This account of U.S. carrier development, by Norman Friedman, is based on the internal files of the U.S. Navy and presents a complete evolutionary design history at a level of detail and accuracy never before approached. The author, a recognized authority on U.S. warships, uncovers the issues behind the emergence of today's carrier, explaining the reasons for the periodic but always aborted attempts to trim back its dimensions. As a result, U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History is relevant to both current and future plans for new carrier construction.
ISBN 9780870217395 / 0870217399. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.
A lasting tribute to the USS Enterprise, this heavily illustrated, new edition tells the classic tale of the carrier that contributed more than any other warship to the naval victory in the Pacific. The original book, written by Commander Edward P. Stafford, USN (Ret.) and published in 1962, has remained one of the most celebrated World War II stories for more than four decades.
The Big E participated in nearly every major engagement of the war against Japan and was awarded a total of twenty battle stars. The Halsey-Doolittle Raid; the Battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa are all faithfully recorded from the viewpoint of the men who served her so well.
ISBN 978-1-59114-802-9. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.
Turn into the Wind, Volume I: US Navy and Royal Navy Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers in World War II, and Contributions of the British Pacific Fleet, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.)
In the Pacific in World War II, the dearth of US Navy fleet aviation capabilities became acute following the loss, in 1942, of four aircraft carriers to combat action. New Essex-class fleet aircraft carriers were being built, but would not be ready soon enough. Time was of the essence. President Franklin D. Roosevelt intervened to solve the problem—directing reluctant Navy "top brass" to turn cruiser hulls, already laid down, into light aircraft carriers. This created nine Independence-class ships, which would receive more battle stars, on average, than their bigger, better-known sisters (the twelve finally-completed Essex carriers that saw combat action). Aboard two of the light carriers were future presidents, George H. W. Bush, and Gerald R. Ford. Pilots and aircrews flying from the 622-foot "flat-tops" were awarded scores of decorations for heroism. These included two Medals of Honor, Navy Crosses, Silver and Bronze Stars, and dozens of Distinguished Flying Crosses. Some of the recipients, such as Edward "Butch" O'Hare, are familiar to aviation buffs. Others, including Hollis H. Hills, who flew in the two greatest air battles of the war: Dieppe in 1942 and the "Great [Marianas] Turkey Shoot" in the Pacific in 1944, less so. Britain similarly began construction on ten 698-foot Colossus-class light fleet carriers. Four entered service before the end of the war, and were allocated to the British Pacific Fleet, but arrived too late for front-line action. Aboard the BPF's larger carriers, which fought in the Battle of Okinawa and other actions, were members of many Commonwealth countries. Among them was Robert Hampton Gray, who (posthumously) was Canada's last Victoria Cross recipient of the war. One hundred sixty-five photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; and an index to full-names, places, and subjects add value to this work.
2021, 6x9, paper, index, 480 pp
ISBN: 9780788408212
101-B0821
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
Turn into the Wind, Volume II: U. S. Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and Royal Canadian Navy Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers in the Korean War and through end of service, 1950–1982, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.)
American and British light fleet aircraft carriers, an expedient of war at a time of dire need in World War II, answered their nations' call a second time during the Korean War. While larger US Navy fleet carriers plied their trade in the deeper Sea of Japan off Korea's east coast, their svelte sisters—USS Bataan, HMS Glory, HMS Ocean, HMS Theseus, HMS Triumph, and HMAS Sydney—were consigned to the Yellow Sea. Operating off the west coast, ragged and heavily indented with numerous small islands, aircraft aboard the carriers repeatedly struck the enemy. Winters were cold, with occasional gales and blinding snow squalls; summers were hot and humid, with heavy rains and fog. While the piston-engine aircraft attacked enemy supply lines, fortifications, and troop positions, enemy MiG jet aircraft were a constant threat, some flown by Russians. Carrier air also provided protection to friendly islands, from which guerillas mounted operations behind enemy lines. Following the Korean War, Australia acquired two additional former Royal Navy light fleet carriers, and Canada three in succession, as centerpieces for naval fixed air programs. Former CVLs served in new roles during the Cold War/Vietnam War: USS Wright as a "doomsday" afloat White House, HMAS Sydney as a troop transport, and USS Arlington as a communications link between the Pentagon and commanders in the field. One hundred fifty-five photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; and an index to full-names, places, and subjects add value to this work.
