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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Naval forces & warfare
The failed naval offensive to force a passage through the Straits of the Dardanelles in 1915 drove Winston Churchill from office in disgrace and nearly destroyed his political career. For over a century, the Dardanelles campaign has been mired in myth and controversy. Many believe it was fundamentally misconceived and doomed to fail, while others see it as a brilliant concept that might have dramatically shortened the First World War and saved millions of lives. Churchill is either the hero of the story, or the villain. Drawing on a wide range of original documents, Christopher M. Bell shows that both perspectives are flawed. Bell provides a detailed and authoritative account of the campaign's origins and execution, explaining why the naval attack was launched, why it failed, and how it was transformed into an even more disastrous campaign on the Gallipoli peninsula. He untangles Churchill's complicated relationship with Britain's admirals, politicians, and senior civil servants, and uncovers the machinations behind the bitter press campaign in 1915 to drive him from power. Churchill and the Dardanelles explores the origins of the myths surrounding the ill-fated campaign, and provides the first full account of Churchill's tireless efforts in the decades after 1915 to refute his legion of critics and convince the public that the Dardanelles campaign had nearly succeeded. Largely by his own exertions, Churchill ensured that the legacy of the Dardanelles would not stop him from becoming Prime Minister in 1940.
Addressing all those interested in the history of American science and concerned with its future, a leading scholar of public policy explains how and why the Office of Naval Research became the first federal agency to support a wide range of scientific work in universities. Harvey Sapolsky shows that the ONR functioned as a "surrogate national science foundation" between 1946 and 1950 and argues that its activities emerged not from any particularly enlightened position but largely from a bureaucratic accident. Once involved with basic research, however, the ONR challenged a Navy skeptical of the value of independent scientific advice and established a national security rationale that gave American science its Golden Age. Eventually, the ONR's autonomy was worn away in bureaucratic struggles, but Sapolsky demonstrates that its experience holds lessons for those who are committed to the effective management of science and interested in the ability of scientists to choose the directions for their research. As military support for basic research fades, scientists are discovering that they are unprotected from the vagaries of distributive politics. Originally published in 1990. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
This book examines the burning issues facing today's Navy and Congress. Although rapid progress in aircraft and bombing technology has caused some to question the viability of naval warfare, the role of the navy has actually grown. The Navy is able to move an astonishing amount of firepower to any corner of the globe and once there, project formidable threats or punishing misery on an opposing power. The navy has shown that it can adapt to a new world. The book also includes an important history of the US Navy. Contents: Preface: Unmanned Vehicles for US Naval Forces: Background; Navy LHD-8 Amphibious Assault Ship: Background; Navy Littoral Ship (LCS): Background; Navy Trident Submarine Conversion (SSGN) Program: Background; Navy Amphibious Shipbuilding Programs: Background; Navy Zumwalt (DD-21) Class Destroyer Program: Background; Navy DD-21 Land Attack Destroyer Program; Navy DD(X) Future Surface Combatant Program: Background; Navy CVNX Aircraft Carrier Program: Background; Navy Aircraft Carrier Procurement: CVN-77 'Smart Buy' Proposal; Navy New Attack Submarine (NSSN) Program: Is It Affordable?; Navy Attack Submarine Programs: Background; The Navy/DARPA Arsenal Ship Program; Ind
Founded in 1953, the US Air Force Thunderbirds flying-demonstration team has performed in air shows in the United States and around the world. The team is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where it has been honing its skills since 1956. This book details the origins and early formation of the team, as well as describing the different model aircraft that the team has flown during its nearly 70-year history-F-84 Thunderjet and Thunderstreak, F-100C Super Sabre, F-105B Thunderchief, F-4E Phantom II, and T-38A Talon, to the present-day F-16A Fighting Falcon-mirroring the development of US Air Force fighter aircraft during this time. The book also presents graphic and photographic descriptions of some of the team's signature maneuvers that are performed during a Thunderbirds air show, in stunning imagery.
