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The Wreck of the Royal Mail Ship Rhonein St Narciso's Hurricane of October1867

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RMS Rhone, just three years old then and the pretty queen of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Companys fleet, sank in the great St. Narciso hurricane of late October 1867, a devastating category three storm that bored a line east to west atop the Antilles, and ruthlessly thinned the islands population while it sank some seventy ships in port and local waters. Fleeing from Tortola across Drake Strait and toward open water at full speed, through the backside of the hurricane and nearly blinded by rain and spray, Rhone drove aground on Black Rock, in the shallows off Salt Island, shoved to her fate by 140 mile and hour winds. The impact and the subsequent explosion of her boiler tore the 310-foot long ship in half. One hundred twenty four drowned that morning or were scalded to death in the engine room. Only twenty-three survived. Five other company ships went down, too. Remarkably, a sixth company ship, the tiny paddle steamer Conway managed to live through the day, although dismasted and with her deck swept clear of funnel, paddle boxes, and rigging. This is the story of those ships, and the story of Jeremiah Murphy, a salty hardhat diver, who spent most of the next six years salvaging the wreck of the Rhone and clearing neighboring harbors of the storms detritus. Without a doubt, Black Rock and Blue Water will appeal powerfully to readers of maritime history, and to recreational divers of all ages.

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In this comprehensive portrait of the women of Chechnya in modern war, Paul Murphy challenges conventional thinking on why they fight and are willing to kill themselves in the name of Allah. His book covers the two wars with Russia in 1994 and 1999 and the present conflict with Islamic Jihadists. It argues that these wars forced Chechen women to venture far beyond their traditional roles and advance their human rights but that the current movement championing traditional Islam is taking those rights away. Drawing on personal interviews, insider resources, and other materials, Murphy presents powerful portrayals of women who fight in the Chechen Jihad, including snipers, suicide bombers and the mysterious Black Widows, as well as women who collect intelligence, hide arms, and perform other non-combatant roles.

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The Battle of Lake Erie on 10 September 1813 is considered by many to be the most important naval confrontation of the War of 1812. Made famous by the American fleet commander Oliver Hazard Perry's comment, "We have met the enemy and they are ours," the battle marked the U.S. Navy's first successful fleet action and was one of the rare occasions when the Royal Navy surrendered an entire squadron. This book draws on British, Canadian, and American documents to offer a totally impartial analysis of all sides of the struggle to control the lake. New diagrams of the battle are included that reflect the authors' modification of traditional positions of various vessels. The book also evaluates the strategic background and tactical conduct of the British and the Americans and the command leadership exercised by Perry and his British opponent, Commander Robert H. Barclay.   Not since James Fenimore Cooper's 1843 book on the subject has the battle been examined in such detail, and not since Alfred Thayer Mahan's 1905 study of the war has there been such a significant reinterpretation of the engagement. First published in hardcover in 1997, the book is the winner of the North American Society for Oceanic History's John Lyman Book Award.

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The Golden Age of Jet Flight Testing at Edwards Air Force Base

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In Contrails over the Mojave George Marrett takes off where Tom Wolfes The Right Stuff ended in 1963. Marrett started the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB only two weeks after the schools commander, Col. Chuck Yeager, ejected from a Lockheed NF-104 trying to set a world altitude record. He describes life as a space cadet experiencing 15 Gs in a human centrifuge, zero-G maneuvers in a KC-135 Vomit Comet, and a flight to 80,000 feet in the F-104A Starfighter. After graduating from Yeagers Charm School, he was assigned to the Fighter Branch of Flight Test Operations, where he flew the latest fighter aircraft and chased other test aircraft as they set world speed and altitude records.

Marrett takes readers into the cockpit as he goes vertical in a T-38 Talon, completes high-G maneuvers in an F-4C Phantom, and conducts wet-runway landing tests in the accident-prone F-111A Aardvark. He writes about Col. Silver Fox Stephens setting a world speed record in the YF-12 Blackbird and Bob Gilliland testing speed stalls in the SR-71 spy plane, but he also relives stories of crashes that killed test pilot friends. He recounts dead-sticking a T-38 to a landing on Rogers Dry Lake after a twin-engine failure and conducting dangerous tail hook barrier testing in a fighter jet without a canopy. A mysterious UFO sighting in the night sky above the Mojave Desert, known as The Edwards Encounter, also receives Marretts attention. Whether the author is assessing a new aircrafts performance or describing the experiences of test pilots as they routinely faced the possibility of death, this look at the golden age of flight testing both thrills and informs.

