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Tracing Your Tank Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians (Tracing Your Ancestors)

by David Fletcher Janice Tait

If you want to find out about the career of a soldier who served in tanks, are researching medals awarded to a tank crew member or just want to know more about a particular regiment squadron or operation, this book will point you in the right direction.Assuming that the reader has little prior knowledge of the history of British armored forces, Janice Tait and David Fletcher trace their development from their formation during WW1, through WWII and on to their role as an essential part of today's British army. Most importantly, they demonstrate how you can explore this history for yourself. The authors describe the records that are available and show how they can help you to reconstruct the career of a soldier who served in tanks or was connected with them. They also describe the kind of work the soldiers did, the armored vehicles they worked with, and the men and women they served alongsideThis accessible, information-packed introduction to the history of British armored forces will be essential reading and reference for anyone who is researching this aspect of military history.

The Trade: My Journey into the Labyrinth of Political Kidnapping

by Jere Van Dyk

n 2014, Jere Van Dyk traveled to Afghanistan to try to discover the motives behind a kidnapping that had occurred six years earlier--his own. He was haunted by questions about why he was taken and why he was released, and troubled by the refusal of his friends, employer, and government employees to offer him a full account of what they knew. An experienced investigative reporter, he began a quest to interrogate the accuracy of everything he was told, including from the people he trusted most.In pursuing his kidnappers, and the stories of the intermediaries and money men, Van Dyk uncovered not just the story of his own abduction but the operation of what he calls the Trade: the business of kidnapping. Operating according to its own shadowy rules, the Trade has become a murky form of negotiation between criminal groups, corporations, families, and governments who have no formal lines of communication.Van Dyk's journey took him from up near the Tribal Areas of Pakistan, to the tea shops of Kabul, to the Obama White House, and revealed evidence of lucrative transactions and rival bandit groups working under the direction of intelligence services. In its course, he met the families of many Americans who were or are still kidnapped, bargaining chips at the mercy of violent and pitiless extremists who thrive in the world's most lawless spaces.

The Trade

by William H. Hallahan

“Hallahan graduates to the Ludlum-Follett class of writers with this crackling good thriller” (Publishers Weekly). In this brilliant thriller set against the chilling background of the international arms trade, a former American intelligence agent is killed in the Paris Metro. He dies talking of the Doomsday Book. This deadly document is the inspiration for twenty years of plotting by some of the most influential elements of Germany’s arms business. It contains a sinister plan that, if unleashed, could plunge the United States, Russia, and China into a World War III. US agent Charlie Brewer and Colin Thomas, a shrewd, gritty international trader in everything from hand grenades to jet fighters, find themselves desperately dueling with the brilliant daughter of Germany’s leading intelligence officer as they slowly penetrate a shocking worldwide conspiracy. “Puts William Hallahan up above Le Carré, Deighton and Co.” —The Bookseller

Trade, Empire and British Foreign Policy, 1689-1815: Politics of a Commercial State (War, History And Politics Ser.)

by Jeremy Black

This new volume examines the influence of trade and empire from 1689 to 1815, a crucial period for British foreign policy and state-building.Jeremy Black, a leading expert on British foreign policy, draws on the wide range of archival material, as well as other sources, in order to ask how far, and through what processes and to what ends, foreign p

Trade Secret Theft, Industrial Espionage, and the China Threat

by Carl Roper

This book provides an overview of economic espionage as practiced by a range of nations from around the world focusing on the mass scale in which information is being taken for China's growth and development. It supplies an understanding of how the economy of a nation can prosper or suffer, depending on whether that nation is protecting its intellectual property, or whether it is stealing such property for its own use. The text concludes by outlining specific measures that corporations and their employees can practice to protect information and assets, both at home and abroad.