Yahagi, the second Japanese warship of that name, was the third of the four Agano-class vessels (the other three being Agano, Noshiro and Sakawa). Construction of the Agano-class cruisers was approved by the Japanese parliament (Diet) in March 1939 under the Fourth Naval Armaments Enhancement Program (Dai-Yon-Ji Kaigun Gunbi Jujitsu Keikaku), also known as "Four-in-Circle" Program (Maru Yon Keikaku), or simply Maru 4. Under the terms of the program, the four light cruisers (kei jun'yokan), also referred to as type B cruisers (otsu-gata jun'yokan, or simply otsu jun) and officially classed as second-class cruisers (ni-to jun'yokan), were to fulfill the role of destroyer squadron flagships. At that time destroyer squadrons (DesRon), called literarily torpedo squadrons (suirai sentai), consisted of four four-ship destroyer divisions (DesDiv, or kuchiku-tai).
On 7th September 1822, Dom Pedro, Prince Regent of Brazil, declared his country independent and began the war of liberation against Portugal. Based on research from original documents and journals, the book details how independence was secured against all odds by seizing command of the sea, under the leadership of Lord Cochrane, to ensure the integrity of the new Brazilian empire. Set against the background of Brazilian politics and British foreign policy interests, this is a detailed account of the operations of the Brazilian navy during the transition to independence.
The Royal Navy entered World War II with a large but eclectic fleet of destroyers. Some of these were veterans of World War I, fit only for escort duties. Most though, had been built during the inter-war period, and were regarded as both reliable and versatile. Danger though lurked across the seas as new destroyers being built in Germany, Italy and Japan were larger and better armoured. So, until the new, larger Tribal-class destroyers could enter service, these vessels would have to hold the line. Used mainly to hunt submarines, protect convoys from aerial attack, and take out other destroyers, these ships served across the globe during the war. This fully illustrated study is the first in a two-part series on the real workhorses of the wartime Royal Navy, focusing on how these ageing ships took on the formidable navies of the Axis powers.
The NROTC Guide is the authoritative, first-to-market comprehensive guide to all aspects of the NROTC program. Written specifically for the audience most important to the health and vibrancy of the program-talented young people potentially interested in a career as an officer in the naval service. On an average year, the NROTC program commissions almost a quarter of the Navy's active-duty officer accessions, approximately equal to the number commissioned by the U.S. Naval Academy. While myriad works exist describing the Annapolis experience, there is currently no book-format guide to the NROTC program, the application process, college life as an NROTC midshipman, commissioning options, or other concerns. Thus, this guide fills an information gap in an increasingly competitive market for America's talented youth.
Pull up a bollard and get to know the colourful language of the Royal Canadian Navy. Do you ever get channel fever so bad only a great homeward bounders will cure you? Have you ever met Tug Wilson the brass-pounder, Dusty Miller the blanket stacker, or Nobby Clark the stoker? From aback to zizEX, the second edition of Jackspeak of the Royal Canadian Navy gives readers a chance to fill their boots with the colourful language of Canada's senior service. Learn the difference between duff and no duff, box kickers and gut robbers, and Nelson's blood and Neptune's dandruff. Newly revised and expanded, with over 2,500 terms included!
The author explores the spirit of the Royal Navy in its 20th-century heyday, from 1900 and on through two momentous world wars to 1945. With anecdotes, eyewitness accounts, reminiscences, archive material and published works, he portrays life in the Navy in this challenging era.
Welcome on board `Adriatic'( II) - White Star Line wonder ship! Explore this magnificent steamship through old picture postcards, many of them rare and unpublished. Journey back to 1907 to glimpse Adriatic II as the White Star flagship and travel through her eventful career to her last days as a veteran cruise liner. The postcards featured are a glorious mixture of artist impressions and real photos from the collection of historian Ben Smith, gathered over more than 30 years. `Adriatic's beautifully proportioned design, high standards of accommodation, and great popularity over more than a quarter of a century, make her a notable vessel. It is hoped that not only White Star buffs, but all ship enthusiasts will enjoy this picture tribute to one of the company's most successful ships which helped to inspire the famous `Olympic' class.
