out only a few patrols on the waters of the North Sea, the ship was returned to the shipyard in the same year, where it underwent further reconstruction. This time, the aft tower and mast were removed and in their place was built another hangar with an aircraft deck, which was connected to the bow with special platforms running on the sides of the preserved superstructures.Since then, Furious was already a powerful aircraft, unfortunately not very successful considering the superstructure with a chimney that occupies the entire amidships, which apart from obviously taking up space, caused air turbulences induced by the huge dimensions and warm exhaust gases coming from the chimney.However, this did not prevent Furious from becoming the hero of the historical event, which was on-board aviation first strike on land targets, which took place on July 19, 1918. The target of the attack was the German Zeppelin base in Tondern, and it was carried out using Sopwith Camel planes taking off from the deck of Furious.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"I greatly enjoyed reading this well-crafted, sophisticated, and deeply moving oral history and enthusiastically endorse its engagement in courses in U.S. history, migration studies, and labor analysis." --Pacific Historical Review"Accessible and sophisticated. Paligutan’s exploration of the recruitment and experiences of Filipino navy men is an excellent illustration of how economic underdevelopment of the Philippines in the interests of US economic and political gain created the first of many pools of cheap Filipino migrant workers. Paligutan has done a fantastic job at weaving in an intersectional analysis of gender, particularly masculinity, throughout the book."--Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, author of The Labor of Care: Filipina Migrants and Transnational Families in the Digital Age

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Book SynopsisSurigao Strait in the Philippine Islands was the scene of a major battleship duel during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. This book pulls together all of the existing documentary material, including newly discovered accounts and a careful analysis of US Navy action reports, to create a new and more detailed description of the action.Trade Review"Anthony Tully has managed to trace the complicated flow of and reason for events... with a skill and aplomb that forces one to reconsider previously held views." —Naval History"With copious endnotes, an extensive and interesting bibliography and thorough index, this book is worth buying by serious students of the Pacific War and for institutional libraries with a strong military history focus." —The Journal of Naval History"By giving a fuller view of the Japanese side, Tully's work forces a substantial revision of the traditional picture of the battle. Battle of Surigao Strait is not only military history based on scrupulous use of a plethora of new source materials, but is a spanking good read. Highly recommended." —War in History"Aims to sort out the discrepancies that have crept in over time to standard accounts of the battle... a confused and complex night action. Of special interest is Tully's exploitation of fresh source materials." —Malcolm Muir, Jr., author of Black Shoes and Blue Water: Surface Warfare in the United States Navy, 1945–1975"If the vibrant international community of experts who study the Pacific War and discuss and debate it online can be seen as a mafia, then Anthony Tully is its consigliore. Whenever a question arises about the battle history of World War II in the Pacific--what really happened after the fleets collided, dive-bombers entered their dives, and shot met plate--he is the indispensable man. In this book he paints Admiral Nishimura's high-speed run into history with an entirely fresh palette of detail, from the command decisions to the after-action reports. It offers naval history buffs something fresh and easy to relish on almost every page" —James D. Hornfischer, author of Ship of Ghosts and The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors"Tully's narrative is clear and clarifies a confused night battle in restricted waters. He disputes several perceived truths about the battle by giving the reader a complete record of what each ship was doing at each stage of the battle." —Military Review"The skillful incorporation of personal testimony from those involved is what really elevates this work above run-of-the-mill naval history and turns it into something special." —WarshipTable of ContentsList of MapsPreface AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsPrologue: "Retiring towards the enemy."1. "I have returned."2. "Bah. We will do our best."3. "We are going to participate in a surface special attack."4. "It is deemed advisable for 2YB to storm into Leyte Gulf."5. "He gallantly came to a stop and started rescue work."6. "Everybody aboard thought a BB could force a narrow strait."7. "Make all ready for night battle."8. "A most tragic dispatch."9. "Take out the searchlight."10. "He wished them to know he was penetrating alone."11. "Just scored a big flare on 1 of them."12. "You are to proceed independently and attack all ships!"13. "At 0345 observed battleship burning."14. "This has to be quick. Standby your torpedoes."15. "An awfully gruesome sound, which passed from left to right."16. "We proceed till totally annihilated."17. "We have arrived at battle site."18. "In God's name, where's the doctor?"19. "The chances of success are nil."20. "It was the kind of naval battle you dream about."Epilogue: "A thing repeated will happen a third time."AppendicesNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisOn January 24, 1915, a German naval force commanded by Admiral Franz von Hipper conducted a raid on British fishing fleets in the area of the Dogger Banks. This book provides a keen analytical description of the battle and its place in the naval history of World War I.Trade ReviewTobias Philbin has written a very entertaining and informative book on the Battle of Dogger Bank.It will be enjoyed by a wide audience including naval historians, strategists, and those interested inhow broader long-term decision-making determines the manner in which battles are fought, wonand lost. * The International Journal of Maritime History *The author's research in British and German archives and knowledge of secondary sources produces a significant work on the war at sea. * Stand-To *In all this is an interesting and stimulating book that is a useful contribution to the history of the First World War in the North Sea. * The Mariner's Mirror *Table of ContentsList of FiguresAcknowledgmentsPreface1. Decisions beyond the Battlefield2. Building the Battle Cruisers3. Prologue to War4. The Order of Battle5. The Engagement: Chase and Intercept6. The Engagement: Return7. Echelons of MistakesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThese pages provide the reader a veritable wealth of information. The book is a valuable addition in the historiography of the Battle of Leyte Gulf specifically and to naval history and World War Two in general. It will certainly become a classic. Vol. 6, No. 4 (Winter 2011) * Canadian Naval Review *The Battle of Leyte Gulf is an outstanding addition to a Pacific library.August 2008 * Paper Wars *An outstanding contribution to the military and naval history of our times.2008 -- Lisle A. Rose * World War II Quarterly *. . . supported by clear and helpful maps, helpful appendices, and lengthy footnotes that underline the scholarship involved. It is good value as a hardback and will contribute to Indiana's reputation for publishing first-rate military history. * History *. . . deliciously provocative interpretation of the nature of the conflict and the reasons for American victory. * International Journal of Maritime History *[A]n outstanding book which can be appreciated by naval historians and those who have a general interest in the subject. * Journal of Military History *W. P. willmott provides new perspectives on the unfolding of the battle and very deliberately seeks to give readers a proper understanding of the importance of this battle for American naval operations in the following month. This careful interrogation of the accounts of 'the last fleet action' is a significant contribution to military history. * McCormick Messenger *Those who have done their preliminary reading and are ready for the advanced course on Leyte, however, will turn to Willmott. There they will have the opportunity to savor the work of a master military historian at the top of his game. -- Robert M. Citino * HistoryNet *Table of ContentsList of MapsList of TablesAcknowledgments1. The Nature of War and Victory2. The Option of Difficulties: The American Situation in the Aftermath of the Victory in the Philippine Sea3. The Search for Solutions: The Japanese Situation in the Aftermath of Defeat in the Philippine Sea4. Preliminaries: 6-18 October 19445. Advance and Contact, 18-24 October 19446. The Great Day of Wrath: 25 October 19447. The Naval Battle for the Philippines: The Postscript, 26 October-30 November 19448. To Pause and Consider: Blame, Responsibility, and the Verdict of History.AppendixesNotesPrimary SourcesSecondary SourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisCalled by some a 'Mediterranean Jutland,' the Battle of the Otranto Straits involved warships from Austria, Germany, Italy, Britain, and France. This is the story of the largest naval engagement in the Mediterranean during the First World War.Trade ReviewIn this work, Prof. Halpern, long a thoughtful specialist in World War I in the Mediterranean, not only gives the reader a rattling good account of the actual battle, but fits it firmly within the overall framework of the Great War, takes a look at the opposing navies, and provides useful profiles of the respective commanders . . . and much more.February 2010 * Strategypage.com *Prof. Halpern, one of the premier students of World War I at sea, not only gives the reader a rattling good account of the actual battle, but fits it firmly into the overall framework of the Great War. . . Fall-Winter 2009 * NYMAS Review *Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsPreface1. The Naval War in the Adriatic 2. The Allies in the Southern Adriatic 3. The Austrians Prepare an Attack 4. The Attack of the Drifters 5. The Pursuit 6. The Forces Return 7. The Results of the Battle Epilogue Appendix A: Glossary of Geographic NamesAppendix B: Equivalent RanksNotesSelect BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisWould the doctrine of one of history's great naval strategists have stood the test of World War II in the Pacific?Trade ReviewIf Mahan Ran the Great Pacific War provides one of the best analyses of World War II I have read. Clear and incisive, it presents the reader with both the factual material and a solid discussion of how and why the decisions of the commanders resulted in a strategic or just a tactical success or failure. March 29, 2009 * Daily News, Bowling Green, KY *This is truly an outstanding book. Although Adams indicates it is an analysis of naval strategy of World War II in the Pacific, the lessons he presents apply to more than purely naval warfare.Spring 2010 * Air Power History *[A] must read for students of World War II in the Pacific and all those interested in naval and military strategy. March-April 2010 * Military Review *This book will be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in World War II history. Vol. 55, No. 2, Summer 2010 * Nautical Research Journal *There is no doubt that Mahan and his writings had an enormous effect on the US Navy's admirals during the Pacific War. This fine book shows very clearly how. December 2010 * Work Boat World *Students of naval history will find much to agree with in this volume, and a good deal about which to disagree, but either way they will find it worth reading. Fall 2011 * NYMAS Review *Table of ContentsContentsList of MapsAcknowledgments1. Sink Ten Ships and We Win the War!2. Initial Japanese Strategic Choices3. Pearl Harbor4. Yamamoto Defies Mahan5. Guadalcanal6. Central versus South Pacific7. Two Prongs Divide the Fleet8. Decisive Combat in the Marianas9. From Honolulu's Conference Table to Leyte's Mud10. The Naval Campaign for the Philippines11. Mahan and the Submariners12. Dulling the Mighty Blade13. B-SanNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe transition to modern war at sea began during the period of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Spanish-American War (1898) and was propelled forward by the advent of the dreadnought and WWI. By 1922, most of the elements that would define sea power in the 20th century were in place. This volume acknowledges this transformation.Trade ReviewIn this first of three volumes on sea power, the author reviews the story of political, economic, and military oceanic control from the 1890s through WW I. Willmott employs a complex explanatory narrative analysis as he steams through a background that focuses on imperialism, national strategic aims, and international power politics over about 40 years. . . . Recommended. * Choice *Overall the volume is a veritable mine of information and worth its relatively modest price for this alone. vol. 17, no. 4 * War in History *The author, dean of naval historians, provides a sweeping look at, and analysis of, the transformation of naval power . . . [His] dry wit and sense of irony add spice to the impressive array of facts and analysis of the greatest period of naval warfare. Wilmott is fearless in his judgments.December 2010 * Seapower *Table of ContentsPreface and AcknowledgmentsList of MapsList of AppendicesPart I. Introduction. Definitions and Terms of ReferenceChapter 1 The Sino-Japanese War, 1894-1895Chapter 2 The Greco-Turkish war of 1897Chapter 3 The Spanish-American War of 1898Chapter 4 The Shifting Balance of PowerPart I AppendicesPart I NotesPart II. Introduction: From Port Arthur to Bucharest, 1898 to 1913Chapter 5 The Russo-Japanese War: The First PhasesChapter 6 The Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima and its AftermathChapter 7 The Dreadnought Naval RaceChapter 8 Prelude to the First World WarPart II AppendicesPart II NotesPart III. Introduction: From Sarajevo to Constantinople, 1914 to 1922Chronology of the First World War at SeaChapter 9 The First World War: The War in Northern WatersChapter 10 The First World War: Tsingtao and the DardanellesChapter 11 The First World War: Naval Support of Operations in AfricaChapter 12 The First World War: Action in the BalticChapter 13 The First World War: The Black Sea, Otranto Strait, and Other MattersChapter 14 The Legacy of the First World WarPart III AppendicesPart III NotesPart IV. Conclusion: Not so much Finis as . . . Part IV AppendixPart IV NotesIndex