Trader to the Stars: Polesotechnic League Book 2 (POLESOTECHNIC LEAGUE)

by Poul Anderson

Their space-yacht, pursued by angry Adderkops thirsting for their blood, has run into serious engine trouble. Picking up the trail of another alien spaceship, they decide to board it and force its crew to take them home. But once aboard, its not so easy to find the crew: they're faced with cages full of bizarre, other-wordly animals: Tiger apes, Elephantoids, Gorilloids, Caterpiggles, Helmet beasts, Tentacle centaurs. One set of these extraordinary creatures must be the crew, in hiding. But which? Survival depends on finding the right answer...

Trading In Danger: Vatta's War: Book One (Vatta's War #1)

by Elizabeth Moon

The first volume in the Vatta's War series - action-packed military SF from the Nebula Award winning author of The Speed of Dark.Ky Vatta is a highly promising military cadet with a great future ahead of her, until an insignificant act of kindness makes her the focus of the Academy's wrath. She is forced to resign, her dreams shattered.For the child of a rich trading family, this should mean disgrace on a grand scale. And yet, to her surprise, Ky is offered the captaincy of a ship headed for scrap with its final cargo.Her orders are absolutely clear, but Ky quickly sees potential profit in altering the journey. Because, whatever the risks, it's in her blood to trade - even if the currency is extreme danger.'I thoroughly enjoyed Trading in Danger and wholeheartedly recommend it' THE BOOK SMUGGLERS

The Tradition of Non-Use of Nuclear Weapons

by T. V. Paul

Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks, no state has unleashed nuclear weapons. What explains this? According to the author, the answer lies in a prohibition inherent in thetradition of non-use, a time-honored obligation that has been adhered to by all nuclear states-thanks to a consensus view that use would have a catastrophic impact on humankind, the environment, and the reputation of the user. The book offers an in-depth analysis of the nuclear policies of the U. S. , Russia, China, the UK, France, India, Israel, and Pakistan and assesses the contributions of these states to the rise and persistence of the tradition of nuclear non-use. It examines the influence of the tradition on the behavior of nuclear and non-nuclear states in crises and wars, and explores the tradition's implications for nuclear non-proliferation regimes, deterrence theory, and policy. And it concludes by discussing the future of the tradition in the current global security environment.

Traditional Enemies: Britain's War With Vichy France 1940-42

by John D. Grainger

After the surrender of the French government in May 1940, the British were concerned that the resources of the French Empire, and particularly the powerful French fleet, would be put at the disposal of the Germans. The British, dependent upon their naval power and the resources of the Empire and Commonwealth to continue the war, sought to neutralize the threat of the French fleet and saw an opportunity to gobble up certain French colonies for themselves. Thus, even while Britain was locked in a deadly struggle with Nazi Germany, she continued the centuries-old imperial rivalry with her nearest neighbor and recent allies. The British attack on the French Mediterranean fleet at Mers el Kebir is well known, but less often remembered are the British operations against Vichy forces in West Africa, Syria and Madagascar. As the latent threat of the French fleet was the chief source of British concern, the conflict was largely a naval one, but there were substantial land operations in Syria and Madagascar. In Syria and Lebanon, Operation Exporter pitted 20,000 British, Indian, Australian and Free French troops against 35,000 Vichy French who fought with much greater skill and determination than expected. Operation Ironclad, the invasion of Madagascar, saw three brigades of infantry, supported by light tanks, make the first large scale British amphibious assault since the ill-fated Gallipoli landings in WWI. John D Grainger narrates and analyses all the British operations, by land, sea and air, against the French up to the Anglo-American Torch landings in North Africa. He reveals the initial reluctance of the British forces to really get stuck into their erstwhile allies and the reverses that resulted from underestimating the will of the Vichy French to fight. The complicating factor of De Gaulle's Free French is another major theme. Above all, what emerges is that these are fascinating campaigns in their own right that have been unduly neglected.

