To all Members and Friends of the Naval Historical Foundation who live in Southern California—You are invited to attend a festive reception aboard the USS Midway Museum on Sunday, April 7th from 6-8 pm. Please see the invitation posted above and RSVP to Ms. Leslie Cook, Director of Development, before April 2, 2013 at [email protected]
By Thomas P. Ostrom., McFarland & Company, Jefferson, NC. (2012). Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart Anyone interested in the United States Coast Guard will want to read this well-written and researched book. The book consists of fifteen chapters and three appendices. Each chapter and appendices is a stand-alone article on the history of the Coast
By Kevin Bash and Brigitte Louxtel. Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant SC. (2011) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This book is part of the Images of America series. Norco, California, is located some 50 miles east of Long Beach. On 8 November 1941, the U.S. Navy began proceedings to purchase the bankrupt 700-acre Norconian Resort and
By Norman Polmar and Robert S. Norris, Naval Institute Press, 2009. Reviewed by Captain James B. Bryant. U.S. Navy (Retired) This is more than a well-written and researched reference book, but also an examination by experts of the evolution of nuclear weapons policy. When you absolutely need to know everything about how, why and where
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of blogs by Norman Polmar, author, analyst, and consultant specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields. Follow the full series here.) Admiral Arleigh A. Burke was a top destroyer commander and then chief of staff for the Fast Carrier Force during World
Policy, Strategy, Technology, Tactics, Acquisition: the interrelationship of these five distinct but related spheres of interest and the activities associated with each is not always apparent, even to those in high level positions in the various spheres. An examination of the 1981-1986 Maritime Strategy and the coincident design and construction of USS Seawolf offers an
Naval Historical Foundation Chairman Admiral Bruce DeMars, USN (Ret) recently made a generous donation to the Navy’s photo collection. Admiral DeMars, a submariner, finished up his forty-four years in the Navy with eight years as the Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion. Amongst the many items in his personal collection were a series of photo albums
As a result of the ongoing government sequestration process, the Naval History and Heritage Command, located at the Washington Navy Yard, announced the closure of their Archives to public researchers. A statement on the Command’s website reads: Until further notice, the NHHC Archives are closed to researchers, and are limited in responding to official reference
By Captain Lawrence B. Brennan, U.S. Navy (Retired) (Editor’s Note: a version of this article first appeared in the January 2013 issue of the Universal Ship Cancellation Society Log. Article is copyrighted by the author, all rights reserved.) “The game may not be worth the candle.” Special Prosecutor William D. Mitchell, former Attorney General of
By Angus Konstam, illus. by Paul Wright, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK. (2012). Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D. Generally speaking, light cruisers have not received as much attention from historians and novelists as have other vessels, though they have figured in two of the great novels of naval warfare—C. S. Forester’s The Ship, and Alistair
By Linda Kush, Osprey Publishing, (2012) Reviewed by David Kronenfeld The Rice Paddy Navy relates the unique story of the Sino-American Cooperation Organization (SACO), an intelligence and special operations unit of the US Navy in China during World War II. Author Linda Kush has expended significant research in the writing of her first book length
By Mark E. Stille, with contributors, Osprey Publishing, Long Island City, NY (2012) Reviewed by Michael F. Solecki The naval frigates known as “destroyers” first came into their own in the Pacific Theater of World War II. These ships evolved out of the 1890s from the need to counter smaller torpedo boats used to attack
By Lt. Col. George A. Larson (USAF Ret.), Merriam Press, (2012). Reviewed by Jan Churchill The author says this book “is based, 50 per cent, on my father George W. Larson’s World War II service with the 135th United States Naval Construction Battalion or Seabees.” It combines personal biography, first-hand accounts, military assessment, documents and
By Nigel Watson, Lloyd’s Register, 2010 Reviewed by Mark Lardas In 1760, the Register Society was formed in Lloyd’s Coffee House. That organization is today’s Lloyd’s Register, one of the world’s most influential classification societies. To celebrate 250 years of existence, Lloyd’s Registry published an official history of the organization, Lloyd’s Register: 250 Years of
By Roger Mansell, Edited by Linda Goetz Holmes, Naval Institute Press, 2012. Reviewed by Nathan Albright A labor of love for Roger Mansell that extended ten years, edited after his death by historian Linda Goetz (known for her writings on the POW experience in the Pacific War), this book stands as a harrowing tale of