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In telling the story of the extraordinary contributions of the U.S. Marines in World War I, this now-classic history examines the Corps entire experience in France. Now available in paperback, the book is a valuable resource for data, especially details about each unit and how they functioned. Bolstered with information from official documents as well as published and unpublished memoirs, readers follow the Marines from their recruitment, through training and shipment overseas, to the horrors of trench warfare. The famous battle at Belleau Wood is fully examined, along with the lesser known campaigns at Blanc Mont and Meuse River, and the critical engagements at Verdun, Marbache, and St. Mihiel. Readers learn how the 4th Marine Brigade earned the nickname Devil Dogs and why their experiences helped forge the Corps identity. It is a new addition to the Leatherneck Classics series.

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The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf

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Today only a select few know firsthand what it is like to feel their ship shudder from the blast of their own guns, watch enemy guns flash back, and see friendly ships erupt in flames.  Russell Crenshaw is one of those few.  His riveting account of the savage  night battle for the Solomon Islands in early 1943 offers readers a unique insiders perspective from the decks of one of the destroyers that bore the brunt of the struggle. Russell Crenshaw was a gunnery officer on the USS Maury. His vivid, balanced, and detailed narrative includes the Battle of Tassafarounga in November 1942 and Vella Gulf in August 1943, actions that earned his warship a Presidential Unit Citation and sixteen battle stars. Crenshaw also discusses the impact of radar and voice radio, the shortcomings of U.S. torpedoes and gunfire, and the devastating effectiveness of Japans super torpedo.

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Lessons from Polar and Space Exploration

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Bold Endeavors: Lessons from Polar and Space Exploration presents the results of 15 years of research for NASA and the Department of Defense concerning the factors that contribute to adjustment and sustained human performance under conditions of isolation and confinement. The research involved the study of previous space operations and conditions on Earth, such as submarines, Antarctic stations, polar expeditions, and voyages of discovery, that are comparable to what might be expected for future long duration space missions.  Bold Endeavors is read by students, engineers, behavioral scientists, modern explorers, and the personnel staffing US Antarctic stations, among others; it has been described as required reading for members of NASAs Expedition Corps, astronauts who are preparing for expeditions to the International Space Station and beyond. Bold Endeavors is of interest to the fields of psychology, psychiatry, human factors and ergonomics, anthropology, aerospace engineering, space medicine, personnel selection, organizational management, and the history of exploration. The chapter on Food is even used as a reference in culinary and hospitality-management programs.

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The French and British Air Arms from Versailles to Dunkirk

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Noted aviation historian Robin Higham has written this comparative study of the evolution of the French and British air arms from 1918 to 1940 to determine why the Armee de lAir was defeated in June 1940 but the Royal Air Force was able to win the battle over Britain in September. After analyzing the structure, men, and materiel of the air arms, and the government and economic infrastructure of both countries, he concludes that the French force was dominated by the Armee de Terre, had no suitably powerful aero engines, and suffered from the chaos of French politics. In contrast, the independent RAF evolved into a sophisticated, scientifically based force, supported by consistent government practices. Highams thorough examination, however, finds the British not without error.

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The U.S. and Royal Navies at Sea in the War of 1812

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Focusing on the oceanic war rather than on the war in the Great Lakes, this study charts the War of 1812 from the perspectives of the two opposing navies at sea, one the largest navies in the world, the other a small, upstart navy just three decades old.  While American naval leadership searched for a means of contesting Britains naval dominance, the English sought to destroy the U.S. Navy and protect its oceanic highways. Instead of describing battles between opposing warships, Kevin McCranie evaluates entire cruises by American and British men-of-war, noting both successes and failures and how they translated into broader strategies.  In the process, his study becomes a history of how the two navies fought the oceanic war, linking high-level governmental decisions about strategy to the operational use of fleets in the Atlantic and Caribbean and from the south Pacific to the Indian Ocean.   This comprehensive work offers a balanced appraisal of the sea war, taking into account the strategic considerations of both sides and how the leadership from each side assessed, planned, and implemented operational concepts.  It draws on a wealth of British and American archival sources to help the reader understand strategic imperatives and the correlation between these imperatives and why the oceanic war was conducted in the manner it was. All American warships cruises, not just those that resulted in battles, are covered, but the authors action-packed accounts of battles hold special appeal.

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A World War II adventure story of epic proportions, this book tells the heroic tale of a dedicated band of men who refused to let their crippled ship sink to the bottom of the Pacific in late 1944. Based on over seventy eyewitness accounts and hundreds of official documents and personal papers, it records in rich detail the USS Houston's 14,000-mile perilous journey home to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Part of Bull Halsey's famous Pacific Task Force 38, the Houston's had been supporting air strikes as a prelude to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, when she took an aerial torpedo hit that caused serious flooding. Nearly two-thirds of the crew abandoned ship before the damage-control officer convinced the captain she might be saved. Another torpedo hit two days later complicated the crew's desperate fight. Surrounded by death, floodwaters, and fire, stalked by enemy subs, threatened by air attack, and running from a typhoon, the men of the Houston's remained towers of strength while knowing their ship was never more than minutes away from breaking apart. John Miller's action-packed account gives insights into the nature of heroism and leadership that remain valuable today. Exceptional photographic documentation accompanies the text.