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Book SynopsisFollows the fortunes of the established seafaring nations of Europe along with two upstarts - the United States and Japan.Trade Review[T]his is an important contribution to naval history that provides a thoughtful account of the years preceding the Second World War and, at much greater length, of the war itself. 2010 * History *The author, dean of naval historians, provides a sweeping look at, and analysis of, the transformation of naval power . . . [His] dry wit and sense of irony add spice to the impressive array of facts and analysis of the preatesst period of naval warfare. Wilmott is fearless in his judgments.December 2010 * Seapower *Table of ContentsList of Chapter AppendixesList of Maps and a DiagramList of TablesI. Naval Races and Wars1. Introduction: Washington, London, and Two Very Separate Wars, 1921 - 19412. Washington and London3. Ethiopia and Spain4. Japan and Its "Special Undeclared War"II. Introduction to the Second World War5. Navies, Sea Power, and Two or More WarsIII. The Second World War: The European Theater6. Britain and the Defeat of the U-boat Guerre de Course7. With Friends like These8. Italy and the War in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations9. The Lesser Allied Navies and Merchant Marines in the Second World WarIV. The Second World War: The Pacific Theatre10. The War Across the Pacific: Introduction and Conclusion11. The Japanese Situation — and a Japanese Dimension12. The Japanese Situation — and an American Dimension13. The Japanese Situation — and a Second Japanese Dimension14. The Japanese Situation — and Another, and Final, DimensionV. Dealing with Real Enemies15. Finis: The British Home Fleet, 15 August 1945NotesSelected BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisOrdered to join the Pacific Squadron in 1854, the US Navy warship Decatur sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, through the Strait of Magellan to Valparaiso, Honolulu, and Puget Sound, then on to San Francisco, Panama, and Costa Rica, while serving in the Pacific until 1859, the eve of the Civil War. This book offers a social history of the warship.Trade Review"The U.S. Navy of the 1850s is a fascinating subject in itself, but it has never been so well integrated into the broader political, social, and cultural history of the antebellum United States. . . . Warship Under Sail illuminates the contradictions and interactions that characterize this period of American expansion. It should, therefore, be read not only by military and maritime historians, but also by scholars interested in the American West, antebellum culture, politics, and imperialism." * The Northern Mariner *"… this bargain-priced book is simultaneously worthy of coffee tables, research desks, and library collections…. While not a pretty picture, it reveals life aboard a warship at the end of the era of sail." * Sea History *"This is an excellent book for those who are interested in naval history and the Pacific Northwest in the 1850's." * The Lone Star Review *"She situates her study at the intersection of two growing fields of historical interest, 19th century maritime culture and the United States in the world, and makes a notable contribution to both, as well as to our understanding of the navy in the making of the Pacific Northwest." * Pacific Northwest Quarterly *"The richness of detail regarding the everyday life of a mid-nineteenth century sailor is undoubtedly the book's greatest strength but, McConaghy's skillful ability to bring this sailing adventure to life is equally fascinating, fun, and well, just highly entertaining." * The Grog Ration *"This is a marvelous book, deserving of high praise." * The Journal of Military History *"Warship Under Sail is an impressive piece of scholarship that provides an unsparing account of the brutality of naval life…. It was a difficult time, and McConaghy has captured the debilitating tedium and the compounded ghastliness of it all without ever succumbing to the seductive scent of salt breezes or the romance of billowed sail." * International Journal of Maritime History *"No matter what your background, Lorraine McConaghy's extensive research casts a new light on local and national history in the era before the Civil War while providing an intimate look at life aboard a sailing warship. It is an engrossing read that is well worth your time." * Shavings *"McConaghy emphatically sees all the Decatur's theaters of action through the prism of its daily routines and disruptions of routine . . . By concentrating on the foreground with such gusto, she gives you an extraordinarily vivid idea of how men under pressures of danger, drink and disease (syphilis was rampant) strived to create order out of chaos." * Seattle Times *"Warship Under Sail recounts the Decatur's exploits during several years of voyages in the Pacific, but is bound to join the most important works to examine Seattle's earliest history . . . . a fascinating—and factually correct—tale that transcends the more simplistic versions of the city's past." * Crosscut.com *"This is a rich resource, both for 19th-century American politics and the human side of ship life." * Reference and Book News *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. Young America on the Pacific: "The Sailor of Manifest Destiny Views" 2. The Decatur in the Old Navy: "To Command Our Own Seas and Coasts" 3. Boston: Getting Under Way 4. Episode 1. Through the Strait of Magellan: "Off to Californio!" 5. Episode 2. Seattle: "Down Came the Indians, Like so Many Demons" 6. San Francisco: "This Reckless Life" 7. Episode 3. Nicaragua: "Seeing the Elephant" 8. Episode 4. Panama: "All the Subtle Demonisms of Life and Thought" 9. The Civil War and Beyond Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"For anyone keen to learn about the rise and development of Europe's overseas empires, this is the place to begin. Paquette has mastered a vast body of information to produce a splendid survey."—J. H. Elliott, author of Empires of the Atlantic World“This book builds on an incredible grasp of comparative historiography and brings previously disparate literatures into conversation with one another. It is a sparkling piece of scholarship.”—Matthew Brown, University of Bristol"Paquette masterfully explores the interconnected histories of five European seaborne empires. His book is an in-depth and comprehensive piece of transnational history, and a fundamental contribution to the comparative history of empires."—Pedro Cardim, Universidade Nova de Lisboa"Beautifully written and thoughtfully argued by a leading historian, this text rethinks the history of the seaborne empires in fruitful and innovative ways. Paquette skillfully brings non-European actors to the fore and demonstrates the limitations of European ambition even as he illuminates its growing power."—Philippa Levine, University of Texas at Austin"In a blend of lucid narrative and nuanced analysis, Paquette provides a superb synthesis of early modern imperialism. Sweeping across a vast geographical and cultural range, he demonstrates the vital contribution of Europe’s seaborne empires to global capitalism, and its consequences for peoples and environments across the world. A brilliant new starting point, highly recommended."—Anthony McFarlane, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Warwick

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Book SynopsisA fascinating reassessment of a turning point in the First World War, revealing its role in shaping the German psycheTrade Review“If you think that all that could possibly be written about the tragedy has been put on the page, Willi Jasper’s book might change your mind… Through the prism of this infamous maritime disaster, Jasper detects the upsurge of the nationalism, antisemitism and expansionism that prepared the way for Hitler.”—Ben Wilson, The Times -- Ben Wilson * The Times *“[An] unusually thought-provoking book . . . you will never think about the loss of the Lusitania quite the same way again . . . this is one of those rare works that immensely broadens our perspective and really alters the way we evaluate a historical event.”—Martin Rubin, Washington Times -- Martin Rubin * Washington Times *“A fascinating account”—R. W. Lemmons, Choice -- R. W. Lemmons * Choice *

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Book SynopsisI am just one of many who experienced life on a submarine duringWorld War II. Silent Running is a story sincerely told--free of anyrevisionism or cynicism--and I commend Vice Admiral Calvert forsharing this dramatic personal account of that difficult andexciting time. --President George Bush Hardened old sub vet that I am, I still felt the need for twoweeks R&R after reliving Jim''s only too realistic warpatrolling adventures. --C. W. Nimitz, Jr., Rear Admiral, USN(Ret.) I believe it is the best personal account yet written on U.S.submarine operations in the Second World War. [Calvert] writes withlucidity and a rare candor. We get an extraordinary sense of whatit was like, feeling the tensions and emotions, sharing thesuccesses and disappointments, ... This is a true story with tealpeople, always gripping and sometimes tender. It is exciting toread and hard to put down. --J. L. Holloway, Admiral, USN (Ret.)President, Naval Historical Society, Chief of Naval OperationsTable of ContentsTraining for the Big Show. On to Pearl Harbor. Patterns of War in the Deep. At the Gates of Tokyo. Fighting Wounded. A Taste of Defeat. The Tanker Sweep. Australia and Admiral Jay. The New Skipper. A Gallant Retreat. Farewell, Forgiveness, and Tragedy. Decisions at Guam. Deliverance by the Bomb. Tokyo--Hail and Farewell. Afterword. Index.

