Decision at Sea - Five Naval Battles that Shaped American History (Paperback, New edition)

From thunderous broadsides traded between wooden sailing ships on Lake Erie, to the carrier battles of World War II, to the devastating high-tech action in the Persian Gulf, here is a gripping history of five key battles that defined the evolution of naval warfare--and the course of the American nation.
Acclaimed military historian Craig Symonds offers spellbinding narratives of crucial engagements, showing how each battle reveals the transformation of technology and weaponry from one war to the next; how these in turn transformed naval combat; and how each event marked a milestone in American history.
Oliver Hazard Perry's heroic victory at Lake Erie, one of the last great battles of the Age of Sail, which secured the Northwestern frontier for the United States
The brutal Civil War duel between the ironclads Monitor and Virginia, which sounded the death knell for wooden-hulled warships and doomed the Confederacy's hope of besting the Union navy
Commodore Dewey's stunning triumph at Manila Bay in 1898, where the U.S. displayed its "new navy" of steel-hulled ships firing explosive shells and wrested an empire from a fading European power
The hairsbreadth American victory at Midway, where aircraft carriers launched planes against enemies 200 miles away--and where the tide of World War II turned in the space of a few furious minutes
Operation Praying Mantis in the Persian Gulf, where computers, ship-fired missiles, and "smart bombs" not only changed the nature of warfare at sea, but also marked a new era, and a new responsibility, for the United States.
Symonds records these encounters in detail so vivid that readers can hear the wind in the rigging andfeel the pounding of the guns. Yet he places every battle in a wide perspective, revealing their significance to America's development as it grew from a new Republic on the edge of a threatening frontier to a global superpower.
Decision at Sea is a powerful and illuminating look at pivotal moments in the history of the Navy and of the United States. It is also a compelling study of the unchanging demands of leadership at sea, where commanders must make rapid decisions in the heat of battle with lives--and the fate of nations--hanging in the balance.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	November 2006
First published:	October 2006
Authors:	Craig L Symonds (former Professor of History)
Dimensions:	230 x 152 x 25mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	378
Edition:	New edition
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-531211-9
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Naval forces & warfare Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Maritime history Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns Books > History > American history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Maritime history Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history
LSN:	0-19-531211-2
Barcode:	9780195312119

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