The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 16th Ed

The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 16th Ed
Naval Institute Press Annapolis August 2013 9781591149545 Hardcover 1,008 pages 

Called “the nation’s premier naval reference book,” The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World is internationally acknowledged as the best one-volume reference to the world’s naval and paranaval forces. Updated regularly since 1976, it has come to be relied on for all-inclusive, accurate, and up-to-date data on the ships, navies, coast guards, and naval aviation arms of more than 170 countries and territories. Large fleets and small maritime forces get equally thorough treatment. Comprehensive indexes make the book easy to use and allow for quick comparisons between ships and fleets.
This new 16th edition, presents information on all the major and minor maritime developments that could impact the world scene in the years to come. Heavily illustrated with 4,450 black & white  photos and 179 multi-view line drawings, Combat Fleets  provides the user with the most detailed views available for identification and comparison purposes. Additional aids for the user include a section on how to use the book, lists of terms and abbreviations,an informative ship-name index, and more. An expanded chapter on the Chinese navy provides major updates on the status of their new aircraft carrier and the latest Chinese submarines, surface ships and naval missiles. Dozens of detailed line drawings depict exactly where weapons and sensors are located on the world’s combatants such as the Iranian Ghadir-class submarines, the French Forbin-class destroyers, and the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships.
The ship data section for each country provides full coverage of all ships, from the largest aircraft carriers to the smallest training and auxiliary craft. The vessels of the world’s coast guards and customs services are given thorough treatment as well. But the book is much more than a ship encyclopedia. It includes information on the personnel strengths of each country’s naval forces, major base locations, and details on maritime radar, sonar, naval aircraft, and weapon systems currently in service.
For the Canadian section, I was disappointed in the section not being up to date. 

The Liberty Incident Revealed

By A Jay Cristol 9781612513409 Naval Institute Press Hardcover & eBook 416 Pages September 2013

This book is an update of the author's 2002 treatise on the Israeli attack on USS Liberty in 1967. Former naval aviator and current judge and law professor Cristol successfully sued the National Security Administration (NSA), under freedom in information laws, for their files on the attack. He has added six chapters to this new version, in what will surely become the definitive account on this unfortunate incident and firmly believes the historical record is accurate. Hopefully this will be the case and bring closure to all persons with a personal connection to the tragedy.

21st Century Mahan

By Benjamin Armstrong 9781612512433 Paperback & eBook 192 Pages August 2013

The hypothesis behind this work is that the writings of Alfred Thayer Mahan have been extensively written about but not too widely read. This book is a compilation of five essays written by Mahan and is recommended for young naval officers to get a good grasp on the timeless aspects of service life and strategy.

 

A Plain Sailorman in China: The Life of and Times of Cdr. I.V. Gillis, USN, 1875-1948

By Bruce Swanson et al Naval Institute Press 9781612511054 Hardcover 272 Pages July 2012

The late Bruce Swanson learned about Gillis while doing research and was so excited he undertook to write a biography. While handwriting the text, Swanson unfortunately passed away and left the work in the hands of friends who brought the work to completion. 
Gillis was the first US Naval Attache in China, a sign of increased US diplomatic presence in China after the Boxer Rebellion and other events of the first decades of the 20th century.
The book details, in an easy to read fashion, life in the US Navy and China in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Marrying a Chinese woman, Gillis eventually most of the rest of his life in China, a period that included Japanese internment during the Second World War, until his death in 1948.
Congratulations of the writing team on this fine tribute to both Commander Gillis and the late Bruce Swanson.

Uncommon Warriors: 200 Years of the Most Unusual American Naval Vessels

By Ken Sayers Naval Institute Press 9781591147602 Hardcover 288 Pages July 2012


Having written a number of books in this format, I can fully appreciate the author's passion and joy in compiling this welcome addition to naval history. Mr Sayers has compiled a list of all the disparate array of vessels that were included in the miscellaneous auxiliary classifications of AG and IX. Contained are brief histories of the vessels Sayers thought were the most noteworthy and are a nice extra. Numerous illustrations are contained and we give this book a hearty well done!