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Book SynopsisExplores the history of the United States Navy's secret development of code-breaking computers and their adaptation to solve a critical fleet radar data handling problem in the Navy's first seaborne digital computer system - that went to sea in 1962.Table of ContentsPreface xxiii Introduction 1 1 Radar—New Eyes for the Fleet 5 Beginnings of Radar 5 May Day—24 October 1944 5 Creation of Radar in the U.S. Navy 11 Start of the Naval Research Laboratory Radio Location P r o j e c t . . . 11 Tracking Projectiles in Flight—The Battleship New York Tests . . . 13 The Plan Position Indicator 14 The Baby Gets a Name 15 Mass Production 16 London—An Easy Target 16 Chain Home 16 Learning to Use Radar at Sea 19 The Most Valuable Cargo 21 Radar at War in the Pacific 26 McNally's Day of Infamy 26 Aboard Lexington 32 Aboard the Flying Boats 33 The Fighter Director Officers 34 CXAM in Action 37 Rest in Peace CXAM 39 The CXAM Lives On 41 Turning Point for McNally 42 Evolution of the Combat Information Center 44 The Kamikazes 49 Divine Wind 49 Floating Chrysanthemum 51 2 A Lingering Problem 53 Legacy of the Kamikazes 53 Legacy of Radar . 54 Problems 55 Quest for Solutions 57 TheThreeTs 57 The Guided Missile Frigates 60 Too Much Data and Not Enough Information 61 Three Digital Attempts 62 The Canadian Navy's Digital Automated Tracking and Resolving System 62 Early Digital Experiments at the Navy Electronics Laboratory 62 The Semi-Automatic Air Intercept Control System 65 Trouble with Analogs 66 The Royal Navy Comprehensive Display System 66 NRL's Electronic Data System 67 The Intercept Tracking and Control Console 68 Project COSMOS 68 Project CORNFIELD 69 3 The Codebreaking Computers—A Digital Solution 71 The Navy Codebreakers 71 A Place Named Seesaw 71 From Steam to Electrons 73 A Machine Named Ice Cream 73 The Naval Computing Machine Laboratory 76 A Computer Named von Neumann 77 ENIAC 77 EDVAC 79 The Navy Computers 81 From Gliders to Codebreaking Machines 81 The Moore School Lectures 90 WHIRLWIND 92 Atlas is Built 92 A Hint of Scandal 98 UNIVAC Persists 99 WHIRLWIND and SAGE 100 WHIRLWIND Saved by the Soviets 100 Chain Home a Thousand Times Over 102 Magnetic Donuts for WHIRLWIND 103 SAGE Goes into Production 105 SAGE in Operation 106 From Tubes to Transistors 107 Magnetic Donuts for Atlas II 107 The Undercapitalization Syndrome at ERA 108 We Can Do it With Transistors 109 BOGART 109 Enter the Transistor 110 SOLO, The All-Transistorized Computer 112 MAGSTEC and TRANSTEC 113 ATHENA 113 4 Conception of a New System 117 Project Lamplight—Conception of a New System 117 Continental Air Defense Coordination? 117 McNally's Mission 118 One of Us is Wrong, Mac 118 A Good Man to Have on Your Side 121 From Concept to Technology—The NTDS Technical and Operational Requirements Document 121 I Have Just the Man You Need 121 Building Blocks for Growth 123 A Digital Frankenstein Monster? 124 General-Purpose or Special-Purpose Computers? 124 Built to Go in Harm's Way 125 Marrying the Digital to the Analog 126 Drums or Magnetic Cores? 127 Automatic Communications 128 OPNAVBuysIt 128 5 Building a New System 131 Who Should Build the System? 131 Project Organization 134 The NTDS Project Office 134 Support from the BUSHIPS Technical Organization 136 The Special Applications Branch 137 The Radar Branch 139 Staffing the Project Office 140 An Evolving Modus Operandi 146 The Chief of Naval Operations Project Office 148 Navy Electronics Laboratory Role 155 A Computer With a Dipstick 156 Selection of Univac 156 Conception of the Unit Computer 159 The AN/USQ-17 Prototype Computer 161 Turmoil in a Young Industry 164 Building the Unit Computers 165 Fuzzy Scopes and Elliptical Circles 168 Selection of Hughes Aircraft 168 Like No Cathode Ray Tubes Ever Seen Before 170 More Than Just Displays 171 Building Blocks 173 Trials and Tribulations of Transistors 173 Computers on the Airwaves 177 A Link—The Primary Long Range Tactical Data Link 177 Selection of Collins Radio 177 From Digits to Music 178 B Link—For Those Without 181 The Interceptor Control Link . 181 C Link—The UHF Short Range Tactical Data Link 182 Digits in an Analog World 182 Developing the Operational Computer Program 183 A New Thing Under the Sun 183 Who Should Build the Seagoing Operational Computer Programs? 184 Real-Programmers Write in Machine Language 185 Real-Programmers Do Not Need to Document Their Programs 187 Building the Prototype Computer Program 188 Programming a Real-Time Computer 188 First Steps 189 Force Tracking and Data Linking 190 TEWA 193 Interceptor Control 195 The Stores 197 A System that Never Sailed 197 The Fleet Comes In 207 6 No Damned Computer Is Going To Tell Me What To Do 211 Getting the Ships 211 The Guided Missile Frigates 211 Not on Our Ship!—How Oriskany Was Won 212 Ready or Not, I Want it on the Nuclear-Powered Ships 213 The Billboard Radars 213 Long Beach and Enterprise 215 Building for Service Test 216 The Q-17 Does Not Make It 216 The Purple Plague 221 The NTDS Interface Specification 228 Good Bye to the Cigarette Lighter 229 Service Test Communications Subsystems 232 Service Test Computer Programs 234 New Faces in the Project Office 234 Service Test Installation 238 No Damned Computer 241 Service Test 245 Getting Ready for Service Test 245 The Navy Meets the Software Monster 249 Where Did All Those Tracks Come From? 250 If You Don't Have a Sense of Humor, Don't Use Computers 252 Hell, It Don't Hardly Ever Fail Sir! 253 Saved by Equipment Reliability 255 Service Approval 258 So What Did They Get for the Money? 259 Money Spent 260 What Was the End Product? 263 7 In the Air, on Land, and Sea 267 On the Land as on the Sea—The Marine Tactical Data System 267 The Amphibious Force Flagships 272 Hawkeye and the Airborne Tactical Data System 274 Advent of USN Airborne Early Warning Radar 274 Hawkeye 276 The E-2A 'Hawkeye' Airborne Early Warning Aircraft 276 TheE-2B Hawkeye 281 TheE-2C Hawkeye 282 Digitizing the Antisubmarine Airplanes 283 Other Navies and NTDS 284 The Royal Navy and ADA 284 New Names for NTDS 291 8 New Horizons for Tactical Computers 297 First Production 297 First-Production Ships 297 First-Production NTDS Equipment 298 The Watch Changes 302 Maybe these Digital Computers are Good for Something After All 305 No Kid Named Joe Randolph 315 Troubles with the Three Ts 315 Seconds are Precious—Weapons Direction System Mark 11 and the AN/SPS-48 Radar 317 The Birth of Weapons Direction System Mark 11 317 Genesis of the AN/SPS-48 Radar 319 No Kid Named Joe Randolph is Going to Tell Me How to Run my Business 322 Mare Island, the Testing Ground 324 Shoehorning a New System into Wainwright 325 Life in Main Navy 327 The Anti-Submarine Warfare Ship Command and Control System 330 The Requirement 330 A Concept for Automating Anti-Submarine Warfare 333 New Link 11 Equipment 334 A New Display Subsystem 335 Analog Leaves Center Stage 337 ASWSC&CS Aftermath 338 Time to Go Competitive? 339 The System Evolves 340 Automatic Detection and Tracking 340 A Large Screen Display? 342 9 Twilight of the Analogs 347 In Combat 347 Early NTDS and ATDS Deployment in Vietnam 347 OnPIRAZ 349 The Beacon Video Processor 350 The Marine Tactical Data System in Vietnam 352 Interceptor Control and Missile Operations 354 NTDS Vietnam Summary 355 Give Us More Memory! 356 The Fleet Goes Digital 357 The First Wave 357 The Second Wave 358 New Computers for New Purposes 358 Finally, 32 Bits—The AN/UYK-7 Computer 360 Moving on to Digital Weapons Control 361 Working Out the Fundamentals 361 Digital Talos 362 Digital Tartar 364 Digital Terrier 365 Closing the Loop 365 The Guns Go Digital 366 A Line of Standards 367 Last Decade of the Analogs 367 Too Many Computers! 368 A Standard Minicomputer 370 The Navy Embedded Computer Program 372 The Politics of Computers 377 Shield of the Fleet 378 The Advanced Surface Missile System 378 From ASMS to Aegis 384 More Boundary Line Adjustments 386 Problems of Success 388 A New Name 389 Do Old Computers Ever Die? 393 Summary 394 Legacy of NTDS 394 Recognition 395 How Could They Possibly Have Succeeded? 397 A Joint Electronics Equipment Designation System 401 B Table of Acronyms and Abbreviations 405 C Univac NTDS Organization, December 1,1959 415 Bibliography 421 Index 441

