By Mark Lardas, Arcadia Publishing, Mt. Pleasant, SC (2013) Reviewed by Terry Miller Mark Lardas takes the reader through the history of the Port of Houston from its earliest days in the new Republic of Texas in 1836 to the present day. The 128-page book is more than half filled with photos, which adds to
By Hugh Bicheno, Conway Press, United Kingdom, (2012). Reviewed by Mark Lardas Up to the last 50 years or so Britannia ruled the waves. It remains able to project naval power. Many assume it was always that way, yet reality is different. Britain’s naval dominance dates only to early modern times. From Roman times to
By Robert D. Hicks, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD. (2011) Reviewed by Mark Lardas When Britain’s first North America colonies were established, transatlantic voyages were challenges analogous to trips to the Moon today. What did it take to sail the Atlantic four centuries ago? Voyage to Jamestown: Practical Navigation in the Age of Discovery; by
By Mark Lardas, Osprey Publishing, (2011) Reviewed by Thomas P. Ostrom The author, Mark Lardas, brings a degree in naval architecture and marine engineering to his analysis of this epic American Civil War naval battle; as well as experience in writing as a military historian, and ship modeler. The book is enhanced with magnificent illustrations
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 Andrew C. A. Jampoler, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, (2010). Reviewed by Mark Lardas On August 31, 1833 the convict transport Amphitrite ran aground off Boulogne, France. By dawn of the next day, all aboard, except for three crew members, were dead, drowned when the incoming tide swamped the ship and battered the hull
By Mark Lardas, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom (2010) Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D. For a book of only forty-eight pages, this publication provides an excellent overview of the Great Lakes ships of the War of 1812. An amateur historian, the author, Mark Lardas, trained as a Naval Architecture and Marine Engineer, but worked
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
