Books about Merchantmen from Amazon.com

According to Charles W. Koburger, Jr., the naval world has been turned upside down and the United States is not prepared for it. Most naval thought has been written for large blue water ships isolated on the open sea. But low-intensity conflicts--insurgencies, counterinsurgencies, terrorism, regional hostilities--smolder and flare around the world. Naval war is now frequently fought in narrow landbound seas where everything and everybody is involved. Modern technology, with its increased firepower, has given smaller ships, and thereby smaller navies, an impact far out of proportion to their size, particularly in these narrow seas. Koburger's thesis: the growing importance of both "narrow seas" and "lesser navies" has caused a major shift in the balance of sea power. His conclusion: the United States must develop tactics and weapons that will win wars in the narrow seas. Narrow Seas, Small Navies, and Fat Merchantmen examines the impact of these small navies on the ships, planes, and tactics of big navies. Presenting a clear image of these lesser navies, Koburger also provides definitions of common naval concepts in nontechnical terms. Divided into three parts this volume first looks at small navies, then describes their characteristic operations, and concludes by outlining implications of this naval revolution for United States' maritime strategy. Past naval failures in the narrow seas serve to highlight the politico-military value of Koburger's study. It will be of great use to military tacticians, naval strategists, and students of modern military strategy..
Price: $106.13 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Here at last is the true story of the merchant fleet during World War II, the non-fighting service in which 32,000 men died, yet whose essential role has never been fully appreciated The author, himself a member of the service from 1941-47, relates the stories of merchantmen and their crews with unique insight. From the early days of the war to the day of victory on the Rhine, through combined operations in the Mediterranean and at Normandy, the complete operation of the fleet is examined, with vivid accounts of the horrific losses undergone, the heroism of the crews and the sacrifices endured to ensure that Britain received its essential supplies of food, oil, and raw materials..
Price: $35.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]