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The U.S. Naval Institute on Women in Navy: Challenges

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The U.S. Naval Institute Chronicles series focuses on the relevance of history by exploring topics like significant battles, personalities, and service components. Tapping into the U.S. Naval Institute's robust archives, these carefully selected volumes help readers understand nuanced subjects by providing unique perspectives and some of the best contributions that have helped shape naval thinking over the many decades since the Institutes founding in 1873.  Serving as a companion to the history of women in the Navy, this volume presents the challenges that have accompanied the long road to gender integration. In these pages readers will find edification, clarification, and much food for thought about one of the most significant national defense issues of modern times.

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Small though they were, PT boats played a key role in World War II, carrying out an astonishing variety of missions where fast, versatile, and strongly armed vessels were needed. Called "weapons of opportunity," they met the enemy at closer quarters and with greater frequency than any other type of surface craft. Among the most famous PT commanders was John F. Kennedy, whose courageous actions in the Pacific are now well known to the American public. The author of the book, another distinguished PT boat commander in the Pacific, compiled this history of PT-boat operations in World War II for the U.S. Navy shortly after V-J Day, when memories were fresh and records easily assessable. The book was first made available to the public in 1962 after Kennedy's inauguration as president of the United States interest in PTs was at a peak. Bulkley provides a wealth of facts about these motor torpedo boats, whose vast range of operation covered two oceans as well as the Mediterranean and the English Channel. Although their primary mission was to attack surface ships and craft close to shore, they were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens, to rescue downed aviators, and to carry out intelligence and raider operations. The author gives special attention to the crews, paying well-deserved tribute to their heroism, skill, and sacrifice that helped to win the war.

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With all that has already been written about President Abraham Lincolns assassination, one of the little known stories is the case of the only successful conspirator, John Harrison Surratt, the son of Mary Surratt, who was hanged for her part in the crime. The Last Lincoln Conspirator is the true story of John Surratt, who became the most wanted man in America after the death of John Wilkes Booths and was the only conspirator to escape conviction. The capture and killing of Booth twelve days after he shot Lincoln and the fate of Booths other accomplices are familiar history. Four accomplices, including Surratts mother, were convicted and hanged, and four were jailed. John Surratt alone managed to evade capture for twenty months and, once put on trial, to evade prison.  The first full-length treatment of Surratts escape, capture, and trial, this book provides fascinating details about his flight through Canada, England, France, the Papal States, and eventual capture in Egypt. Surratts desperate journey and the bitter legal proceedings against him that bizarrely led to his freedom hold the readers attention from first to last page.

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Defending Against the Modern Amphibious Assault

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Conventional military wisdom holds that the amphibious assault against a defended beach is the most difficult of all military operations--yet modern amphibious landings have been almost universally successful. This apparent contradiction is fully explored in this first look at 20th-century amphibious warfare from the perspective of the defender.  The author, Col. Theodore L. Gatchel, USMC (Ret.), examines amphibious operations from Gallipoli to the Falkland Islands to determine why the defenders were unable to prevent the attackers from landing or to throw them back into the sea after they had fought their way ashore. He places the reader in the defenders' shoes as such epic battles as Normandy, Iwo Jima, and Inchon are planned and fought, and then uses these cases to explain why the defenders were unable to successfully defend against enemy landings.  A practitioner, teacher, and student of amphibious warfare, Colonel Gatchel follows those explanations with speculations on how a defender today might try to stop a landing and on the implications of such actions for future amphibious operations.

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Britain, China, and the Amethyst Crisis of 1949

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In 1949, as the Chinese Civil War was about to enter its final, explosive stage, the small British frigate HMS Amethyst was sent on a dangerous mission up the Yangtze River to protect British citizens in Nanking. En route it was attacked by the Chinese Communists and held hostage on the river for several months before the crew managed to make a daring escape.  The Amethyst captured news headlines around the world and became an unlikely symbol of the cold war in Asia. This dramatic episode, hailed in the West as a triumph of the human spirit but bitterly condemned by the Chinese Communists, was to prejudice Anglo-Chinese relations for years to come.  Using sources not previously available, Malcolm Murfett has written a book that is much more than an account of a single incident. It provides a sweeping survey of British naval power in China, from its faltering and inept beginnings in the late 1630s right up to the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. In explaining the importance of the Amethyst episode in the history of Anglo-Chinese naval relations, Murfett suggests that it was the final poignant break with the past.  Readers will find Hostage on the Yangtze to be a fascinating tale of high adventure, imperialistic oppression, diplomatic shortcomings, and political repercussionsa mixture that culminates in one of the most dramatic and memorable crises of the post-war world.