One of the most overlooked aspects of the American Civil War is the naval strategy played out by the U.S. Navy and the fledgling Confederate Navy, which may make this the first book to compare and contrast the strategic concepts of the Southern Secretary of the Navy Stephen R. Mallory against his Northern counterpart, Gideon Welles. Both men had to accomplish much and were given great latitude in achieving their goals. Mallory's vision of seapower emphasized technological innovation and individual competence as he sought to match quality against the Union Navy's numerical superiority. Welles had to deal with more bureaucratic structure and to some degree a national strategy dictated by the White House. The naval blockade of the South was one of his first tasks -- for which he had but few ships available -- and although he followed the national strategy, he did not limit himself to it when opportunities arose. Mallory's dedication to ironclads is well known, but he also defined the roles of commerce raiders, submarines, and naval mines. Welles's contributions to the Union effort were rooted in his organizational skills and his willingness to cooperate with the other military departments of his government. This led to successes through combined army and naval units in several campaigns on and around the Mississippi River. Naval Strategies of the Civil War then is the story of the very different approaches each man took in defining and executing the naval struggles of the conflict. Until now, it has been mostly an untold story lost in the general histories of the war. In the end, the author concludes that success favored flexible organization rather than desperate, albeit creative, measures.
The career of the USS Wahoo in sinking Japanese ships in the farthest reaches of the Empire is legendary in submarine circles. Christened three months after Pearl Harbor, Wahoo was commanded by the astonishing Dudley W. "Mush" Morton, whose originality and daring new techniques led to results unprecedented in naval history; among them, successful "down the throat" barrage against an attacking Japanese destroyer, voracious surface-running gun attacks, and the sinking of a four-ship convoy in one day. Wahoo took the war to Japan's front porch, and Morton became known as the Navy's most aggressive and successful sea raider. Now, in a new quality paperback edition, her full story is told by the person most qualified to tell it--her executive officer Richard O'Kane, who went on to become the leading submarine captain of the Second World War. Praise for Wahoo "The accounts of the patrols are spine-tingling, both in triumph and tragedy. It is a tale of great courage, brilliant leadership, and daring innovation in a new type of submarine warfare fought largely on the surface in waters closely controlled by the enemy. Well-written, a gripping story for anybody with a love of the sea or adventure in submarine combat."--Naval War College Review "This is an exceptional story of American men who rose to the occasion time and again under dangerous circumstance." --Abilene Reporter News "A first-hand--and first-rate--narrative, told by the former executive officer of this legendary WWII submarine, which gives readers an intimate feel for life aboard the 'boats' that helped beat the odds in the battles of the Pacific and put Japan on the defensive."--Sea Power "Like Clear the Bridge!, [Richard] O'Kane's bestselling account of the Tang's 33 confirmed sinkings, [Wahoo] is a rousing, authentic war adventure that could well become a classic of its type, crack[ling] with the tensions, boredom, and occasional exhilaration of submarine life under the Pacific, O'Kane is a superb storyteller, and his credentials are impeccable."--Springfield Sunday Republic
A sweeping, lavishly illustrated one-volume history of the rise of American naval power during World War II "When he is at his best, as he often is in these pages, Kennedy can be dazzling."-Ian W. Toll, New York Times "The book makes for enjoyable reading, owing to the author's easygoing style. . . . Kennedy is an academic who does not write like one; he writes a story, not a treatise."-Robert D. Kaplan, Washington Post "Engrossing."-Brendan Simms, Wall Street Journal In this engaging narrative, brought to life by marine artist Ian Marshall's beautiful full-color paintings, historian Paul Kennedy grapples with the rise and fall of the Great Powers during World War II. Tracking the movements of the six major navies of the Second World War-the allied navies of Britain, France, and the United States and the Axis navies of Germany, Italy, and Japan-Kennedy tells a story of naval battles, maritime campaigns, convoys, amphibious landings, and strikes from the sea. From the elimination of the Italian, German, and Japanese fleets and almost all of the French fleet, to the end of the era of the big-gunned surface vessel, the advent of the atomic bomb, and the rise of an American economic and military power larger than anything the world had ever seen, Kennedy shows how the strategic landscape for naval affairs was completely altered between 1936 and 1946.
