This People's Navy

The Making of American Sea Power

By: Kenneth J. Hagan

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Paperback | 21 August 1992 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

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468 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 3.3

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In this scholarly history of the United States Navy in peace and war, Kenneth Hagan narrates the entire span of the more than two centuries of naval tradition and command from the fledgling Continental Navy to the fate of a 600-ship navy. He covers the evolution of armaments, ship design, the Navy's mission, and the careers of some of the Navy's most distinguished figures. Hagan also argues persuasively that for the United States, as a continental power rather than an insular one, the Mahanian insistence on achieving command of the sea with line-of-battle ships and later aircraft carriers is part of a concept that is and has long been out of touch with the realities of the nation's strategic requirements. This work acts as an appraisal of the role of the United States Navy in the defence of its own and others freedoms.

Industry Reviews

As a professor of history at the US Naval Academy, the director of its museum, and the Academy archivist, Hagan has had ample opportunity to examine the original documents that tell the story of the US Navy. Here, he demonstrates just how thoroughly he has taken advantage of his opportunities. The US Navy began in 1775 when the Continental Congress voted to outfit a schooner and a sloop. But early successes on the seas soon induced Congress to expand the fleet - and inspired 11 of the 13 states to launch navies of their own. The early 19th century saw the development of "gunboat diplomacy," when the Navy was the instrument for advancing American nationalistic and commercial interests from the Barbary Coast to Sumatra. When he discusses the Civil War, Hagan is evenhanded: he praises the courageous David Farragut as well as the extraordinary Raphael Semmes, who rampaged from the Gulf of Mexico to the South China Sea, capturing 68 Union vessels. Before the turn of the century, the Navy had shifted its emphasis from hit-and-run tactics to battlefleets designed to control the seas through massive decisive engagements. By 1948, it had gained complete superiority over its rivals in Great Britain, Germany and Japan. Since the Vietnam War, however, Congress and the nation seem to have lost their interest in massive battlefleets; Hagan suggests that the Navy of the 21st century is likely to be scaled back to an almost solely defensive position, no longer advancing America's transoceanic interests. A solid, informative history for the nonspecialist. Hagan is not a great stylist (he's no John Keegan), but he is clear and tells an interesting story. (Kirkus Reviews)

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Warfare & Defence Naval Forces & Warfare History Military History Weapons & Equipment Engineering & Technology Transport Technology & Trades Shipbuilding Technology Ship Design & Naval Architecture Technology in General History of Engineering & Technology

Specific Events & Topics in History Maritime History Politics & Government Transportation Ships & Boats in General

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
The American Way of War at Sea, 1775-1783	p. 1
"A Good Occasion to Begin a Navy," 1783-1800	p. 21
"Strength and Bravery in Every Sea," 1801-1815	p. 54
Extending the Empire of Commerce, 1815-1846	p. 91
Brown-Water War for a Blue-Water Empire, 1846-1860	p. 125
A Navy Divided Against Itself, 1861-1890	p. 161
"Not Merely a Navy for Defense," 1890-1898	p. 193
"Incomparably the Greatest Navy in the World," 1898-1918	p. 228
Facing the Island Empires, 1919-1933	p. 259
Guerre de Course Once Again, 1933-1945	p. 281
The Navy's War in the Pacific, 1941-1945	p. 305
In Search of a Mission, 1945-1962	p. 333
Toward a Six-Hundred-Ship Navy, 1963-1990	p. 362
Epilogue	p. 389
Bibliographical Essay	p. 391
Index	p. 412
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

This People's Navy

The Making of American Sea Power

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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