Monthly Archives: July 2014

View from the Quarterdeck: July 2014

Have you ever wondered why it is that some individuals seem to be almost innately curious about the study of history? I vividly recall my mentor at the University of Washington, Professor Wilton B. Fowler, saying at the beginning of … Continue reading

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Changing American Perceptions of the Royal Navy Since 1775

John B. Hattendorf Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History, U.S. Naval War College There are many dimensions to a navy. At its most obvious, a navy is an expression of a nation’s power, but at the same time it … Continue reading

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Naval History and Heroes: The Influence of U.S. and British Navalism on Children’s Writing, 1895-1914

By Hazel Sheeky Bird Independent Scholar, Great Britain At the beginning of the twentieth century, a great number of navalist books were produced for children in Britain and America. 1  Navalism, namely the belief that sea power is integral to … Continue reading

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Strategic Logic of the American “Pivot to the Pacific”

William Kyle University of Mary Washington, Class of 2013 Five years of Obama administration foreign policy are now in the history books as we continue to move beyond the Global War on Terror era. While the jury is still out … Continue reading

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Learning to Fail: Lessons for the Twenty-First Century from the Pacific War

Brent Powers Lieutenant, U.S. Navy Introduction As the U.S. military finds itself several years into its rebalancing to the Pacific, with an unspoken focus on China, today’s naval officers would recognize the conditions that their pre-World War II forebears faced. … Continue reading

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National History Day 2014 Documentary: “Vietnam POWs Taking Responsibility when Deprived of All Rights”

A National History Day documentary by Jethro Abatayo and Logan Gibert Pleasant Valley Middle School, Vancouver, WA Editor’s Note: Established in 1974, National History Day (NHD) is an award winning, non-profit education organization offering year-long academic programs that engage over … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – Beneath the Waves: The Life and Navy of CAPT. Edward L. Beach Jr.

Edward F. Finch, Beneath the Waves: The Life and Navy of CAPT. Edward L. Beach Jr. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2010. 288 pps. Photos, Notes, appendices, bibliography, index Review by Nicholas Evan Sarantakes Department of Strategy & Policy, U.S. … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – Ships and Shipbuilders: Pioneers of Design and Construction

Fred M. Walker. Ships and Shipbuilders: Pioneers of Design and Construction. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2010. 237 pp, index. Review by Timothy G. Lynch SUNY Maritime College Published to coincide with the sesquicentennial of the Royal Institution of Naval … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – Blue versus Orange: The U.S. Naval War College, Japan, and the Old Enemy in the Pacific, 1945-1946

Hal M. Friedman, Blue versus Orange: The U.S. Naval War College, Japan, and the Old Enemy in the Pacific, 1945-1946. Newport, RI: Naval War College Press, 2013, 364 pp. Review by Joseph Moretz British Commission for Military History The role … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – “A” Force: The Origins of British Deception during the Second World War

Whitney T. Bendeck. “A” Force: The Origins of British Deception during the Second World War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013, 272 pp. Review by Joseph Moretz British Commission for Military History The role of deception in Allied military operations … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – Strategy and War Planning in the British Navy, 1887-1918

Shawn T. Grimes, Strategy and War Planning in the British Navy, 1887-1918, Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: The Boydell Press, 2012. 263 pp. Review by Howard J. Fuller University of Wolverhampton First off, this is a very handsomely-produced book from The Boydell … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – Far China Station: The U.S. Navy in Asian Waters, 1800-1898

Robert Erwin Johnson, Far China Station: The U.S. Navy in Asian Waters, 1800-1898. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013. 307 pp. Paperback edition. B & W illustrations and photographs; maps; notes; bibliography; index. Review by John M. Jennings United States … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – Billy Mitchell’s War with the Navy: The Interwar Rivalry over Air Power

Thomas Wildenberg, Billy Mitchell’s War with the Navy: The Interwar Rivalry over Air Power. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013, 288 pp. Review by Charles D. Dusch, Jr. United States Air Force Academy Now that the centennial of the First … Continue reading

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BOOK REVIEW – Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power

Andrew Nagorski, Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2012. 400 pp. Photos, bibliography, index. Review by Kaitlin Sadler University of Mary Washington Seven decades later, questions surrounding the Second World War … Continue reading

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