Books about Frigates from Amazon.com

"A fluent, intelligent history...give[s] the reader a feel for the human quirks and harsh demands of life at sea."—New York Times Book Review

Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government The founders—particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams—debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.

From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and the narrative flair of Patrick O'Brian. 16 pages of illustrations..
Price: $6.85 [Notify me when price goes down.]

By 1805 the 44-gun frigate was probably viewed as a failed experiment whilst the 38-gun frigate was viewed as the vessel of the future. Ten years later every navy was building 44-gun frigates and today it is viewed as the symbol of the Napoleonic-era cruiser. This remarkable transformation resulted from the performance of three ships – the Constitution, United States, and President – 44-gun frigates built for the United States Navy between 1794 and 1799. Their victories in the naval War of 1812, as well as their performance against the Barbary Pirates, caught the imagination of the world – and spurred all navies into re-examining the class..
Price: $10.70 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The "Original Six" frigates were commissioned by the new-born US Navy at a staggering cost of $688,888.82. Designed to be light and fast, these warships enabled America to project its power across the globe. Among the ships Mark Lardas examines is USS Constellation: the first ship to be commissioned by the United States Navy, and also the first ship to engage and capture an enemy vessel, the French L'Insurgente - this engagement is vividly portrayed in original color artwork. The fascinating history of the USS Chesapeake is also brought to life through the dramatic account one of the bloodiest duels in the age of fighting sail as the Chesapeake meets the British frigate Shannon and is overwhelmed, the dying cry of the captain, "Don't give up the ship!" inspired the US Navy thereafter. Alongside stirring accounts of engagements during the Barbary Wars and the Quasi-War, the author explores the design and development of these frigates, explaining the shortcomings that led to their replacement by larger, heavier 44-gun models by 1800. Contemporary illustrations of US frigates and their British and French rivals help to place these ships in the context of European ship design, clearly showing the escalation of the naval 'arms race' during the seventeenth century. American Light and Medium Frigates is an ideal resource for any naval enthusiast wanting to learn more about the ships that witnessed the rise of the US Navy and Marines..
Price: $9.22 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In May 1987, an Iraqi plane fired two missiles into USS Stark, a lone U.S. Navy frigate on patrol in the Gulf. The missiles severely damaged the ship and killed thirty-seven sailors This deadly attack, which Iraq claimed was accidental, brought heightened attention to the Persian Gulf and heralded the beginning of a new era in U.S. Middle Eastern policy. From then until the end of the Iran-Iraq War, American forces carried out an unprecedented series of military operations in the Gulf. A planned tanker protection mission evolved into a naval quasi-war with Iran and culminated in the largest sea-air battle since World War II.

Inside the Danger Zone is a history of U.S. military involvement in the Persian Gulf in 1987 and 1988--a time of burning ships, air strikes, and secret missions--the prelude to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Desert Storm, and the most recent U.S. invasion of Iraq. Based largely on first-hand accounts from veterans of that era, it is an up-close, detailed report from the front lines of a guerrilla war at sea. Many of the dramatic incidents of this period are told in depth, with new information and details never before seen in print.

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Price: $20.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

On the surface, it seems that Bev is living happily ever after. Her marriage to her high-school sweetheart is unconventional but suits her, and she has found success in her chosen profession

Appearances can be deceiving.

This fourth novel in the Snowy Series is "Bev's Book," told entirely from her point of view. It picks up where the third novel, Henrietta Snow, left off, with Bev's announcement that she and her husband, Roger, are going to renew their marriage vows. Bev and Roger have been living apart for twelve years. After the euphoria of their decision to get back together, Bev tries to face the reality of this prospect, while at the same time she must try to deal with career decisions and, even more important, a surprise with tremendous impact.

The Husband Bench explores love in its various forms--pure and complicated, selfless and selfish, serious and comic..
Price: $11.11 [Notify me when price goes down.]

On the 25th anniversary of the publication of this national best-seller, The Cheerleader has been rereleased.

Here is what it was like to grow up in the 1950s in the years of ponytails, pajama parties, and "parking," when to be popular was important and when, if you were a girl, being important meant being a cheerleader.

Searchingly honest, achingly real, The Cheerleader is a bittersweet novel about the loss of innocence, the growth of passion, and the awakening of ambition. It recalls all the joy, excitement, and pain of crossing the bridge from childhood to young womanhood in the Fabulous Fifties, when sex was still a mystery and goals were clearly defined--perhaps for the last time..
Price: $6.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

For every naval officer, in fiction or reality, the frigate was the most sought after command. As dashing as a modern destroyer, the frigate offered the excitement of independent service with the prospect of a glorious single-ship battle or a fortune to be made in prize money. Their actions have been the stuff of history and sea fiction for generations, but the ships themselves are hardly documented at all. This book fills that gap with comprehensive descriptions of the design, construction, armament and fitting of individual classes, as well as the factors that influenced their development and the roles they were expected to perform. Supporting the narrative are detailed lists on all classes, including the prizes captured from opposing French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, and American navies and comparative aspects like performance under sail. Based on extensive new research, the author goes beyond the frigate's specifications to background issues like the construction experiments prior to the adoption of the Seppings' diagonal system, and the improvements to guns, mounting, and powder during the wars of 1793-1815.

This handsome large-format volume is fully illustrated with original plans, photographs of models, and contemporary prints. It will be a rich addition to any maritime bookshelf and provide first-time readers of this genre with an in-depth look at a sailing vessel steeped in naval lore..
Price: $29.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

What happens next?

This is the question that readers of the best-seller THE CHEERLEADER and its sequel, SNOWY, have been asking, and now they can discover the answer in HENRIETTA SNOW.

New readers will relish a satisfying novel complete in itself.

Here are best-friends Snowy and Bev, and their friend Puddles, who completes their triumvirate, along with Tom and Dudley and others from Gunthwaite High School, in the years between 1987 and the millennium. As they turn fifty and then—eek!—sixty, how do they reshape their dreams and their lives?.
Price: $7.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]