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Book SynopsisThis work allows the reader to hear from sailors who served in the Royal Navy during the first half of the 20th century. The author has scoured sailors' diaries, letters, memoirs, and oral interviews to uncover the lives and secret thoughts of British men of the lower deck.Trade ReviewSober Men and True recounts the lives of the enlisted men who served in Britain's Royal Navy from the dreadnought era through World War II, from Gallipoli and Jutland to Taranto and Normandy. With his characteristic diligence, keen insight and superb literary grace, Christopher McKee brings to pulsating life a maritime society of working-class men that has now disappeared. He honors these British naval ratings and demonstrates that the Royal Navy was truly blessed to have such steady hearts of oak beating below decks in its last days of imperial majesty. His glowing and humane achievement will be deeply appreciated. -- Kenneth J. Hagan, author of This People's Navy: The Making of American Sea PowerThis beautifully written and engaging reconstruction of the 'inner worlds' of British naval ratings in the first half of the twentieth century will delight and entertain. A tour de force! -- Peter Karsten, author of The Naval AristocracyIt is not ships but men that make a navy, observed one great British admiral. In Sober Men and True, Christopher McKee brings to life the men who made the Royal Navy such a success. Their success was built on professionalism, courage, commitment and loyalty, human qualities that can best be understood through McKee's brilliant analysis. -- Andrew Lambert, author of War at Sea in the Age of SailMcKee's elegantly written history of travel and tradition, rum and religion, skylarking and sex, and combat and comradeship, provides the reader with multi-dimensional and iconoclastic portraits of British seamen during the dreadnought era. -- Michael Palmer, author of Stoddert's War: Naval Operations During the Quasi-War With France, 1798-1801A vivid recreation of lower-deck life, full of psychological insights. We have had so little real social history of the 20th-century Royal Navy, that this will open up completely new vistas. -- N.A.M. Rodger, author of The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian NavyAn evocative portrait of a unique and now vanished society. McKee has brought this world to life in an insightful and fascinating manner. -- Ronald Spector, author of At War at Sea: Sailors and Naval Combat in the Twentieth CenturyMcKee's cumulative portrait shows the danger, boredom (and ways of combating it), camaraderie, discipline, diet, and many other mundane details of a sailor's life that are rarely encountered in the romantic renderings of fiction. Vivid and full of personality, this portrait of life below decks during the first half of the last century is very readable and is recommended. -- Michael F. Russo * Library Journal *A meticulously researched look at the lives of sailors serving in the British Royal Navy during the first half of the 20th century. McKee...here paints a portrait that contravenes commonly held stereotypes about enlisted sailors. Such stereotypes, he argues, are generally drawn from either formal military histories written by officers and academics or from the visions of novelists and filmmakers...Rather than rely on traditional military histories, he makes use of the diaries, letters, memoirs, questionnaires, and taped recollections of the former sailors themselves. These documents reveal a decidedly monotonous and often dangerous shipboard existence. Interweaving conventional history and detailed enumeration of naval regulations into the sailors' own anecdotes, McKee captures the tension endemic on ships where public routine governed every moment of the day...Particularly appealing to those concerned with naval history, but written in vivid prose that will sustain the interest of more general readers as well. * Kirkus Reviews *There is much to lure even the novice in naval history. The voices for one. They spill from diaries, letters, memoirs, questionnaires, and an archive of taped interviews in London's Imperial War Museum. Christopher McKee uses each to bring the "lower deck" alive. The seaman talk of everything, from what they ate and wore and gambled to the pleasures of shore leave, the panic of wartime, the plague of officers. -- Nina C. Ayoub * Chronicle of Higher Education *A rich and valuable account of the way sailors lived and worked and the kind of people they were. -- Ian Jack * London Review of Books *There is much more to this book than initially meets the eye...It is the only real attempt I have read to look into sailors' lives and to bring out their backgrounds, their true feelings, their thoughts on their officers, teamwork, war fighting, discipline, drink, the run ashore, and many other aspects that can only be fully understood if you are part of the lower deck. And it makes fascinating reading--all the more so because, as the book progresses, the theme is absolutely clear--sailors' lives, their thoughts, feelings and aspirations are very much the same now as they were then...Sober Men and True is full of gems...[It is] a thoroughly entertaining read [and] has serious lessons for us all that are always worth revisiting. -- Martin Ewence * Naval Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Jack's Wrong Image 1. I Went Away to Join the Navy 2. They Were Officers and You Were Not 3. The Finest and Most Sincere Crowd of Men 4. I Never Thought I'd See Daylight Again 5. This Rum It Was Wonderful Stuff 6. A Sailor's Paradise 7. Traveling with an Oar on My Shoulder Appendix 1: Ratings in the Royal Navy, 1914 Appendix 2: Ratings in the Royal Navy, 1943 Appendix 3: Daily Standard Naval Rations, 1914 Informants for Sober Men and True Abbreviations Notes Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisThe Marine Corps has always considered itself a breed apart. Since 1775 America’s smallest armed service has been suspicious of outsiders and deeply loyal to its traditions. Undying faith in its exceptionalism made the Marines one of the sharpest, swiftest tools of American military power, but developing this brand did not come without costs.Trade ReviewO’Connell [separates myth from reality] with brio in his absorbing account of the Marines between 1941 and 1965. -- Max Boot * Wall Street Journal *A fascinating history. -- Malcolm Gladwell * New Yorker *O’Connell, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, analyzes the development of the corps’ culture from World War II to the Vietnam era. The Marine ethos was defined by a commitment to toughness ingrained at boot camp and a willingness to suffer reinforced by the high casualties the corps experienced in World War II and the Korean War. O’Connell does not shrink from describing the physical and mental toll this culture takes on individual marines and the violent behavior, drunkenness, and domestic abuse that represent its dark side. He also details the organization’s relentless self-promotion, which helped turn it from the least to the most admired of the services and guaranteed its independence. The corps has a deserved reputation for assiduously cultivating politicians, journalists, and filmmakers to help burnish its public image and win bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. This is an honest, but not unsympathetic, take on the Marines and a fine contribution to the study of military culture. -- Lawrence D. Freedman * Foreign Affairs *O’Connell’s depth offers military professionals, serious history enthusiasts and ordinary armchair buffs enlightening insights via easy-to-understand explanations of why the Corps always has considered itself unique and superior to the other U.S. Armed Forces… O’Connell patiently cuts through the origins of the USMC’s cultural power, delineating its maneuvers, contradictions and effects on mid-20th-century American life… [Underdogs] deserves high honor and distinction. -- Don DeNevi * Leatherneck *As well as detailing the inner psychological effects of front-line fighting on Marines, O’Connell describes how war turns public opinion, and how the Corps employed the media, movies, and Congressional support to build a positive public relations network. -- C. D. Quyn * Sacramento Book Review *[A] thoroughly researched and splendidly written book. -- John R. Coyne, Jr. * Washington Times *O’Connell has penned an important, extraordinary volume—wonderfully descriptive, copiously referenced, and richly punctuated by anecdotal presentations… A wonderful book, but more importantly, a significant addition to military historical literature. -- J. Stanley * Choice *Unlike the other branches of the armed forces, writes O’Connell, the Marines did not rush into nuclear technology after World War II. Instead, he argues, the Corps built on its combat record, especially in the Pacific island-hopping campaign, to re-orient itself as an elite, naval or helicopter-borne, quick-reaction force, able to provide various combinations of unit strength on very short notice. Using an equipment and technology budget line from the Navy, the Marines expanded in size and technical capability to meet this adopted objective. The real eye-opener here is O’Connell’s account of the behind-the-scenes lobbying and PR work conducted by the Chowder Society, ‘an unofficial organization of…well-connected officers’ dedicated to protecting the Corps from postwar defense reorganizations. According to the author, this went beyond lobbying and included spying, leaking classified documents and smearing opponents. The group made full use of the Marine’s press networks, building especially on the wartime centralization of news distribution. Headquarters had developed tactics for dealing with the press, such as preparing ‘Joe Blow’ stories of hometown combat troops. O’Connell shows how Hollywood transformed the image of the Marines, who sustained a casualty rate double that of the Army, by crafting stories that depicted them as military heroes. Then, to support peacetime political combat, those stories were tweaked to portray them as gentle protectors of families and motherhood. The author contrasts the stories with the reality… A powerful account of the relationship between fighting war and preserving peace, viewed through the lens of the stories that built support for both. * Kirkus Reviews *[O’Connell] attributes the rise of the Marines from a tiny, unpopular 1941 corps to preeminent armed service in 1965 to the success of the Marine Corps’ public relations campaign… This insightful cultural history is recommended for those interested in U.S. military history and modern U.S. history. * Library Journal *O’Connell offers an excellent analysis of how the marines became the Marines. * Publishers Weekly *A superb cultural history of the modern U.S. Marine Corps. This book makes a significant and original contribution to both the military history of the Cold War and the ongoing conversation about the militarization of American culture. -- Beth Bailey, author of America’s Army: Making the All-Volunteer ForceUnderdogs is a probing history of one of the most storied institutions in American life: the United States Marine Corps. Aaron O’Connell takes readers inside the culture of the Corps to explore its strengths, its weaknesses, and the lessons it can teach to us all. -- Nathaniel Fick, author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine OfficerThis fascinating and sometimes frightening cultural history highlights the Marines’ exceptional agility in catering to and cultivating the changing needs of American power, and the costs of doing so. -- Michael S. Sherry, author of The Rise of American Air Power: The Creation of ArmageddonA brilliant synthesis of military and cultural history. Underdogs will do for Marine Corps history what Peter Karsten’s The Naval Aristocracy did for naval history. -- Ronald H. Spector, author of In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia

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Book SynopsisOne of Canada’s leading military historians recounts the story of the Canadian navy’s Pacific fleet during the tense years of the early Cold War.Trade ReviewAny scholar of Cold War naval policy will benefit from reading this book. David Zimmerman sets out to correct the absence of works on the Canadian West Coast Fleet. … The book is superbly organized … [and] serves as an excellent example of examining all elements of a navy and not simply the fleet and strategy. Additionally, the book is a welcome break from the U.S.-centric perspective. -- Sean Getway, independent scholar * Pacific Historical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction1 The Legacy of War and Demobilization2 From Peace to Cold War, 1945-503 Defending the West Coast in the Nuclear AgeCold War Expansion5 Reorganization of Pacific Command and West Coast Defence Planning, 1958-616 The Golden Age7 The Cold War on the Pacific Coast, 1958-65Conclusion; Notes on Sources; Notes; Index