Trafalgar: The Biography of a Battle

by Roy Adkins

This is the true story of the Battle of Trafalgar, Britain's most significant sea battle, as seen through the smoke-hazed gunports of the fighting ships. In an atmosphere of choking fumes from cannon and musket fire, amid noise so intense it was almost tangible, the crews of the British, French and Spanish ships did their best to carry out their allotted tasks. For over five hours they were in constant danger from a terrifying array of iron and lead missiles fired from enemy guns, as well as the deadly wooden splinters smashed from the ships' hulls by the cannon-balls. While the men manoeuvred the ships and kept the cannons firing, the women helped the surgeons tend the sick or helped the boys - the 'powder monkeys' - in the hazardous job of carrying gunpowder cartridges from the central magazine to the gun decks. Trafalgar set the seal on British naval supremacy, which became the mainspring for the growth of the British Empire, and in the short term not only prevented Napoleon from invading Britain, but also enabled Britain and its Continental allies to mount the campaign that would eventually defeat the French Emperor: without Trafalgar there would be no Waterloo.

Trafalgar: The Biography of a Battle

by Roy Adkins

This is the true story of the Battle of Trafalgar, Britain's most significant sea battle, as seen through the smoke-hazed gunports of the fighting ships. In an atmosphere of choking fumes from cannon and musket fire, amid noise so intense it was almost tangible, the crews of the British, French and Spanish ships did their best to carry out their allotted tasks. For over five hours they were in constant danger from a terrifying array of iron and lead missiles fired from enemy guns, as well as the deadly wooden splinters smashed from the ships' hulls by the cannon-balls. While the men manoeuvred the ships and kept the cannons firing, the women helped the surgeons tend the sick or helped the boys - the 'powder monkeys' - in the hazardous job of carrying gunpowder cartridges from the central magazine to the gun decks. Trafalgar set the seal on British naval supremacy, which became the mainspring for the growth of the British Empire, and in the short term not only prevented Napoleon from invading Britain, but also enabled Britain and its Continental allies to mount the campaign that would eventually defeat the French Emperor: without Trafalgar there would be no Waterloo.

Trafalgar

by Oliver Warner

First published in 1959, this is an enthralling account of the Battle of Trafalgar viewed in perspective of Lord Nelson’s personal career, and of the struggle for naval supremacy in the Napoleonic Wars.The Battle of Trafalgar of 21 October 1805 was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies, during the War of the Third Coalition (August-December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815).Twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under the French Admiral Villeneuve in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar, near the town of Los Caños de Meca. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships, without a single British vessel being lost. It was the most decisive naval battle of the war, conclusively ending French plans to invade England.‘Enables even the most non-naval readers to appreciate not only the actual battle itself but the brilliance—of the strategy which led up to it.’ The Times‘A stirring picture of the battle in which Nelson died destroying Napoleon’s power at sea. Mr. Warner brings to his scenes, before, after and during the battle, dozens of illuminating incidents.’—New York Times‘A book one is proud to place on one’s shelves.’—Sunday Times

Trafalgar And Jutland: A Study In The Principles Of War

by Bernard D. Claxton John H. Gurtcheff

Sun Tzu approximately 2500 years ago said, "War is a matter of vital importance to the State....It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied." This statement has been proven valid since man began fighting and is as vital today as it was in the primordial days of warfare. At the Air Command and Staff College, we have taken heed of this warning and actively encourage our national military leaders, present and future, to study and to internalize the lessons of past wars. We do not believe this study has to be dry and boring as many history lessons seem to be. We believe that history can be entertaining and interesting as well as educational. Thomas Hardy said in 1906, "War makes rattling good reading . . .,"and this is the aim of our monograph series--to provide entertaining, interesting, and educational studies of history.In this study, three of our faculty members have combined to present a study of naval warfare. The focus is on two great naval battles--the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Jutland. Many descriptions and accounts of these battles have been produced in the past, but the approach used in this study is unique. The battles are analyzed using the US Air Force's list of the principles of war. The authors conclude that adherence to the principles of war played a significant part in both battles, and on a larger scale, conclude that protection of sea lines of communications is as vital in today's economic structure as it was in Nelson's and Jellicoe's eras. We hope you find this study interesting, informative, and thought-provoking.-Brigadier-General R. A. Ingram.

