The Navy At Sea And Ashore

For more than two-hundred years the Royal Navy's dominance of the seas was complemented by its ability to project force ashore. In this book a group of prominent naval historians--Tom Pocock, Michael Duffy, Colin White, Andrew Lambert, Richard Brooks, and Chris Page--examine the naval brigade's role on land. Starting with Sidney Smith's defense of Acre in 1799, it continues through Nelson's Corsica campaign, the Indian Mutiny, the Anglo-Japanese War of 1863-4, the Crimean and Boer Wars, and both world wars. From little-known incidents during "Queen Victoria's Little Wars" to modern Tomahawk missile technology and littoral warfare, this rousing tribute is an essential addition to the Royal Navy canon.

In this grand history of naval warfare, Palmer observes five centuries of dramatic encounters under sail and steam. From reliance on signal flags in the seventeenth century to satellite communications in the twenty-first, admirals looked to the next advance in technology as the one that would allow them to control their forces. But while abilities to communicate improved, Palmer shows how other technologies simultaneously shrank admirals' windows of decision. The result was simple, if not obvious: naval commanders have never had sufficient means or time to direct subordinates in battle.

Reproduction of the original: The Press-Gang Afloat and Ashore by J.R Hutchinson

About the Book Any veteran of the United States Navy knows about "sea stories." If you served in the Navy, it is almost a 100% certainty that you've heard one (probably many more). And maybe even told "one or two" yourself. "Sea stories" and the tellers of them have all the finest attributes of oral historians that preserve the tradition and lore specific to their society. In the service (all branches) older more experienced personnel share much of their knowledge in just such a way. In their finest sense, the story carries with it a lesson learned-a small slice of experience and specific circumstance. Often leavened with humor, sometimes touching on the tragic-the cold hard facts of the risks involved. Stories connect with our own existence and adjust our thinking based on what we learn from what we hear. Good storytellers have a single intent-to touch the listener in some way. Hank McKinney does that. For those who have served you'll see bits of your own service in these stories. And I would be surprised if some of them don't bring a smile in remembrance. You will also sense the pang of separation from family, an unavoidable price paid by those who serve and their families. For those who haven't served-you'll learn much you didn't know. You'll find stories that cover the gamut of experience and responsibility, from midshipman to admiral, told in a refreshing conversational tone. Come onboard and spend some time with Hank McKinney. You'll come away with a better understanding and appreciation for the "Silent Service" and the men and women who serve. I guarantee you will learn things that you never knew about what was essentially a critical component of our front line defense during the Cold War. About the Author Rear Admiral Henry C. (Hank) McKinney, USN (Retired) is a native of La Grange, Illinois. He graduated from Princeton University in 1959 with a degree in Engineering and a commission as an Ensign through the Naval ROTC program. He earned a Master of Science degree in Statistics from Stanford University. Originally serving in the surface Navy, he volunteered for nuclear submarine duty and served onboard both SSNs and SSBNs throughout his career including command tours and as Commander of the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with two gold stars, the Defense Superior Service Medal, both the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars and the Navy Achievement Medal. He is also a past President and Chief Executive Officer of the Navy Memorial Foundation. He now lives in Minnesota and along with his faithful golden retriever reports to his shore based commander, his wife Mary. Their son is commanding officer of USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) and their daughter is a Chemistry teacher in Maryland.

Covering almost four decades of naval service, SEA DETAIL is the story of one naval officer's career at sea and ashore. From the Vietnam War to the War on Terror, Admiral Sullivan was a participant in world events throughout the last quarter of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first. From his early days as a junior officer to his rise through the ranks to vice admiral, we watch history unfold through his eyes. As a young junior officer, he learns his trade, makes mistakes and grows through experiences, both good and bad. With his college sweetheart by his side, he balances the excitement of adventures at sea and in foreign ports and the ache of long separations from his family. His is a compelling story, rich with the experience of participating in world events and self-discovery as each assignment shapes his life and that of his family. His experiences as the commanding officer of two ships superbly detail the challenges and responsibilities our Navy places on ship captains. Achieving flag rank, his perspective changes from the narrow concentration of commanding a warship to the broader strategic challenges of national security. Admiral Sullivan's tale will carry you around the world, from the frozen climes north of the Arctic Circle to the brutal heat of the Persian Gulf. His experiences in the Pentagon, at the White House, in front of Congress and at NATO Headquarters provide uncanny insights into our nation's national security apparatus at work. This is a compelling story, one of the thousands that can be told by those who have served our country in uniform.

This book explains both the strategic and the operational aspects of exercising control of the sea. The struggle for sea control consists of three mutually related and overlapping phases: obtaining, maintaining and exercising sea control. It is in the phase of exercising sea control when one’s strategic or operational success is exploited; otherwise, the fruits of victories achieved would be wasted. This work describes the strategy of a stronger side in wartime after a desired degree of control has been obtained, which is followed by a discussion on the objectives and main methods used in exercising sea control. The remaining chapters explain and analyze in some detail each of the main methods of exercising sea control: defence and protection of one’s own and destruction/neutralization of the enemy’s military-economic potential at sea, capturing the enemy’s operationally important positions ashore, destroying/weakening the enemy’s military-economic potential ashore and supporting one’s ground forces in their offensive and defensive operations on the coast. This book will be of much interest to students of strategic studies, sea power and naval history.

At the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Captain George Sotos became the first and only American military commander in history to set his facility at DEFCON 1 in readiness for nuclear war. And what a facility it was - a top secret command center, buried under a Hawaiian pineapple field. Breaking a nearly 60-year silence, Sotos recounts those agonizing days, along with his desperate plan to shelter as many civilians as possible from the nuclear-armed Soviet missiles that would obliterate human life on the island of Oahu. He tells, too, of the command center's inner workings, its pioneering use of computers for military command and control, and the key item on his resumé that tipped one of the U.S. Navy's most powerful admirals to hire him for the job: previous command of a Destroyer. Emerging from World War II as a combat-proven leader, Captain Sotos continues in Flagship Captain the story of his remarkable naval career, begun in the companion book, Living With the Torpedo - now used as a teaching text at the US Naval Academy. His lessons of leadership and ship-handling, in war and in peace, are as timeless as the sea.