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Book SynopsisThis is a history of how the Navy responded-in doctrine, strategy, operations, preparedness, self-awareness, and force structure-to radical changes in political circumstance, technological innovation, and national needs and expectations.Trade Review"A fine book: meticulous, judicious, incisive. It is a book to which the conventional exaggerations—"must" reading, relevant, if you're only going to read one book on the subject, etc.—actually may be said to apply. . . . It is a study of the interactions of technology, bureaucracy, politics and culture, of how an institution adapts, or fails to adapt, to changing conditions. As such, the book belongs on a lot of desks at the Pentagon."—Washington Times"Baer takes what could have been a dry topic—the political history of the modern U.S. Navy—and turns it into interesting reading."—Library Journal"This is clearly one of the two or three most important works in American naval history published in the last decade; it has the potential to become a classic in the field. Well researched and carefully nuanced, it provides a distinctive perspective on the evolving historical relationship between national interest and national politics on the one hand and naval power on the other. Not only is this a significant contribution to scholarship—one that will critically influence how historians and political scientists think about American naval power—it is an enormously readable work. Baer writes beautifully, and he has organized his material effectively. The book is fully accessible to anyone interested in naval history."—Edward Rhodes, Rutgers University"A valuable book that stimulates reflection, reconsideration, and debate."—International History Review"Policy makers will benefit greatly from reading Baer's erudite review of the navy's previous successes and failures in developing strategy. . . . In seeking to educate both the naval and the non-naval communities, Baer admirably fulfills the special obligation of a public historian to convey to several audiences his special understanding of the institution he serves."—The Public HistorianTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I. On the Sea: 1. Sea power and the fleet Navy, 1890-1910 2. The new Navy, 1898-1913 3. Neutrality or readiness? 1913-1917 4. War without Mahan, 1917-1918 5. Parity and proportion, 1919-1922 6. Treaty Navy, 1922-1930 7. Adapt and innovate, 1931-1938 8. Are we ready? 1938-1940 9. Sea control, 1941-1942 10. Strategic offensives, 1943-1944 11. Victory drives, 1944-1945 Part II. From the Sea: 12. Why do we need a navy? 1945-1949 13. Naval strategy, 1950-1954 14. Containment and the Navy, 1952-1960 15. The McNamara years, 1961-1970 16. Disarray, 1970-1980 17. High tide, 1980-1990 Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines British naval policy during the mid-Victorian period, emphasising the political, economic, and foreign relations contexts within which naval policy was formulated.Trade Review“I cannot rate this book too highly. It is of the highest quality, combining accuracy with sustained analytical rigor. It will be welcomed by all naval historians as providing a reassessment of the 19th-century Royal Navy and a reconsideration of the basic issues of British diplomacy in that period. It will remain a standard work for years to come.”—Andrew Lambert, University of LondonTable of ContentsTables A note on quotations 1. Introduction: the industrial revolution and the navy 2. Strategic parameters 3. Administration, politics and economics 4. Derby, Disraeli and a mutinous admiralty 1866-1868 5. Hugh Childers at the admiralty 1868-1870 6. Of captains and Lords 7. Collapse and recovery 1870-1874 8. Politics, finance and the navy 1874-1880 9. Admiralty administration: Childers, Goschen and the historians 10. Rivals 11. Strategic planning and imperial defence 12. Conclusion 13. Epilogue the end of an era Notes Bibliography Index.

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Book SynopsisThis volume provides an in-depth history of Navy high-level decision making during the challenging initial decade of the Cold War.Trade Review"This thorough study by one of the top scholars in the field of contemporary naval history presents a revealing analysis of the U.S. Navy's role in the nation's defense during the decade just after World War II, when the leaders of the world's most powerful fleets had to retool from conducting all-out war to the delicate and dangerous business of preventing it." -- Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler * U.S. Navy, Naval History *"This work covers an amazing amount of intellectual ground. . . . From Hot War to Cold takes the reader behind the scenes through a period of turmoil and uncertainty in national security affairs . . . essential reading for anyone who wants to come to grips with the immediate postwar period. . . . What gets lost in the histories of this period [is that] things might not have worked. . . . This book makes that very clear. It brings to life the dilemmas, the frustrations, and the personalities of that postwar Navy." -- Thomas C. Hone * Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy *"A thickly researched narrative of the early national security state...the book should prove especially interesting to contemporary historians of strategy." -- Marcus Jones * The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord *"With strong evidentiary base drawn from extensive primary source material, Barlow's text offers a fascinating and important examination of organization reform within a military organization and the ways in which that reform can influence the direction of national policy. The book should resonate with historians from various fields as well as political scientists interested in the policy-making process. Barlow's arguments also provide grist for re-energizing a debate long overdue in Cold War historiography." -- Graig C. Feleker * American Historical Review *"Barlow has written an important book that fills gaps in early Cold War history... This book is particularly important for the contribution it makes to the subfield of civil-military affairs." * Mark R. Hagerott Journal of Military History *"Reading this minutely researched and detailed history of ten crucial years in U.S.-Soviet naval relations is like watching a rocket spin out of control—just as rapidly as the overall good relations between [United States and Former Soviet Union] declined after World War II...This monograph fills an important gap in our understanding of these previously murky years. The notes are extensive, almost as long and as interesting as the book itself, and the bibliography is comprehensive." -- Dr. Elleman * U.S Naval Institute *"One great advantage for the nation having the greatest military power in the history of the world is the resultant enabling of extensive intellectual analysis of that power. This huge and incredibly closely researched book is a very good example of just such analysis . . . [From Hot War to Cold] is a complex yet clear study of a whole new world in the military sense." -- Baird Publications"From Hot War to Cold justifiably deserves the highest possible recommendation. It is a major addition to the literature on the influence of strategy on institutional change. Barlow's insights into the workings of naval high command in an era of dynamic change are worthy of study by military professionals, academics and student alike." -- Kenneth P. Hansen * International Journal of Maritime *"There is crackling good history between the covers of Jeffrey Barlow's From Hot War to Cold .... The book does an excellent job of describing the policy discussions among the senior leaders of the Navy and Defense Department .... [It] is a valuable addition to the literature of the immediate post-war era. The author's access to resources and his description of the inner workings of the policy developers should not be missed by those looking for a 36-degree view of early post-war national security policy." -- Captain Albert Lord * PARAMETERS: U.S. Army War College Quarterly *Table of ContentsCONTENTS Acknowledgements ix A Note on Transliteration xiii Introduction 1 I. Wartime Organizational Changes in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations 13 II. Initial Challenges: Postwar and Demobilization Planning 66 III. The Navy and Unification 110 IV. The National Security Act Achieved 142 V. Preparing for a New Enemy 186 VI. War Ends in the Pacific 229 VII. Troubles Emerge in Postwar China, 1945-1946 269 VIII. Assessing and Responding to the Soviet Naval Threat 314 IX. Adjusting to the National Military Establishment 344 X. Living in 'Interesting Times' 387 XI. Slugging It Out on Capitol Hill 428 XII. Events in the Western Pacific 473 XIII. Troubles on the Korean Peninsula 506 XIV. Deciding to Fight 553 XV. Defending NATO Europe: Planning During the Initial Stages 591 XVI. The Eisenhower National Security Structure 644 XVII. Rethinking National Strategy 688 XVIII. Coping with the New Look 717 XIX. A Crisis Abroad and a CNO's Departure 751 XX. Conclusion 791 Abbreviations 798 Notes --- Bibliography 812 Index ---

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Book SynopsisUSS Pampanito is a tourist destination. During WW-II the submarine earned six battle stars, sank six Japanese ships, damaged four others, and rescued seventy-three British and Australian POWs from the South China Sea. This title chronicles this rescue story of the Pacific War.Trade Review"Recounts one of the most heartrending stories of the U.S. Navy's submarine service." - William Thiesen, author of Industrializing American Shipbuilding"

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Book SynopsisFocuses on the lives and careers of four particularly distinguished British naval officers who returned to sea and continued to fight and win battles after losing an arm or a leg: Lord Horatio Nelson, Sir Michael Seymour, Sir Watkin Owen Pell, and Sir James Alexander Gordon.Trade ReviewMichals takes an understudied topic in naval history and connects it to a broader historiography of disability, and she does so creatively and effectively." - Evan Wilson, U.S. Naval War College, author of A Social History of British Naval Officers, 1775–1815

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Book SynopsisOffers a unique contribution to the history of Naval aviation. The book sets out the almost day-to-day experiences and reactions of a cadet who went through the training programme at its peak during World War II. In this account training is the focus of interest. In contrast with official histories, this is a story of how it was, rather than how it was supposed to be.