2021, 6x9, paper, index, 326 pp
ISBN: 9780788408694
101-B0869
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
Queenstown Bound: U.S. Navy Destroyers Combating German U-boats in European Waters in World War I, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Retired). Beginning in spring 1917, the U.S. Navy sent ever more divisions of destroyers to Europe, first to Queenstown, Ireland, and later to Gibraltar and French ports as well, to combat German U-boats. The submarines were taking a huge toll on Atlantic shipping over the course of World War I, resulting in the loss of nearly half of Britain's merchant fleet. By the time America entered the war, an expanded U-boat fleet had come dangerously close to choking off Britain's critical supply of food, which threatened the sustainment of the island nation and could have led to the collapse of the British war effort. Though lacking sonar, radar, and embarked helicopters common to warships today, the four-stack, coal-burning destroyers bravely carried out anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort duties. Their presence in dangerous waters where unseen submarines searched for victims, helped hold the enemy down and, when possible, enabled depth-charge and gunnery attacks against the enemy. The destroyers' greatest contributions were in helping to get two million U.S. soldiers safely to France, which changed the course of the war, and of world history. One hundred seventy-seven photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; a bibliography; and an index to full names, places, and subjects add value to this work.
2023, 6x9, paper, index, 308 pp
ISBN:9780788426575
101-B2657
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
Intercept: The U.S. Navy's Intelligence-Gathering Ships ("Cold War Spy Fleet") 1961–1969, 1985–1989, by CDR David D. Bruhn, U.S. Navy (Retired). During the period 1961&ndas;1969 inclusive, a dozen intelligence-gathering ships conducted signals intelligence collection under the control of the NSA. These ships, with the exception of the fleet tug Atakapa, were World War II freighters taken out of "mothballs" and converted for their new roles. Operating in international waters, just off the coastlines of adversary nations, they monitored targets not otherwise accessible to collection resources. These efforts included signals coverage of Latin America and Africa; interception from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans of telemetry data associated with Soviet spacecraft launches; and intelligence collection off Vietnam, Cambodia, the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea. USNS Muller was harassed by Cuban patrol boats, and USS Banner by Soviet and Chinese vessels. In 1967, USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli air and naval forces, resulting in the death of thirty-four members of her crew, and another 172 wounded. The following year, USS Pueblo was captured by North Korean military forces, an event linked to the John Walker espionage ring. One crewmember was killed, others endured torture during their eleven months as POWs. The latter two incidents, and competing Vietnam War requirements, resulted in the retirement in 1969 of the remaining ships. Two decades later, in 1985, a need for a ship off Nicaragua—to collect intelligence on arms traffic in the Gulf of Fonseca—brought the USS Sphinx, a former WWII landing craft repair ship, out of the reserve fleet. One hundred thirty-eight photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; and an index to full names, places, and subjects add value to this work.
2023, 6x9, paper, 268 pp.
ISBN: 9780788429026
101-B2902
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
Queenstown Bound: U.S. Navy Destroyers Combating German U-boats in European Waters in World War I, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Retired). Beginning in spring 1917, the U.S. Navy sent ever more divisions of destroyers to Europe, first to Queenstown, Ireland, and later to Gibraltar and French ports as well, to combat German U-boats. The submarines were taking a huge toll on Atlantic shipping over the course of World War I, resulting in the loss of nearly half of Britain's merchant fleet. By the time America entered the war, an expanded U-boat fleet had come dangerously close to choking off Britain's critical supply of food, which threatened the sustainment of the island nation and could have led to the collapse of the British war effort. Though lacking sonar, radar, and embarked helicopters common to warships today, the four-stack, coal-burning destroyers bravely carried out anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort duties. Their presence in dangerous waters where unseen submarines searched for victims, helped hold the enemy down and, when possible, enabled depth-charge and gunnery attacks against the enemy. The destroyers' greatest contributions were in helping to get two million U.S. soldiers safely to France, which changed the course of the war, and of world history. One hundred seventy-seven photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; a bibliography; and an index to full names, places, and subjects add value to this work.
