Illustrated Directory Of The United States Navy

Description:
The United States Navy's ability to project America's power throughout the world has ensured that the US can exert pressure on potential enemies where they live. This has never been more important nor so clearly manifest than when the US has become militarily involved in the Persian Gulf, in the Balkans and in Afghanistan at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. The development of the US Navy is related here in a volume that has three distinct sections: the Continental Period, reflecting the navy's preoccupation with the new nation's internal affairs; the Oceanic Period, during which America's maritime forces spearheaded the nation's international commercial and political involvement and in which they became embroiled in world conflicts; and the Trans-oceanic Period during which the navy has effectively become the US's first line of defence, far from its own shores. Illustrated with the dramatic works of famous artists, contemporary images and specially commissioned photographs of historic artefacts, this book describes the furious battles that the US Navy has fought and the major weapons it has used.

Author Biography:
Chester ('Chet') G. Hearn is a former member of the United States armed forces. He has written more than a dozen books on U.S. military history, including An Illustrated History of the United States Marine Corps and Naval Battles of the Civil War (both published by Salamander), and George Washington's Schooners: The First American Navy, Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, and Admiral David Dixon Porter (published by the U.S. Naval Institute Press). Three of his titles have been 'alternate selections' for the History Book Club of America. He graduated from Allegheny College with a BA in Economics and a minor in History, and spent much of a civilian career as an executive in industry. He now spends all his time writing and researching.