America, Sea Power, and the World

The gold standard in college-level American naval history texts, edited by the foremost scholar in the field

In the newly revised second edition of America, Sea Power and the World, a team of distinguished researchers delivers an extensive and authoritative survey of American naval history, the place of the United States in world affairs, and the role of that country’s naval forces during peacetime and wartime.

Each chapter contains a comprehensive analysis of its subject as well as brief sidebars describing a key weapon or technological development of the era and a short biographical sketch of an influential leader or representative of the navy from that era. The book offers extensive illustration and maps and a throughgoing emphasis on naval policy, strategy, roles, and missions, with careful attention paid to naval operations. These factors given greater focus than the descriptions of battle tactics found in other texts.

Readers will also find:

• A thorough introduction to sea power and the modern state system, as well as the American War for Independence at sea
• Comprehensive explorations of the genesis of the United States Navy from 1785 to 1806
• Practical discussions of the Naval War of 1812 and the Confirmation of Independence from 1807 to 1815 and the Squadron Navy as an agent of the commercial empire until 1890
• Fulsome treatments of the Second World War in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and the Pacific, including defensive actions in the Pacific from 1937 to 1943 and offensive actions from 1943 to 1944.
• New chapters exclusive to the 2^nd edition focused on the history of African Americans and women in the US Navy, the development of joint operations and unified command, and the naval history of the last two decades.

Perfect for undergraduate students taking courses on the naval history of the United States, America, Sea Power and the World, Second Edition will also earn a place in the libraries of members of the general public interested in naval and military history.

James C. Bradford is Professor Emeritus of Naval and Early American History at Texas A&M University. He is the author of the International Encyclopedia of Military History, Command Under Sail: Makers of the American Naval Tradition, and A Companion to American Military History.

John F. Bradford is a Senior Fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University. He retired from the US Navy with the rank of Commander. He is co-author of the forthcoming Maritime Security: A Primer and co-editor of the forthcoming Maritime Cooperation and Security in the Indo-Pacific Region: Essays in Honour of Sam Bateman.

List of Contributors

List of Maps

List of Figures

List of Sidebar Vignettes

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 Sea Power and the Modern State System

James C. Bradford

2 The American War for Independence at Sea

Virginia W. Lunsford

3 Genesis of the US Navy, 1785–1806

Joseph P. Slaughter

4 The Naval War of 1812 and the Confirmation of Independence, 1807–1815

Gene Allen Smith

5 The Squadron Navy: Agent of a Commercial Empire, 1815–1890

                              John H. Schroeder

6 Technological Revolution at Sea

                              William M. McBride

7 The Civil War: Blockade and Counter-Blockade

Craig L. Symonds

8 The Civil War on Rivers and Coastal Waters

Wayne Hsieh

9 The New Navy, 1865–1895

                              Frederick S. Harrod

10 War with Spain and the Revolution in Naval Affairs, 1895–1910

                              James C. Rentfrow

11 Defending Imperial Interests in Asia and the Caribbean, 1898–1941

                              Aaron B. O’Connell

12 Naval Rivalry and World War I at Sea, 1900–1920

                              Jon K. Hendrickson

13 Finding Certainty in Uncertain Times: The Navy in the Interwar Years

Craig C. Felker

14 World War II in the Atlantic

Marcus O. Jones

15 Assault on Occupied Europe

Stan Fisher

16  Defense in the Pacific, 1937–1943

Davin O’Hora

17 Offensive in the Pacific, 1943–1944

William F. Trimble

18 The Victory of Sea Power in the Pacific, 1944-1945

Edward J. Marolda

19 The Uneasy Transition, 1945–1953

Kenneth W. Estes

20 Cold War Challenges, 1953–1963

                              Lori L. Bogle

21  Defense Unification and Joint Operations

Scott Mobley

22 The Test of Vietnam

Richard A. Ruth

23  Toward a More Diversified Navy

Kristy Kamarck

24 Twilight of the Cold War: Contraction, New Strategies, and Revival

                              Joseph T. Stanik

25 Contours of Conflict: Worldwide War on Terrorism, 1990–2015

                              Ernest Tucker

26   Steaming Back into a Multi-Polar World

David F. Winkler              

27 “Quo Vadis?”

Mark R. Hagerott

Further Reading

Index

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