2023, 6x9, paper, index, 308 pp
ISBN:9780788426575
101-B2657
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
A lasting tribute to the USS Enterprise, this heavily illustrated, new edition tells the classic tale of the carrier that contributed more than any other warship to the naval victory in the Pacific. The original book, published in 1962, has remained one of the most celebrated World War II stories for more than four decades.
The Big E participated in nearly every major engagement of the war against Japan and was awarded a total of twenty battle stars. The Halsey-Doolittle Raid; the Battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa are all faithfully recorded from the viewpoint of the men who served her so well.
ISBN 978-1-59114-802-9. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.
Turn into the Wind, Volume I: US Navy and Royal Navy Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers in World War II, and Contributions of the British Pacific Fleet, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.)
In the Pacific in World War II, the dearth of US Navy fleet aviation capabilities became acute following the loss, in 1942, of four aircraft carriers to combat action. New Essex-class fleet aircraft carriers were being built, but would not be ready soon enough. Time was of the essence. President Franklin D. Roosevelt intervened to solve the problem—directing reluctant Navy "top brass" to turn cruiser hulls, already laid down, into light aircraft carriers. This created nine Independence-class ships, which would receive more battle stars, on average, than their bigger, better-known sisters (the twelve finally-completed Essex carriers that saw combat action). Aboard two of the light carriers were future presidents, George H. W. Bush, and Gerald R. Ford. Pilots and aircrews flying from the 622-foot "flat-tops" were awarded scores of decorations for heroism. These included two Medals of Honor, Navy Crosses, Silver and Bronze Stars, and dozens of Distinguished Flying Crosses. Some of the recipients, such as Edward "Butch" O'Hare, are familiar to aviation buffs. Others, including Hollis H. Hills, who flew in the two greatest air battles of the war: Dieppe in 1942 and the "Great [Marianas] Turkey Shoot" in the Pacific in 1944, less so. Britain similarly began construction on ten 698-foot Colossus-class light fleet carriers. Four entered service before the end of the war, and were allocated to the British Pacific Fleet, but arrived too late for front-line action. Aboard the BPF's larger carriers, which fought in the Battle of Okinawa and other actions, were members of many Commonwealth countries. Among them was Robert Hampton Gray, who (posthumously) was Canada's last Victoria Cross recipient of the war. One hundred sixty-five photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; and an index to full-names, places, and subjects add value to this work.
2021, 6x9, paper, index, 480 pp
ISBN: 9780788408212
101-B0821
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
Most books on the Cuban Missile Crisis tell the story using the memoirs of those who advised President Kennedy as he struggled to avoid World War III. This book is the only known personal account of the lead photographic reconnaissance squadron's scouting dangerous low-level operations, flying the supersonic RF-8A Crusader, during the classified Operation Blue Moon. Captain William B. Ecker was the commanding officer of US Navy Light Photographic Squadron 62 (VFP-62, otherwise known as "Fightin' Photo") during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a team created for reconnaissance and aerial photography, and consulted on the movie Thirteen Days, which included dramatic scenes of his first mission over Cuba on 23 October 1962. Kenneth V. Jack also served in VFP-62 and is now webmaster of the squadron's website. Blue Moon over Cuba is an authoritative and complete account of the low-level reconnaissance that might be said to have helped JFK avert nuclear Armageddon.
ISBN 1780960719 / 978-1780960715. The book can be purchased on the Internet from Osprey Publishing.
