By John Laurence Busch, Hodos Historia, (2010), 726 pp. Reviewed by Mark Lardas On Thursday June 17, 1819 lookouts at the Cape Clear Island semaphore station sent a report to the Royal Navy base at Cork, Ireland that a ship was afire off Cape Clear. A revenue cutter sent to investigate discovered not a vessel
By Dr. Barbara G. Jones. 2010, The Edwin Mellen Press, Box 450, Lewiston, NY., 515pp. Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart Dr. Barbara Jones has penned a well-written and interesting history of the escort carrier USS Casablanca (CVE 55). The story is told using official records, personal reminiscences, and secondary sources. The author divides her account
For the seventh consecutive year, the Naval Historical Foundation will co-sponsor the Navy Birthday Celebration in the Washington DC area, along with the National Capital Council of the Navy League of the United States. The event will be held 13 October at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel in Tysons Corner, VA (see our listing here for
We were contacted last month by the Commanding Officer of the destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) about an historic artifact that once belonged to the Naval Historical Foundation. Commander Stewart L. Bateshansky, USN, recently assumed command of the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, homeported in San Diego. He was shown a tattered 5 foot
There is a very special visitor at the Washington Navy Yard this week: the topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore II. The schooner is a replica of a War of 1812 era privateer. In this photo, Pride of Baltimore II is tied up alongside the Washington Riverwalk Trail. Nearby is the destroyer Display Ship Barry. At
October marks 50 years since the tense standoff between the United States and Soviet Union that came to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the summer of 1962, the Soviets began moving nuclear missiles and nuclear-capable bombers to bases in Cuba, within easy striking distance of targets within the continental United States. Following
Naval Historical Foundation Director and author Andy Jampoler is developing a panel for the 2013 McMullen Naval History Symposium at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, 19-20 September 2013. The panel is tentatively titled “US Navy Exploration and Adventure at Sea in the 19th Century.” Possible topics include: the United States Exploring Expedition to
By Paul Williams, Fantascope Pty. Ltd., Australia (2012) Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D. Missouri University of Science and Technology In the 2012 edition of The Shenandoah Affair, author Paul Williams provides lay historians with an expanded edition of his 1992 historical novel about the adventures of CSS Shenandoah in Australia. There are basically two
By Angus Konstam, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, (2012). Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart British Heavy Cruisers 1939-1945 is one of a series of books Osprey has published during the last 5-years covering various classes of warships. This book follows Osprey’s standard format of text, photos, and colored artist plates. The book is divided into four
By Stewart M. Harris, iUniverse, Inc., New York, NY. (2009) Reviewed by Nathan D. Wells The role that the United States Navy played in the Vietnam Conflict is well known; but there are still gaps. While the importance of Naval Aviation, Special Warfare and Riverine Forces have been well-covered by both works of scholarly and
By John D. Broadwater, foreword by James P. Delgado. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX (2012). Reviewed by Kenneth J. Blume, Ph.D. Although she had a career of less than one year, USS Monitor is arguably America’s most famous warship. Furthermore, locating and recovering Monitor form one of the great stories of maritime archaeology
By David C. Evans and Mark R. Peattie, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis (1997). Reviewed by Nathan B. Albright David C. Evans served in the U.S. Navy as an ensign and a lieutenant (junior grade), and previously edited The Japanese Navy in World War II: In the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers. Mark R. Peattie
By Robert C. Stern, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD: (2012) Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D. The vast scope, momentous operations, and drama inherent in the Pacific War—think Midway, Guadalcanal, the return to the Philippines, and Okinawa, for just a few examples—have always dominated the narrative of the U.S. Navy’s contribution to the Allied victory
By John Hattendorf, Naval War College Press, 2011 Reviewed by Corbin Williamson Talking about Naval History is a collection of twenty essays and articles written by John Hattendorf, the Ernest King Professor of Maritime History at the Naval War College. Written between 2001 and 2009, these pieces complement the previous published collection of Hattendorf’s work,
This fall, a new exhibition will open at the New York City based New-York Historical Society. The exhibition will be called WWII & NYC and is scheduled to open 5 October 2012. The exhibition will chronicle the most widespread and consequential conflict in history through the lens of New York City. Featuring more than 300