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This is the first biography of Captain Thomas Tingey, a seminal figure in the early development of the U.S. Navy. It is at the same time a biography of this important American naval figure and a history of the first quarter century of the Washington Navy Yard, which Tingey commanded for that period. It is also the story of the transition of the navy from an object of partisan discord, to an honored and beloved defender of a growing and increasingly self-confident young nation. Tingey, who came to America after a short service in the Royal Navy, contributed importantly to the success of the navy in the War of 1812 and left a legacy of naval service which many of his descendants have followed. The Captain Who Burned His Ships is designed to fill a blank in popular histories of the 19th century American navy, which have been centered on the exploits of the heroes of the Barbary campaigns and the War of 1812. It looks at the development of the navy through its construction and logistical components, in which the Washington yard and Tingey played an important role.  It looks at Tingeys contributions to the development of yard procedures and practices, his civic role in the budding city of Washington, and the tragic events of 1814, when he was forced to burn his own creation to save it from falling into British hands

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From Early Aviation through Three Wars to the White House

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A memoir of extraordinary scope, William Lloyd Stearmans reminiscences will attract those interested in early aviation, World War II in the Pacific, life as a diplomat behind the Iron Curtain, the Vietnam War, and the ins and outs of national security decision-making in the White House. Stearman begins with a description of childhood as the son of aviation pioneer Lloyd Stearman. He then covers his naval combat experiences in the Pacific war and later struggles as one of the Navys youngest ship captains. Following graduate school, he moved to the front lines of the Cold War and writes about his life as a diplomat who negotiated with the Soviets, spent nine years in Berlin and Vienna, and was director of psychological operations in Vietnam. His reflections on seventeen years with the National Security Council at the White House are of special interest.

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Between the world wars, France produced some of the largest and fastest destroyers in the world. Known as Contre-Torpilleurs, these striking and innovative super-destroyers and the more conventional Torpilleurs dEscadre are the focus of this book. The first part of the book covers the design of these ships, pairing the text with detailed data tables, specially-drawn plans and schemas, and photographs of the ships. The second half details the eventful careers of these ships and contains contemporary photographs and maps commissioned specifically for this book.

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The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway

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Elliot Carlson's award-winning biography of Capt. Joe Rochefort is the first to be written about the officer who headed Station Hypo, the U.S. Navy's signals monitoring and cryptographic intelligence unit at Pearl Harbor, and who broke the Japanese Navy's code before the Battle of Midway. The book brings Rochefort to life as the irreverent, fiercely independent, and consequential officer that he was. Readers share his frustrations as he searches in vain for Yamamoto's fleet prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but share his joy when he succeeds in tracking the fleet in early 1942 and breaks the code that leads Rochefort to believe Yamamoto's invasion target is Midway. His conclusions, bitterly opposed by some top Navy brass, are credited with making the U.S. victory possible and helping to change the course of the war. The author tells the story of how opponents in Washington forced Rochefort's removal from Station Hypo and denied him the Distinguished Service Medal recommended by Admiral Nimitz.  In capturing the interplay of policy and personality and the role played by politics at the highest levels of the Navy, Carlson reveals a side of the intelligence community seldom seen by outsiders.  For a full understanding of the man, Carlson examines Rochefort's love-hate relationship with cryptanalysis, his adventure-filled years in the 1930s as the right-hand man to the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet, and his return to codebreaking in mid-1941 as the officer in charge of Station Hypo. He traces Rochefort's career from his enlistment in 1918 to his posting in Washington as head of the Navy's codebreaking desk at age twenty-five, and beyond. In many ways a reinterpretation of Rochefort, the book makes clear the key role his codebreaking played in the outcome of Midway and the legacy he left of reporting actionable intelligence directly to the fleet. An epilogue describes efforts waged by Rochefort's colleagues to obtain the medal denied him in 1942-a drive that finally paid off in 1986 when the medal was awarded posthumously.

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The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897-1945

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Based on twenty years of research in formerly secret archives, this book reveals for the first time the full significance of War Plan Orange--the U.S. Navy's strategy to defeat Japan, forumulated over the forty years prior to World War II. It recounts the struggles between "thrusting" and "cautionary" schools of strategy, the roles of outspoken leaders such as Dewey, Mahan, King, and MacArthur, and the adaptation of aviation and other technologies to the plan. The book shows that the strategy of Plan Orange was the basis of prewar U.S. naval development in training, ship and aircraft design, and amphibious and tactical thought. War Plan Orange is the recipient of numerous book awards, including the prestigious Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Naval History Prize.