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Book SynopsisOriginal, comprehensive, and compelling, The Treasure of the San Jose separates popular myth from history and sheds light on the human lives associated with a "treasureship.Trade ReviewNot just another maritime disaster drama, this history of a Spanish galleon sunk by the English in 1708 offers fascinating glimpses into Spain's American empire... By plumbing the dashed hopes of those invested in the success of the San Jose, Phillips endows her narrative with a foreboding poignancy. Booklist 2007 Her work proceeds, even with its scholarship, to retain the basic magic of the tale of the magnificent galleon under the command of the Count of Casa Alegrre and manned by 600 souls, all still resting untouched and waiting. Library Journal (starred review) 2007 Phillips' book does much to dispel longstanding myths and provides a close look at maritime practices as well as the difficulties posed by allowing memory to stand in for fact... Certainly the most fascinating portion of the book was Phillips minute description of the battle that resulted in the loss of the San Jose. PhiloBiblos 2007 It sounds like the title of a boy's own adventure tale or an Erroll Flynn movie, and rightly so: The Treasure of San Jose has a swashbuckling spirit and contains all the elements for an old-fashioned romance: sea battles, suave adventurers and sunken treasure. But it also displays the kind of detail and precision that comes from shrewdly plundered archives. Carla Rahn Phillips is clearly an assiduous historian with an eye for an extraordinary story. Wall Street Journal 2007 Phillips' impeccable scholarship, detailed reporting, and careful analysis will appeal primarily to students of Spanish history and naval affairs. -- Margaret A. Koger Magill Book Reviews 2008 A book that will please and reward all students of Spanish imperial and maritime history. -- N.A.M. Rodger International Journal of Maritime History 2007 A well-written and well-researched book which can be effectively read by both scholar and novice. -- John Leiby Hispanic American Historical Review 2008 For Carla Rahn Phillips, the sinking of the San Jose is significant beyond the terrible tragedy and can be used as a lens to view complex themes in a changing Spanish Empire... This is a very well-written, analytical study based on extensive fresh archival research. -- Christon I. Archer American Historical Review 2009 The author has used this wealth of documents to write a marvellous book, fascinating from beginning to end. -- Jaap de Moor The Northern Mariner 2007 A penetrating micro-study of the Spanish monarchy during the conflict over the Spanish succession... The human element is never forgotten as she probes the lives and careers not only of viceroys, but of lesser officials and soldiers, and even the humblest seamen and their families. -- Jerzy Lukowski Bulletin of Latin American Research 2009 A first-rate book written by an experienced historian at the height of her career. -- James A. Lewis ItinerarioTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. The Last Galleons2. Commanders of the Fleet3. The Men of the San José4. A Tale of Two Viceroys, One Captain General,and a World at War5. The Last Voyage of the San José6. After the BattlePostscriptAppendix 1: The Spanish and English Calendars in 1708Appendix 2: Treasure Registered on the San Joaquín in 1712NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis sensitive and enthralling history of the USS Monitor ensures that this fateful ship, and the men who served on it, will be remembered for generations to come.Trade ReviewMindell takes us back in time so we become 'witnesses' to the events surrounding the Union Navy's most famous ironclad. Pirates and Privateers The excellence of this volume confirms its continuing usefulness... Iron Coffin is a veritable gem of a book. -- John F.M. McDermott IEEE Technology and Society Magazine Mindell's research is impeccable and supports his argument with considerable authority from contemporary sources as well as his own experiences after the partial recovery of the Monitor's components. The book, as with its earlier incarnation, is an important bridge between operational military history and the human side to science and technology. -- Gregory Stern H-War, H-Net Reviews Midell conveys life aboard the Monitor with realism and honesty. -- Robert C. Stewart Industrial ArchaeologyTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsPreface 2012Preface to the First EditionIntroduction: A Strange Sort of Warfare1. Revising the Revolution, 1815–18612. Building a Ship, Speaking Success3. William Keeler's Epistolary Monitor4. Life in the Artificial World5. The Battle of Hampton Roads6. Iron Ship in a Glass Case, April–September 18627. Utilitarians View the Monitor's Fight, 1862–18658. Melville and the Mechanic's WarConclusion: Mechanical Faces of BattleEpilogueNotesBibliography EssayIndex

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Book SynopsisSheads, a National Park Service ranger and specialist on the event, introduces the book, which will remain a popular favorite for years to come.Trade ReviewStill the best account available of the two key battles of the War of 1812... brings the 1814 battles around Washington and Baltimore to life, making them seem terrifying and critical, as they must have seemed to Marylanders at the time. Baltimore City Paper One of the very best books on the War of 1812 ever written. -- Blaine Taylor Captain's Locker This reissue of The Dawn's Early Light celebrates the bicentennial of the Battle of Baltimore. Scott S. Sheads, a National Park Service ranger and specialist on the event, introduces the book, which will remain a popular favorite for years to come. Lone Star Book Review Compelling and often riveting, The Dawn's Early Light employs a journalistic style that imparts facts while retaining a sense of sensationalism and dramatic color. -- Dave Burford H-War, H-Net ReviewsTable of ContentsForeword, by Scott S. SheadsPreface1. Sails on the Chesapeake2. "Chastise the Savages"3. Face to Face4. Sleepless Hours5. Time Runs Out6. Bladensburg7. Ordeal by Fire8. Shock Waves9. Focus on Baltimore10. North Point11. For McHenry12. Britain Struggles with Herself12. "The Dawn's Early Light"AcknowledgmentsChapter NotesIndex

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Book SynopsisTaken collectively, these snapshots remind us that the history of war is not merely a chronicle of campaigns won and lost, it is the collective personal odysseys of thousands of individual life stories.Trade ReviewAn engaging look at a neglected part of the history of the American Civil War. Booklist Coddington has hit upon a unique and fascinating niche in the seemingly endless march of Civil War books. C&RL News A lavishly produced visual record of southern Civil War soldiers... will appeal to serious photography enthusiasts and collectors, as well as those readers captivated by the personal stories of Civil War soldiers. Civil War Books and Authors Coddington's prose is as unpretentious as the faces he shares, yet authoritative. It resurrects details that broaden our understanding of those sad times and sheds valuable light on the shape of modern culture. Atlanta Constitution Even at a distance of over a hundred years, the faces staring out of these pages create an undeniable emotional connection with the reader. This book is highly recommended. H-CivWar, H-Net Reviews A fascinating window into the war's impact on the individual soldier... well researched and engagingly written. Any teacher of the Civil War would do well to consult this volume and incorporate some of the captivating tales into lectures and readings. Journal of Military History Faces of the Civil War Navies is a notable addition to anyone's Civil War library - whether they are interested in the War's naval history or social aspects. Coddington does a worthy job providing scholarly biographies that are both interesting to read and informative. The scholarly nature of this work can be appreciated through the thoroughly cited entries, and extensive bibliography. In the end Faces of the Civil War Navies does accomplish Coddington's goal of adding the human story of the war at sea. Civil War Book ReviewTable of ContentsForeword by Craig L. SymondsPrefaceCartes de VisiteNotesReferencesAcknowledgmentsIndex

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Book SynopsisA wide-ranging look at the history of the Canadian Navy, from its beginnings in 18th-century exploration and trade, to its astonishing expansion during the Second World War, through to its current roles in operations with United Nations and NATO forces.Trade Review'Milner's book ... will serve for many as the navy's "official history." ' -- John D. Harbron, Globe and Mail 'Marc Milner is one of the soundest counsels in Canadian military history.' -- Roger Marsters, Atlantic Books Today 'This welcome new book is stimulating, authoritative, and current. Canada's Navy: The First Century is a great read.' -- Jan Drent, Maritime Affairs 'A delightful tour de force.' -- Ron Lowman, Toronto Star 'A focused and consolidated history, Milner has achieved a great accomplishment with this much-needed addition and upgrade to the history of the Canadian Navy.' -- Todd Jerry, H-Canada, September 2010 'Milner's book is an essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the broader question of Canadian defense politics... He has opened up the door for a much more sophisticated and nuanced understanding of the nexus of Canadian politics, national interest, and sea power.' -- Rob Huebert War in History vol 20:02:2013 '[Canada's Navy] will long remain the standard account of how the Canadian navy was created, developed, and used ... Marked by breadth of learning, masterly analysis, and a generous scholarship, it is a model and an inspiration. Canadians, and naval historians around the world, are once again in Milner's debt.' -- Andrew Lambert, The International History Review 'This book, like the first edition, provides an outstanding narrative of the history of the Canadian Navy, and should hold a place of honour on every naval officer's bookshelf.' -- Jurgen Duewel, Canadian Military Journal, vol10:03:2010

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Book SynopsisThe Royal Canadian Navy is best known for its role in the defence of convoys against attacks by U-boats, particularly those in the mid-Atlantic from 1941--1943. Marc Milner's 1985 book, North Atlantic Run: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle for the Convoys, was the first scholarly analysis of those crucial defensive operations. The U-Boat Hunters takes up the story for the last two years of the war, when the measurement of operational effectiveness at sea shifted from success in defending convoys to the ability to hunt down and sink U-Boats. The U-Boat Hunters begins with a thorough re-evaluation of the RCN's role in the decisive Allied Atlantic victory over the U-boats in 1943. It presents some startling new conclusions about why the Canadians were marginalized in this the greatest of all anti-submarine offensives. Most studies of the Atlantic war end at this point, but 1943 is just the prologue to Milner's new book. Historians have ignored anti-subm

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Book SynopsisIn a stretch of the North Atlantic known as the Black Pit, far from land-based air cover, escorted convoys travelling the main trade routes between Newfoundland and Ireland were regularly besieged by marauding U-boats in classical naval confrontations. The Royal Canadian Navy's escort operations proved to be one of Canada's most important contributions to Allied victory in the Second World War. They were also one of the most controversial. The story of those operations and of Canada's wartime navy is now told in full detail for the first time. Milner focuses primarily on the series of bitter and tragic battles fought by the RCN in the mid-Atlantic during the latter half of 1942. Events of those six months constituted the crisis of Canada's naval war. The fall-out from this crisis, its impact on the operational deployment of the fleet, and the violent upheaval it caused it Ottawa are key parts of the story. The drama at sea was played out against a backgroup of bitter controvers

