International Journal of Naval History

Forthcoming Publications

 

John Darrell Sherwood, Black Sailor, White Navy: Racial Unrest in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War Era ( New York : New York University Press, 2007). During the final stages of the Vietnam War, the Navy witnessed some of the worst incidents of racial strife ever experienced by the American military. In 1972, major riots occurred on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk and the oiler Hassayampa and scores of less well-known episodes took place on other ships and shore facilities. The history seeks to answer key questions: Why did the unrest occur? Did institutional racism cause it? Did the Navy reform its racial policies as a result of the unrest? Did these reforms solve the problem?

 

Robert J. Schneller, Jr. Anchor of Resolve: A Short History of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Fifth Fleet (Naval Historical Center, Spring 2007). This heavily illustrated booklet published for the enlightenment of America ’s Sailors provides a concise history of the U.S. Navy’s presence in the Persian Gulf and contiguous waters from the establishment of the Middle East Force in 1949 through the Global War on Terrorism today. It describes how the Navy has accomplished its mission of promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Central Command area of responsibility.

 

Charles E. Brodine Jr., Michael J. Crawford, and Christine F. Hughes, eds. Interpreting Old Ironsides: Handbook of USS Constitution (Naval Historical Center, Spring 2007). This work is a training manual for members of the crew of the 1797 United States frigate Constitution, now berthed in the Charlestown Navy Yard, across the river from Boston The historic frigate is open to visitors year round, with tours provided by the crew, active sailors in the United States Navy. The lessons in the manual are related to the three skill levels of the tour guides, Basic, Advanced, and Master. In addition to the chronology and major events in the history of the ship, the manual explains the historical contexts in which those events took place. The work will be a basic resource for anyone interested in the early history of the U.S. Navy and the USS Constitution.

 

Online edition of Edward W. Callahan, ed., List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900; edited by Christine F. Hughes and other members of the Early History Branch, Naval Historical Center.  http://www.history.navy.mil/books/callahan/index.htm . This posted edition presents an alphabetical listing of leaders from these two military services, including the names of the legendary and the obscure, the wartime notables and the peacetime unknowns, the heroic and the humdrum. The Naval Historical Center digitized and revised the list for online use, making the data searchable for today's scholars.

 

Edward J. Marolda, editor. The U.S. Navy and the Korean War (Naval Institute Press, Spring 2007). This book, a compilation of works by some of the most authoritative naval historians in the United States, draws on many formerly classified sources to shed new light on the U.S. Navy’s role in the three-year struggle to preserve the independence of the Republic of Korea. Several of the essays concentrate on fleet operations during the first critical year of the war and later years when United Nations forces fought a “static war.” Others focus on the leadership of admirals Forrest P. Sherman, C. Turner Joy, James H. Doyle, and Arleigh Burke and on carrier-based and ground-based naval air operations as well as the contributions of African American Sailors.

Lecture: “African American Naval Officers in the Wake of a Revolution” by Captain Jeffrey K. Sapp, USN, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1977, a Navy football star, and skipper of six ships. Sapp will discuss his background, Naval Academy years, and broad experience in the Navy during his rise to the rank of captain. The talk will focus on what it was like to be a black naval officer at different points in his career and the growth in opportunities for African Americans in the naval officer corps.

 

When: 12:00-1:00 on Tuesday 20 February 2007

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Lecture: “Navy and Marine Corps Women at War” by James E. Wise Jr., USN (Ret.), an author or coauthor of many books, including the recently published Women at War: World II to Iraqi Freedom coauthored with Scott Baron. Wise will discuss how American women have carried out their duties as pilots of fighter and attack aircraft, military police officers, and truck convoy defenders. The speaker will pay particular attention to the role of women in counterinsurgency situations such as currently exist in Afghanistan and Iraq .

 

When: 12:00-1:00 on Tuesday 20 March 2007  

 

Lecture: “Reinvigorating NATO’s Naval Strategy: Challenge and Response of the 1960s” by Robert Davis. The changing nature of the Soviet threat, conceptions of limited warfare, and renewed emphasis on conventional deterrence in the 1960s led to reconsiderations of NATO strategy. An important component of this reconsideration focused on the importance of flank defense.  The reorientation of NATO strategy in the 1960s towards the concept known as Flexible Response had a great deal to do with the importance alliance planners and strategists placed on the maritime periphery of Europe .    This discussion will address the strategic challenges faced by NATO in the 1960s.

 

When: 12:00-1:00 on Tuesday 17 April 2007

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Lecture: “Amirs, Admirals, and Desert Sailors” by Dr. David F. Winkler, distinguished author and Program Director of the Naval Historical Foundation. He will trace the U.S. Navy’s historic presence in the Persian Gulf and the vital strategic relationship between the United States and the emirate of Bahrain , now site of the U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters. He will be available to autograph copies of his work Amirs, Admirals, and Desert Sailors to be published soon.

 

When: 12:00-1:00 on Tuesday 15 May 2007

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Lecture: “The Long Ride of the Surface Warrior, 1942-1944” by James Hornfischer, author of Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors and Ship of Ghosts. He will discuss the under-celebrated gallantry of destroyer and cruiser sailors in some of the most desperate fighting our Navy has ever engaged in. The author will give the Battle of Sunda Strait (March 1, 1942) and the Battle off Samar (October 25, 1944) the attention they so richly deserve. The themes of heroism and the fragility of memory can be rewardingly illustrated by telling the story of these two key World War II battles.

 

When: 12:00-1:00 on Tuesday 19 June 2007