Intercept: The U.S. Navy's Intelligence-Gathering Ships ("Cold War Spy Fleet") 1961–1969, 1985–1989, by CDR David D. Bruhn, U.S. Navy (Retired). During the period 1961&ndas;1969 inclusive, a dozen intelligence-gathering ships conducted signals intelligence collection under the control of the NSA. These ships, with the exception of the fleet tug Atakapa, were World War II freighters taken out of "mothballs" and converted for their new roles. Operating in international waters, just off the coastlines of adversary nations, they monitored targets not otherwise accessible to collection resources. These efforts included signals coverage of Latin America and Africa; interception from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans of telemetry data associated with Soviet spacecraft launches; and intelligence collection off Vietnam, Cambodia, the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea. USNS Muller was harassed by Cuban patrol boats, and USS Banner by Soviet and Chinese vessels. In 1967, USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli air and naval forces, resulting in the death of thirty-four members of her crew, and another 172 wounded. The following year, USS Pueblo was captured by North Korean military forces, an event linked to the John Walker espionage ring. One crewmember was killed, others endured torture during their eleven months as POWs. The latter two incidents, and competing Vietnam War requirements, resulted in the retirement in 1969 of the remaining ships. Two decades later, in 1985, a need for a ship off Nicaragua—to collect intelligence on arms traffic in the Gulf of Fonseca—brought the USS Sphinx, a former WWII landing craft repair ship, out of the reserve fleet. One hundred thirty-eight photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; and an index to full names, places, and subjects add value to this work.
2023, 6x9, paper, 268 pp.
ISBN: 9780788429026
101-B2902
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
Eyes of the Fleet Over Vietnam, by Kenneth Jack.
Veteran and historian Kenneth V. Jack pieces together the chronological history of photo recon in the Vietnam War between 1964 and 1972, describing all types of missions undertaken, including several Crusader vs. MiG dogfights and multiple RF-8 shootdowns with their associated, dramatic rescues. The narrative focuses on Navy Photo Squadron VFP-63, but also dedicates chapters to VFP-62 and Marine VMCJ-1. The historical narrative is brought to life through vivid first-hand details of missions over intensely defended targets in Laos and North Vietnam. While most books on the Vietnam air war focus on fighter and bombing action, this book provides fresh insight into the air war through its focus on photo reconnaissance and coverage of both versions of the Crusader.
2021, 7x10, hardcover, digital, 272 pp
ISBN: 9781636240749
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Casemate Publishers.
On the Gunline: U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy Warships off Vietnam, 1965–1973, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.)
During the Vietnam War, 270 U.S. Navy and four Royal Australian Navy warships served at various times on the gunline. Within this armada were the battleship New Jersey, ten cruisers, 212 destroyers, fifty destroyer escorts, and the inshore fire support ship Carronade. When necessary, naval guns poured out round after round, until their barrels overheated and turned red, exterior paint blistered, and rifled-barrel liners were worn smooth. Allied troops locked in battle with North Vietnamese Army or Viet Cong troops in South Vietnam were grateful for artillery support from the sea. When North Vietnam launched the Easter Offensive across the DMZ in 1972, eight to ten ships in line, abreast, often firing simultaneously and around the clock, delivered desperately needed fire support. At one point, over forty cruisers and destroyers were serving together on the gunline. Warships conducting Sea Dragon and Linebacker operations—naval bombardment of military targets along the coast of North Vietnam—came under fire on a number of occasions. Runs in to within five miles of a hostile shore, to strike Vinh, Haiphong, and other targets, often preceded duels with shore batteries. Most such action occurred at mission completion as ships zigzagged, while racing seaward at high speed to clear the coast, to throw off the aim of enemy gunners. This book highlights the grit, determination, and heroism of young men—many who would likely have preferred the laid-back lifestyle of the 1960s, were it not for their country's call to arms. Photographs; maps and diagrams; appendices; a bibliography; and an index to full-names, places and subjects add value to this work.
2019, 6x9, paper, index, 374 pp
ISBN: 9780788458958
101-B5895
The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.
Admiral John S. McCain and the Triumph of Naval Air Power, by William F. Trimble, covers the life and professional career of ADM John S. McCain Sr. (1884–1945). Spanning most of the first half of the twentieth century, McCain's life and career highlight the integration of aviation into the Navy, emphasizing the evolution of the aircraft carrier from a tactical element of the fleet stressing sea control to a strategic force capable of long-range power projection.
ISBN 1682473708 | 9781682473702. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.