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Book SynopsisIn The End of Grand Strategy, Simon Reich and Peter Dombrowski challenge the common view of grand strategy as unitary. They eschew prescription of any one specific approach, chosen from a spectrum that stretches from global primacy to restraint and isolationism, in favor of describing what America's military actually does, day to day. They argue that a series of fundamental recent changes in the global system, the inevitable jostling of bureaucratic politics, and the practical limitations of field operations combine to ensure that each presidential administration inevitably resorts to a variety of strategies. Proponents of different American grand strategies have historically focused on the pivotal role of the Navy. In response, Reich and Dombrowski examine six major maritime operations, each of which reflects one major strategy. One size does not fit all, say the authorsthe attempt to impose a single overarching blueprint is no longer feasible. Reich and Dombrowski deTrade ReviewThe End of Grand Strategy should be widely read, first, to distinguish grand strategy from traditional strategy.... The second reason to read Reich and Dombrowski is to see the difficulties 21st-century decision makers confront in preparing to fight.... Today, a strategy’s aim almost always should be to establish what constitutes a satisfactory outcome rather than a clear-cut victory. A grand strategic goal should be expressed in terms of control that may take a long time to achieve and require great patience. I think Reich and Dombrowski have implied as much, and that is one more reason for reading their fine book. * Proceedings *Reich and Dombrowski’s approach offers a description of US grand strategic theory found in no other text and a set of developed case studies that flesh out each identified strategic approach.... The End of Grand Strategy presents highly comprehensible policy overviews and histories of each topic engaged with. * H-NET Reviews *Insightfully examines both the contemporary US NSS approach and current US Navy operations across the globe. While American-centric by intent, the book contains many concepts and ideas that smaller nations may find useful, especially in contemplating future multilateral naval operations, an area of growing importance. The book offers much for policymakers, military planners, academics and all those concerned with understanding the business of strategising. * The RUSI Journal *The End of Grand Strategy provides a balanced presentation based on broad research drawn from published government documents and secondary sources. Clear in argument and prose, the book accomplishes its goals by effectively relating the ways and means of sea power to specific regional grand strategies.... This work will appeal to both generalists and specialists of American national security and strategy. Upper level undergraduate, graduate, and war college students in national security, international relations, and strategic studies would especially benefit from this work. * The Journal of Military History *While the broad strokes of Reich and Dombrowski's theoretical argument are thought provoking, it is their descriptive empirical analysis that stands out for its concision and clarity. Any one of their empirical chapters could serve as a high-level primer on the topic it discusses. * Stategic Studies Quarterly *The book will be important for readers studying or involved in American politics and policy-making. It can also be recommended to students of American strategic thought and strategic planning, given the relatively low cost of the book. * international affairs *In this academic treatise, the authors challenge the notion of the effectiveness of a unified grand strategy and posit that in the current era a spectrum of strategies is needed depending on the region and the threats therein. * SeaPower Magazine *The authors make a positive contribution when they describe Iranian use of asymmetric warfare.[T] he book is useful to the reader because of the information it conveys: in particular, six strategies of American foreign policy; case studies of inter-allied maritime operations that strengthened regional military and political cooperation and enhanced US alliances (this is also important in the context of the increased use of military forces as a political instrument); case study on racing for the Arctic with a strategy of restraint; and adversary use of asymmetric warfare. * H-War *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Naval Operations and Grand Strategy in the New Security Environment 2. Comparing Grand Strategies—and Their Inherent Limitations 3. A Maritime Strategy of Primacy in the Persian Gulf 4. Playing a Follow-the-Leader Strategy on the High Seas 5. Pirates, Terrorists, and Formal Sponsorship 6. Navigating the Proliferation Security Initiative and Informal Sponsorship 7. Racing for the Arctic with a Strategy of Restraint 8. Controlling the Southern Maritime Approaches with an Isolationist Strategy Conclusion Appendixes 1. The Strategies of American Foreign Policy 2. Select Multilateral Exercises in the Indo-Pacific 3. PSI Multinational Exercises Notes Index

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Book SynopsisFor most of the 20th century, historians have thought that British naval policy was driven by the Anglo-German arms race. After examining a quantity of primary sources, Lambert concludes that Admiralty decision-making was in fact driven by factors unrelated to the German building programme. This volume explores the intrigue and negotiations between the Admiralty and leading domestic politicians and social reformers of the day, such as Herbert H. Asquith, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. Lambert also explains how Britain's naval leaders responded to these non-military, cultural challenges under the direction of Adimiral Sir John Fisher, the service head of the Admiralty from 1904 to 1910, who believed in a radically new approach to navel defence. For mainly political reasons, however, Fisher concealed his ""military technological revolution"" and worked surreptitiously to create a new model fleet capable of protecting all of Britain's imperial interests across the globe.Trade ReviewThis extraordinary book examines the radical and multi-faceted solution to the problem of British naval defense in the early 20th century devised by Admiral Sir John Fisher... [Lambert's] study is based upon an intensive investigation of archival sources that surpasses all previous work on the Royal Navy in the steam era. - Proceedings ""This excellent book challenges most of the traditional interpretations of British naval policy in the period before the Great War... a masterful piece of historical dissection, beautifully structured and written with real elegance... this is quite a splendid book and one that it is hard to recommend too highly."" - Journal of Military History

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Book SynopsisOn the night of April 8, 1956, marine drill instructor, Matthew McKeon led Platoon 71 on a forced march through the backwaters of Parris Island in an effort to restore flagging discipline. Unexpectedly strong currents in Ribbon Creek and an ensuing panic led to the drowning of six recruits. The tragedy of Ribbon Creek and the court-martial of Staff Sergeant McKeon became the subject of sensational national media coverage and put the future of the U.S. Marine Corps in jeopardy. In this definitive account of the Ribbon Creek, incident former marine and experienced trial lawyer and judge John C. Stevens III examines the events of that night, the men of Platoon 71, and the fate of Sergeant McKeon. Drawing on personal interviews with key participants and his own extensive courtroom experience, Stevens balances the human side of this story with insights into the court proceedings and the tactics of the prosecution and defense attorney Emile Zola Berman. The resulting narrative is a richly developed account of a horrific episode in American military history and of the complex characters at the heart of this cautionary tale.

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Book SynopsisAlmost from the first days of seafaring, men have used ships for “spying” and intelligence collection. Since early in the twentieth century, with the technological advancements of radio and radar, the U.S. Navy and other government agencies and many other navies have used increasingly specialized ships and submarines to ferret out the secrets of other nations. The United States and the Soviet Union/Russia have been the leaders in those efforts, especially during the forty-five years of the Cold War. But, as Norman Polmar and Lee J. Mathers reveal, so has China, which has become a major maritime power in the twenty-first century, with special interests in the South China Sea and with increasing hostility toward the United States. Through extensive, meticulous research and through the lens of such notorious spy ship events as the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, the North Korean capture of the USS Pueblo, and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s success in clandestinely salvaging part of a Soviet submarine with the Hughes Glomar Explorer, Spy Ships is a fascinating and valuable resource for understanding maritime intelligence collection and what we have learned from it. Trade Review"The release of this book creates high expectations. It is subject matter with a clear gap in the historical record and now a distinguished naval expert attempts to fill the void. . . . Readers will discover that the high expectations are well met."—D. Colt Denfeld, Journal of America's Military Past"An interesting and valuable addition to the intelligence officer's bookshelf."—Admiral Tom Brooks, ReadBook“Spy Ships by Norman Polmar and Lee Mathers is another authoritative, comprehensive, and professional narrative that one expects from these authors. . . . Spy Ships fills a gap in our understanding of the importance of intelligence collection in naval operations. This book is a welcome edition in my reference library. BZ!”—Capt. John A. Rodgaard, U.S. Navy (Ret.), author of Tailships: Hunting Soviets with a MicrophoneTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword by Rear Admiral Thomas A. Brooks, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Perspective Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations U.S. Navy Ship and Submarine Designations 1. The Dawn of Spy Ships 2. Western Spy Submarines 3. The Cold War: The Red Side 4. The Cold War: Red Submarines 5. American Spy Ships: Part 1 6. The Attack on the USS Liberty 7. American Spy Ships: Part 2 8. The Seizure of the USS Pueblo 9. Unusual Spy Ships 10. Some Bottom Lines Appendix A. Soviet/Russian Spy Ships Appendix B. U.S. Spy Ships Appendix C. Other Spy Ships Notes Bibliography General Index Ship and Submarine Index

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Book SynopsisOn the evening of July 11, 1967, a Navy surveillance aircraft spotted a suspicious trawler in international waters heading toward the Quang Ngai coast of South Vietnam. While the ship tried to appear innocuous on its deck, Saigon quickly identified it as an enemy gunrunner, codenamed Skunk Alpha. A four-seaborne intercept task force was established and formed a barrier inside South Vietnam’s twelve-mile territorial boundary. As the enemy ship ignored all orders to surrender and neared the Sa Ky River at the tip of the Batangan Peninsula, Swift Boat PCF-79 was ordered to take the trawler under fire. What followed was ship-to-ship combat action not seen since World War II. Capturing Skunk Alpha relates that breathtaking military encounter to readers for the first time. But Capturing Skunk Alpha is also the tale of one sailor’s journey to the deck of PCF-79. Two years earlier, Raúl Herrera was growing up on the west side of San Antonio, Texas, when he answered the call to duty and joined the US Navy. Raúl was assigned to PCF Crew Training and joined a ragtag six-man Swift Boat crew with a mission to prevent the infiltration of resupply ships from North Vietnam. The brave sailors who steered into harm’s way in war-torn Vietnam would keep more than ninety tons of ammunition and supplies from the Viet Cong and NVA forces. The Viet Cong would post a bounty on PCF-79; Premier Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and Chief of State Nguyễn Văn Thiệu would congratulate and decorate them for their heroism. Capturing Skunk Alpha provides an eyewitness account of a pivotal moment in Navy operations while also chronicling one sailor’s unlikely journey from barrio adolescence to perilous combat action on the high seas. Trade ReviewThis is a true story of what Swift Boats and their gallant crews accomplished during that underappreciated war in South Vietnam. Capturing Skunk Alpha will secure our honorable place in US military history." —Captain Edward J. Bergin (USNR, Ret.)"Capturing Skunk Alpha is quite significant in that it tells of the courage, enthusiasm, and professionalism of those fortunate enough to be known as SWIFT Boat sailors, and the very important role they played in successful operations by the Navy’s Brown Water forces during the Vietnam War." —William L. Schachte Jr. (Rear Admiral, JAGC, USN Ret.)

