A Sea Of Small Boats

Two centuries before the daring exploits of Navy SEALs and Marine Raiders captured the public imagination, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps were already engaged in similarly perilous missions: raiding pirate camps, attacking enemy ships in the dark of night, and striking enemy facilities and resources on shore. Even John Paul Jones, father of the American navy, saw such irregular operations as critical to naval warfare. With Jones’s own experience as a starting point, Benjamin Armstrong sets out to take irregular naval warfare out of the shadow of the blue-water battles that dominate naval history. This book, the first historical study of its kind, makes a compelling case for raiding and irregular naval warfare as key elements in the story of American sea power. Beginning with the Continental Navy, Small Boats and Daring Men traces maritime missions through the wars of the early republic, from the coast of modern-day Libya to the rivers and inlets of the Chesapeake Bay. At the same time, Armstrong examines the era’s conflicts with nonstate enemies and threats to American peacetime interests along Pacific and Caribbean shores. Armstrong brings a uniquely informed perspective to his subject; and his work—with reference to original naval operational reports, sailors’ memoirs and diaries, and officers’ correspondence—is at once an exciting narrative of danger and combat at sea and a thoroughgoing analysis of how these events fit into concepts of American sea power. Offering a critical new look at the naval history of the Early American era, this book also raises fundamental questions for naval strategy in the twenty-first century.

Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan’s dramatic tale of survival at sea was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than thirty-six weeks. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have survived more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized only six days out. “Utterly absorbing” (Newsweek), Adrift is a must-have for any adventure library.

Many believe that pirates and other water-bound terrorists present a significant threat to international maritime security. Testing the validity of this claim, Martin N. Murphy scrutinizes recent incidents of maritime terrorism and locates the commonalities between pirates and maritime terrorists that enable them to commit their extensive crimes. Murphy's research opens up surprising sites of contact between pirates and wider criminal networks, organizations that pursue their corrupt agendas not only on sea but also on land. It is these relationships, Murphy argues, that bring about the destabilization of states and regions in which piracy occurs. Murphy's most significant revelation is the way in which maritime criminality may disguise insurgent and terrorist activity, allowing such actors greater freedom to maneuver. Although these acts currently rank as a low-level threat, priacy feeds off of political upheaval. Before they can evolve into a truly powerful and dangerous force, however, maritime terrorists and insurgents will have to overcome significant operational and technical issues. They must also capture the attention of an international audience by committing atrocities at sea that are as devastating as those committed on land.

It seemed like a good idea. Tired of everyday life ashore, Farley Mowat would find a sturdy boat in Newfoundland and roam the salt sea over, free as a bird. What he found was the worst boat in the world, and she nearly drove him mad. The Happy Adventure, despite all that Farley and his Newfoundland helpers could do, leaked like a sieve. Her engine only worked when she felt like it. Typically, on her maiden voyage, with the engine stuck in reverse, she backed out of the harbour under full sail. And she sank, regularly. How Farley and a varied crew, including the intrepid lady who married him, coaxed the boat from Newfoundland to Lake Ontario is a marvellous story. The encounters with sharks, rum-runners, rum and a host of unforgettable characters on land and sea make this a very funny book for readers of all ages.

Sea Fishing From Small Boats is a comprehensive guide containing all the information needed for successful small-boat fishing. This book comprises a wealth of angling information that, combined with a plethora of wonderfully detailed illustrations, constitutes a must-have handbook for small-boat fishing enthusiasts and also makes for a lovely addition to any collection of angling literature. C. H. Cook often wrote under the penname ‘John Bickerdyke’ and was a prolific 19th-century angling author who authored many books on coarse and sea fishing. This scarce antiquarian book contains a wealth of timeless information which is as valuable today as it was at the time of its original publication, proudly republished here complete with an additional introduction on the topic of fishing. Many scarce books such as this are increasingly hard to come by and costly; this book has been elected for modern republication due to its immense educational value and in the hope that it can be read and enjoyed by those with an interested in the topic for generations to come.

Twelve-year-old Donovan's summer with his aunt and uncle on Puget Sound becomes a test of his own convictions when he suspects his uncle's involvement in a local racist group.