Decorated US navy SEAL lieutenant Jason Redman was critically wounded in 2007 while leading a mission against a key al-Qaida commander, when his mobility and assault forces team was ambushed and he was struck by machine-gun fire at point-blank range. During the intense recovery that followed, Redman gained national attention after posting a sign on his hospital door that went on to become a symbol for wounded warriors everywhere. In this inspiring account he speaks candidly of his SEAL career and the extraordinary devotion of his wife and family, without whom he would not have survived. Vivid and emotionally resonant, The Trident traces the evolution of a modern warrior, husband, and father-a man who has come to embody the never-say-die spirit that defines America's elite fighting force.
At the outset of World War II, Scapa Flow was supposed to be the safe home base of the British Navy - nothing could penetrate the defences of this bastion. So how, in the dead of night, was Gunther Prien's U-47 able to slip through the line of protective warships to sink the mighty Royal Oak? This book provides the answer with an account of one of the most daring naval raids in history. Drawing on the latest underwater archaeological research, this study explains how Prien and his crew navigated the North Sea and Kirk Sound to land a devastating blow to the British. It reveals the level of disrepair that Scapa Flow had fallen into, and delves into the conspiracy theories surrounding the event, including an alleged cover-up by the then First Sea Lord, Winston Churchill.
The story of an uncovered voyage as colorful and momentous as any on record for the Age of Discovery-and of the Black mariner whose stunning accomplishment has been until now lost to history It began with a secret mission, no expenses spared. Spain, plotting to break Portugal's monopoly trade with the fabled Orient, set sail from a hidden Mexican port to cross the Pacific-and then, critically, to attempt the never-before-accomplished return, the vuelta. Four ships set out from Navidad, each one carrying a dream team of navigators. The smallest ship, guided by seaman Lope Martin, a mulatto who had risen through the ranks to become one of the most qualified pilots of the era, soon pulled far ahead and became mysteriously lost from the fleet. It was the beginning of a voyage of epic scope, featuring mutiny, murderous encounters with Pacific islanders, astonishing physical hardships-and at last a triumphant return to the New World. But the pilot of the fleet's flagship, the Augustine friar mariner Andres de Urdaneta, later caught up with Martin to achieve the vuelta as well. It was he who now basked in glory, while Lope Martin was secretly sentenced to be hanged by the Spanish crown as repayment for his services. Acclaimed historian Andres Resendez, through brilliant scholarship and riveting storytelling-including an astonishing outcome for the resilient Lope Martin--sets the record straight.