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Book SynopsisIn May 1940, a group of Auckland yachtsmen who were members of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve left for the war. Leonard Hill, a young Maori sailor, and his friends arrived in Singapore under siege. Playing to their strengths as small boat sailors, they manned fast motor launches, raiding and rescuing Allies from behind enemy lines. On the night of 13 February 1942, the eve of the fall of Singapore, they took two Fairmiles, ML310 and ML311, to evacuate members of the Allied High Command and survivors of sinking vessels. Hunted down by the Japanese, most of the almost one hundred men perished. Some became POWs, and of those who attempted to escape, only three succeeded: Leonard Hill, Herbert 'Johnny' Bull and Andrew Brough. This is the story of how they evaded the Japanese and survived.Table of ContentsA Place Desired by Many 1, Somewhere Else 13, Heat 35, Blows against Empire 77, Rising Storm 107, We Will Give You Swords 125, Bangka 155, Marooned 175, Hope 195, Desperate Voyage 209, Java 233, Tjilatjap 257, Verspijk 273, Return to Eden 287, Epilogue 297, Afterword 305, Appendix 1: Crew and Passengers - ML310 309, Appendix 2: Photographs, Acknowledgements 319, Index 325

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Book SynopsisOverturns the generally held view that the press gang was the main means of recruiting seamen by the British navy in the late eighteenth century. SHORTLISTED for the Society for Nautical Research's prestigious Anderson Medal. The press gang is generally regarded as the means by which the British navy solved the problem of recruiting enough seamen in the late eighteenth century. This book, however, based on extensive original research conducted primarily in a large number of ships' muster books, demonstrates that this view is false. It argues that, in fact, the overwhelming majority of seamen in the navy were there of their own free will. Taking a long view across the late eighteenth century but concentrating on the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars of 1793-1815, the book provides great detail on the sort of men that were recruited and the means by which they were recruited, and includes a number of individuals' stories. It shows how manpower was a major concern for the Admiralty; how the Admiralty put in place a range of recruitment methods including the quota system; how it worried about depleting merchant shipping of sufficient sailors; and how, although most seamen were volunteers, the press gang was resorted to, especially during the initial mobilisation at the beginning of wars and to find certain kinds of particularly skilled seamen. The book also makes comparisons with recruitment methods employed by the navies of other countries and by the British army. J. Ross Dancy is Assistant Professor of History at Sam Houston State University.Trade Review[An] excellent study. . . . In this book Dancy has shown how historians can exploit digital humanities. By doing so he has implemented a sea-change in the way we view how the Royal Navy manned its ships . . . He has well and truly debunked 'The Myth of the Press Gang'. * WAR IN HISTORY *An important book. * THE NELSON DISPATCH *J. Ross Dancy is to be congratulated for shedding light on a core issue in the history of the Royal Navy. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Table of ContentsIntroduction British Naval Administration Manning Statistics Volunteers Impressment The Quota Acts Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHow did the British navy maintain authority among its potentially disorderly crews? And what order exactly did it wish to establish? Churchill once famously remarked that he would not join the navy because it was "all rum, sodomy and the lash". How far this was true of the navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars is the subject of this important new book. Summary punishments, courts martial, flogging and hanging were regularly made use of in this period to establish order in the navy. Based on extensive original research, including a detailed study of ships' captain's logs and muster tables, this book explores the concepts of order and disorder aboard ships and examines how order was preserved. It discusses the different sorts of disorder and why they occurred; argues that officers toosometimes pushed against the official order; and demonstrates that order was much more than the simple enforcement of the Articles of War. The book argues that the behaviours that were punished, how and to what degree reveal what the navy saw as most resistive or dangerous to its authority and the order it wanted established. In addition, it considers the role of patronage in shaping order, outlining how this was affected by Admiralty moves to centralise appointments, and shows that acts of disorder were plentiful, and increasing, in this period, and that the imbalance in court martial outcomes for sailors, marines and warrant officers, in comparison to commissioned officers, points to a flawed system of justice. Overall, the book provides an extremely nuanced picture of order and how it was preserved. Thomas Malcomson is a Professor in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario. He completed his doctorate in history at York University, Toronto.Trade ReviewOne of the great strengths of this book is that, at its best, it takes us right up to the limits of what is knowable, while displaying a refreshing honesty about the ways in which the evidence remains equivocal. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *[T]he book's greatest strengths lay with the meticulous research and statistical analyses that the author undertook to support his arguments and conclusions . [E]xceptionally well written and well researched. * THE NORTHERN MARINER *[A]n erudite study of naval leadership during the latter days of the world's most powerful and sophisticated sailing navy. A vast array of data is presented, along with many naval historians' interpretations of the causes, affects and consequences of shipboard order- and disorder ... [A] worthy addition to any naval historian's library. * SEA HISTORY *Table of ContentsIntroduction Paper Forms of Control Creating Order through Patronage and Material Incentives Creating Order through Regimentation, Food, Tobacco and Alcohol, Religion and Language Resistance Illegitimate Activity: Theft, Profiteering and Embezzlement, and Sex Opportunities for 'Disorder': The Coming of War, Shipwreck, Defeat and Drunkenness The Responses Conclusions Appendix A: The Ships in the Sample, the Expected Complements, their Officers and the time period the Officers were in Command, within the Study Appendix B: Tables Works Cited

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Book SynopsisWho were the men who officered the Royal Navy in Nelson's day? This book explores the world of British naval officers at the height of the Royal Navy's power in the age of sail. It describes the full spectrum of officers, from commissioned officers to the unheralded but essential members of every ship's company, the warrant officers. The book focusses on naval officers' social status and its implications for their careers. The demands of life at sea conflicted with the expectations of genteel behaviour and backgroundin eighteenth-century Britain, and the ways officers grappled with this challenge forms a key theme. Drawing on a large database of more than a thousand officers, the book argues that, contrary to the prevailing view, officers were mostly from the middling sort, not the landed elite. It shows how the navy attracted hordes of hopeful commissioned officers, how unemployment was common for the majority even in wartime, and how only a select group managed to gain promotion to post-captain. The book corrects our understanding of the men who lived and served in the wardrooms of the Royal Navy and refocusses our attention away from those who won fame and fortune and onto ordinary naval officers. EVAN WILSON is Associate Director of International Security Studies and Lecturer in History at Yale University.Trade ReviewA valuable contribution to existing scholarship which deserves its place on the shelves of academics and amateurs. * THE NELSON DESPATCH *[Wilson] has presented a strong case for adjusting our idea of the background, the career path, prospects and social standing ofwarrant and commissioned officers between 1775 and 1815. This book will appeal to people studying the Royal Navy of the long eighteenth century, the development of naval officers, and the ideas of 'nobility' and 'gentleman'. * NORTHERN MARINER/LE MARIN DU NORD *Highly recommended, both as an excellent guide to the late eighteenth century naval officer corps, and as a model for conducting naval history in combination with social and cultural perspectives. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *A valuable contribution to maritime scholarship. -- JULIAN STOCKWINTable of ContentsIntroduction The Education of Young Gentlemen Commissioned Officers' Careers Warrant Officers' Careers The Wardroom as a Social Space Patronage and Promotion Prospects Pay and Prize Money Domestic and International Comparisons Naval Officers' Social Status Conclusion Appendix Bibliography

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive overview of the activities of the British navy in the Mediterranean from the earliest times until the present. This book presents a comprehensive overview of the activities of the British navy in the Mediterranean Sea from the earliest times until the twentieth century. It traces developments from Anglo-Saxon times, through the Crusades,and to the seventeenth century, when the Barbary corsairs became a major problem. It outlines Britain's involvement in the wars of the long eighteenth century, when Britain obtained bases at Gibraltar, Minorca and Malta and repeatedly defeated the French and Spanish navies. It examines the navy's activities during the First and Second World Wars, when the Mediterranean was again of crucial strategic significance and a major theatre of war, and goes on toconsider Britain's withdrawal from the Mediterranean in the later twentieth century. Throughout, the book relates naval activity to patterns of trade, including the rise and decline of the Levant Company, and to wider international politics. JOHN D. GRAINGER is the author of numerous books for a variety of publishers, including seven previously published books for Boydell and Brewer, including The British Navy in the Baltic, Dictionaryof British Naval Battles and The First Pacific War: Britain and Russia, 1854-56.Trade Reviewexcellent study -- HISTORY OF WAR.ORGGrainger has done his job well and I would recommend this as a good overview of the topic. * WARSHIP *This overview of the British Navy's presence in the Mediterranean Sea will appeal to those wanting to read a general survey on the topic. It is a very good place to start to explore the British involvement in the Mediterranean. * THE NORTHERN MARINER/LE MARIN DU NORD *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Sea and its Parts, and the Royal Navy Prologue: The Crusades and After (1095 - c.1550) The Levant Company and the Assaults on Cadiz (c.1550 - c.1600) The Corsairs (c.1600 - 1660) Tangier and Corsairs (1660 - 1690) French Wars - I (1688 - 1713) Conflicts with Spain (1713 - 1744) French Wars - II (1744 - 1763) Two Sieges (1763 - 1783) French Wars - III (1783 - 1815) Dominance (1815 - 1856) Ottoman Problems (1856 - 1905) Great War - I (1905 - 1923) Great War - II (1923 - 1945) Supersession (from 1945) Conclusion

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Book SynopsisOverturns the generally held view that the press gang was the main means of recruiting seamen by the British navy in the late eighteenth century. SHORTLISTED for the Society for Nautical Research's prestigious Anderson Medal. The press gang is generally regarded as the means by which the British navy solved the problem of recruiting enough seamen in the late eighteenth century. This book, however, based on extensive original research conducted primarily in a large number of ships' muster books, demonstrates that this view is false. It argues that, in fact, the overwhelming majority of seamen in the navy were there of their own free will. Taking a long view across the late eighteenth century but concentrating on the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars of 1793-1815, the book provides great detailon the sort of men that were recruited and the means by which they were recruited, and includes a number of individuals' stories. It shows how manpower was a major concern for the Admiralty; how the Admiralty put in place a rangeof recruitment methods including the quota system; how it worried about depleting merchant shipping of sufficient sailors; and how, although most seamen were volunteers, the press gang was resorted to, especially during the initial mobilisation at the beginning of wars and to find certain kinds of particularly skilled seamen. The book also makes comparisons with recruitment methods employed by the navies of other countries and by the British army. J. ROSS DANCY is Director of Graduate Studies in History and Assistant Professor of History at Sam Houston State UniversityTrade Review[An] excellent study. . . . In this book Dancy has shown how historians can exploit digital humanities. By doing so he has implemented a sea-change in the way we view how the Royal Navy manned its ships . . . He has well and truly debunked 'The Myth of the Press Gang'. * WAR IN HISTORY *An important book. * THE NELSON DISPATCH *J. Ross Dancy is to be congratulated for shedding light on a core issue in the history of the Royal Navy. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Table of ContentsIntroduction British Naval Administration Manning Statistics Volunteers Impressment The Quota Acts Conclusion Bibliography

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