The Hunters and the Hunted

By Bryan Perrett Pen and Sword Books Hardback 150 pages ISBN: 9781848846388 Published: 31 August 2012

1914 was probably the last year of the traditional chase and engagement of enemy ships on a large scale. This had little changed from the days of sail except for employing newer technologies. 
In addition, 1914 was probably the height of international ambitions for colonialism with most industrialized nations and some not (Russia) hoping to add overseas territories. To this end, one of the major roles of naval forces was to protect these colonial interests and this is the thrust of this book.
Author Perrett, is an experience writer on historical matters and here he does a good job of bringing not only 1914, but the rest of the First World War (albeit in limited scale compared to 1914). After 1915, the improvements in aircraft saw them employed in naval operations and these actions employed the technology when they could.
These actions take place off the Falkland Islands, Dutch East Indies, Pacific, Africa and the Mediterranean. 
Thanks for the author and publisher for putting out this important addition to naval history.

Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, 19th Ed

By Norman Polmar and Richard R Burgess 9781591146872 Naval Institute Press Hardcover 688 pages March 2013

Very pleasantly surprised to read Rick Burgess, arguably the most knowledgeable person alive on US Naval Aviation, has now joined the Normal Polmar on this series. This is probably the most comprehensive publication on the current US Navy and related sea services in print today. Comprehensive listings of ships, aircraft, weapons and electronics. The only quibble we might have is the inclusion of discarded ships, which seems to distract from the apparent aim of series founder James Fahey. Apart from that, this book is superb and is highly recommended.

Strike Warfare in the 21st Century

By Dale E Knutsen

 

ISBN 9781612510835 Hardcover & eBook 208 pages Naval Institute Press May 2012

Strike warfare is a term rarely used in the media and almost never explained, although reports of conflicts often describe its application or effects. To provide readers with a better appreciation for this powerful military capability, Dale E. Knutsen defines the term and traces its development. The book opens with a discussion of strike warfare operations and addresses the targets, defenses, resources, and steps required to prosecute an attack. The second half of the book describes how strike weapons are developed. The author’s goal is to eliminate the uncertainty, mystery, and outright fiction that sometimes exist in various explanations of the term. Knutsen closes with some thoughts about lessons learned and trends for the future.
The author spent many years at NAWC China Lake and is a good source of unclassified information on this topic. This book makes for a handy reference tool without getting too dry. The days of aircraft flying low on a bombing run a thing of the past with today's technology making the target not even aware they are about to be vanquished.

Sino-French Naval War 1884-1885

By Piotr Olender 978-8361421535 MMP Books Maritime Series 3104

This new book covers the Sino-French Naval War 1884-1885, a little-known part of late 19th century naval history. The background, operations and outcomes are described in detail. All the ships involved, both French and Chinese, are described and illustrated with full technical specifications. Profusely illustrated with scale drawings and photos.
This little known war, intended to open trade routes into the interior of China, profoundly shaped Southeast Asia for the subsequent 70 years. 

The Seabound Coast

The Seabound Coast

The Official History of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1867–1939, Volume I

By Richard H. Gimblett, William Johnston and William G.P. Rawling

978-1-55488-907-5

January 2011

1014pp, Hardback

From its creation in 1910, the Royal Canadian Navy was marked by political debate over the country’s need for a naval service. The Seabound Coast, Volume I of a three-volume official history of the RCN, traces the story of the navy’s first three decades, from its beginnings as Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s “tinpot” navy of two obsolescent British cruisers to the force of six modern destroyers and four minesweepers with which it began the Second World War. The previously published Volume II of this history, Part 1, No Higher Purpose, and Part 2, A Blue Water Navy, has already told the story of the RCN during the 1939–1945 conflict.
Based on extensive archival research, The Seabound Coast recounts the acrimonious debates that eventually led to the RCN’s establishment in 1910, its tenuous existence following the Laurier government’s sudden replacement by that of Robert Borden one year later, and the navy’s struggles during the First World War when it was forced to defend Canadian waters with only a handful of resources. From the effects of the devastating Halifax explosion in December 1917 to the U-boat campaign off Canada’s East Coast in 1918, the volume examines how the RCN’s task was made more difficult by the often inconsistent advice Ottawa received from the British Admiralty in London. In its final section, this important and well-illustrated history relates the RCN’s experience during the interwar years when anti-war sentiment and an economic depression threatened the service’s very survival.

The amount of information, graphics, photographs and maps in this book is indeed mind-boggling.

A couple of interesting things I learned from reading this book – Britain wanted to give Canada a coal-burning Bristol Class cruiser instead of HMS Aurora and the senior destroyer commanding officer of the RCN in the 1930s had a broad black funnel cap as per the Royal Navy leader tradition.

A very big well done to Dr Gimblett and his co-authors.