From Across the Sea: North Americans in Nelson's Navy explores the varied contributions of North Americans to the Royal Navy during Great Britain's wars against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. It is the first book that explores this topic in depth. As an edited compilation, top specialists in the field have contributed thematic essays (on topics ranging from impressment to the Anglo-American maritime relationship) as well as biographical essays on a range of North Americans from both the officer ranks and the lower deck. For the biographical portraits, special attention has been paid to individuals who have not already been the subject of extensive research and writing. Accompanying these essays are several never-before-published illustrations depicting some of the key North Americans as well as the ships and naval battles in which they were a part. The book's central focus is to challenge the common assumption that the Nelsonic-era Royal Navy was manned exclusively by British sailors and officers. Instead, Royal Navy personnel from this era often hailed from different parts of the world, with North Americans comprising a particularly significant contingent. For instance, Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar had hundreds of Americans as well as Canadians, not to mention individuals from the Caribbean. Thus, From Across the Sea sheds new light on these sailors and officers, showcasing years of original, primary source research on the subject. The book also challenges the misconception that all North American-born sailors who served in the Royal Navy were pressed into service. Instead, a significant number volunteered for service of their own free will, lured into the Royal Navy by visions of adventure and prize money. Others volunteered more reluctantly, figuring that joining the Royal Navy on their own terms was preferable to being forced in by a press gang. Thus, From Across the Sea reveals that impressment was a more complicated topic than most generally assume. Over all, From Across the Sea concludes that North Americans played an integral role in the Royal Navy during the Wars with France, from the lower deck all the way to the highest levels of command. While some of these North Americans operated in relative obscurity, others achieved high rank and formed lasting friendships with some of Great Britain's foremost naval leaders of the age, including Lord Nelson and King William IV. Theirs is a story that needs to be told, and now it has been told for the first time through From Across the Sea.
In The Royal Marines and the War at Sea 1939-45 military and naval historian Martin Watts records how marines fought at sea, their relationship with the Royal Navy, and the overall contribution they made to victory in the Second World War. Combining personal narrative with strategical, tactical and technical analysis, this book is centred on the career of the author's great-uncle, Colour Sergeant Albert 'Nobby' Elliott, who saw active service in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic and Indian Oceans. He was Mentioned in Despatches at the Second Battle of Sirte, took part in Operation Torch, and was a gun layer in HMS Jamaicawhen she took part in the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorston Boxing Day 1943. Nobby finished the war recovering Allied prisoners of war from the south-west Pacific, and was present at the surrender of Japanese forces while on board HMS Glory.
This, the second of two volumes covering United States Naval Aviation in the 1980s, completes the story by exploring training, reserve, test and US Marine Corps air stations. US Marine Corps aviation squadrons took part in combat operations, while supplementing older types like the A-4 and F-4, with new types including the AV-8B, CH-53E and F/A-18. Naval Education and Training Command oversaw the ‘Street to Fleet’ process, recruiting civilians and turning them into combat-ready naval personnel, including officer and enlisted aviation rated personnel. The Naval Air Reserve was a reflection of the frontline it was intended to support in wartime, including two Carrier Air Wings and numerous other squadrons, which often operated older types. Naval Air Systems Command used every conceivable naval aviation aircraft type, as well as several non-standard types, to conduct research, testing and evaluation. Take a step inside the day-to-day operations of Naval Aviation in the 1980s.
The Soviet Navy that faced the German onslaught in 1941 boasted a mixture of modern warships, often built with foreign technical assistance, and antiquated warships from the Tsarist era that were modernised for the conflict. Some Soviet naval vessels saw limited involvement in the war against Finland in 1939-1940, but the main action occurred after the German invasion, when these destroyers escorted convoys, fought battles against other destroyers and the deadly threat posed by attacking aircraft, and provided fire support for Soviet troops. From the Gnevny class of the pre-war period to the specialist destroyer leaders of the Leningrad class and the unique Tashkent, Soviet Destroyers of World War II is a detailed guide to the often forgotten destroyers of the Soviet Navy .
In the early 20th century this book was required reading in any study of naval strategy. Though this work pre-dates the airplane, submarine, and missile, it still should be basic reading for students of the naval arts. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
USS Lexington (CV-16), a member of the famed Essex class of carriers that made up the backbone of the US Navy's carrier force in WWII, served its nation from WWII into the 1990s. With almost a half-million arrested landings recorded, arguably more naval aviators have landed on its decks than on any other aircraft carrier in the world. Scarred in battle during WWII, the Lexington earned considerable distinction in that war, participating in the sinking of over a million tons of enemy ships and downing hundreds of Japanese aircraft. The history of this famed vessel is presented through over 200 photographs and accompanying narrative. These photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, put the reader on the deck of this historic warship throughout its history. |
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