By Patrick Gabridge, Penmore Press, Tucson AZ, (2015) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Robert Smalls was a black slave at the beginning of the long blockade and siege of Charleston during the Civil War. He was also a skilled waterman and harbor pilot, as well as a man of remarkable charisma and intelligence, and on
By Norman Polmar and Edward C. Whitman, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2016) Reviewed by Larry A. Grant Hunters and Killers, Volume 2: Anti-Submarine Warfare from 1943 is the second volume of a sweeping survey of submarine and antisubmarine warfare written by two very well-informed authors. During his forty-year career as a Navy civilian employee,
By Ian W. Toll, W.W. Norton, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by John Grady Ian Toll’s Conquering Tide is the middle piece of his Pacific War history, and it is a superb fit with the first volume, Pacific Crucible. Now available in paperback, Conquering Tide tells the story of the fight after the Battle of
By James Keffer, Penmore Press, Tucson, AZ (2015) Reviewed by Rick Elkin When reading fiction, I tend to enjoy science fiction more than any genre. My taste in maritime and naval books tends to lean heavily toward non-fiction books. I enjoy “real” history. That said, I remember as a young boy watching “Horatio Hornblower” with
By Joseph A. Williams, Chicago Review Press, Chicago, Il (2015) Reviewed by Rick Elkin As followers of naval history, most of us have, at least, a small amount of knowledge regarding submarine disasters that have occurred since just after World War I, when submarines became major weapons thanks to the German use of U-Boats. However,
By Philip Kaplan, Pen & Sword Maritime, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England (2015) Reviewed by Ed Calouro Devotees of big-gun battleships apparently cannot get their fill. In Battleships: WWII Evolution of the Big Guns, prolific author Philip Kaplan has completed his third volume in the “Images of War” series about these warships. In 2004, Kaplan wrote
By Gary Slaughter, Fletcher House, Nashville, TN (2016) Reviewed by Charles Bogart Gary Slaughter has crafted a fascinating book about his service in the U.S. Navy. The narrative starts with his life as a small town boy seeking greater opportunity than his surrounding area offers. His method of choice to escape his small town is
By Hans Joachim Koerver, Dr. Cynthia Dyre-Moellenhoff (ed.), LIS Reinisch Verlag, Steinbach, (2016) Reviewed by Eric Dietrich-Berryman, Ph.D. War of Numbers is not a long book but packs impressive, relevant detail, much of it original from the author’s searches through British records. Arguments pro and con in the Imperial German Navy are here, as is
By Geoff Dyer, Vintage Books, New York, NY (2014) Reviewed by Nathan Albright Whether or not a reader appreciates this book will greatly depend on their mindset. If someone comes to this book looking for someone who is serious about the United States Navy, has lots of respect for the military or the religious and
Books have always been popular gifts to present to deserving individuals during the holiday season, birthdays, and events such as retirements and changes of command. However, when those books are inscribed to that individual – well that’s way cool and very meaningful! The Naval Historical Foundation is providing the opportunity for employees at the Washington
By Rick Campbell, St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by William H. White A gripping, action-packed novel that is just plausible enough to be pulled from the headlines of today’s paper. Commander Campbell, a former submariner, knows his submarines and the technology they use to fulfill their assignments; his apparent knowledge, whether first-hand
By Senior Chief George J. Chambers, U.S. Navy (Retired), Heritage Books, Berwyn Heights (2015) Reviewed by Captain Howard R. Portnoy, U.S. Navy (Retired) George J. Chambers, the author of this book, served twenty years in the US Navy, retiring as a Senior Chief Firecontrolman in 1970. During his naval career, he served aboard five destroyer
By David P. Chandler, Robert Cribb and Li Narangoa, NIAS Press, Copenhagen, Denmark (2016) Reviewed by Charles H Bogart The hundred days that this book is concerned with are the days between 5 August and 12 November 1945. The book begins on 5 August 1945, as this is the day the U.S. dropped the A-bomb
By Jonathan Dimbleby, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Captain J. F. “Bookie” Boland, U.S. Navy (Ret.) The long campaign between the Western Allies and Germany’s U-boat force during the Second World War is the subject of Jonathan Dimbleby’s new book, The Battle of the Atlantic: How the Allies Won the War.
Reviewed by John Grady David Porter remains one of the most fascinating personalities in the early American Navy. His quickly written, often self-serving but surprisingly candid Journal about his wartime activities in the Pacific set a standard for naval writing that remains informative and clear. It was also highly popular at the time, fanned by