The Trafalgar Chronicle: Dedicated to Naval History in the Nelson Era

by Sean Heuvel

In essays that are “entertaining and, at times, fascinating” The 1805 Club’s journal examines how art, literature, and film portray the Georgian Navy (Pirates and Privateers).The Trafalgar Chronicle is a prime source of information as well as the publication of choice for new research about the Georgian Navy, sometimes also loosely referred to as ‘Nelson’s Navy’, though its scope reaches out to include all the sailing navies of the period. In this 2020 issue, the feature article, by Gerald Stulc, MD, analyzes film depictions and portraits of Horatio Nelson, throughout his service and after his death, comparing these images to the clinical realities of Nelson’s injuries in battle.Additional theme-related contributions include the story behind the most famous paintings of Nelson’s death; how Tobias Smollet wrote a novel revealing the unhygienic and inhumane medical care aboard Royal Navy ships of the day; the rise of the fouled anchor motif; modern-day naval historical fiction portrayals of women in the era of Nelson; and whimsical drawings of Nelson in caricature and cartoon.In the tradition of recent editions of The Trafalgar Chronicle, this issue contains biographical sketches of Royal Navy contemporaries of Nelson including Sir Andrew Pellet Green, Commander James Pearl, Captain John Houghton Marshall, and Captain Ralph Willet Miller, and Sir Home Popham. Each made a unique contribution to Britain’s victories at sea. Of more general interest to readers, the 2020 issue provides articles about the role of Spain in the American Revolution, new revelations about Cornwallis’ children that he fathered while stationed in the Caribbean, and how the American War for Independence influenced Royal Navy operations in the War of 1812.

The Trafalgar Chronicle: Dedicated to Naval History in the Nelson Era

by Sean Heuvel Judith Pearson

The Trafalgar Chronicle is the publication of choice for new research about the Georgian Navy, sometimes called ‘Nelson’s Navy’, though its scope includes all the sailing navies of the period from 1714 to 1837. The theme of the 2021 issue is ‘Georgian Navy encounters with indigenous and enslaved populations’. The theme is particularly relevant to current-day discussions and social activism occurring across the globe, that have brought new insights and perspectives to Western history of colonization, exploration, and slavery. The lead article, by 1805 Club member Tom D. Fremantle, tells the story of his ancestor, Philip Gidley King, who sailed to Botany Bay with the First Fleet in 1787. becoming the first Lieutenant Governor of Norfolk Island and the third Governor of New South Wales. His encounters with the Maoris are unforgettably touching. Another contribution reveals how the British lured slaves away from their American masters’ plantations with the promise of freedom during the War of 1812. In the tradition of recent editions, the 2021 Trafalgar Chronicle contains biographical sketches of Nelson’s contemporaries including Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Saunders, naval hero of Quebec; Sir Harry Neale, Baronet GCB, a royal favorite; and Admiral Sir Philip Durham, a Trafalgar Captain turned politician. Meanwhile, Captain Christer Hägg, RSwN Rtd regales readers with the tale of Captain Johan Puke leading the Swedish fleet in a daring breakout from the Russian blockade at Viborg in 1790. Scholars and students, experts and enthusiasts fascinated by the era of the sailing navy will be absorbed by the latest edition of this handsomely illustrated journal.

The Trafalgar Chronicle: Dedicated to Naval History in the Nelson Era

by Peter Hore

The Trafalgar Chronicle is a prime source of information as well as the publication of choice for new research about the Georgian navy, sometimes also loosely referred to as ‘Nelson’s Navy’, though its scope reaches out to include all the sailing navies of the period. A central theme is the Trafalgar campaign and the epic battle of 21 October 1805 involving British, French and Spanish ships, and some 30,000 men of a score of nations. The next edition, new series No 4, will be themed on the people who knew Nelson, his friends and his contemporaries, as well as technical and scientific changes which were taking place at the turn of the eighteenth century. Contributions include an article by former US Navy Secretary John Lehman on Stephen Decatur and another by Professor John Hattendorf on Admiral Sir John Gambier, and the observations of American scientist, Professor Benjamin Silliman, who visited Britain in 1805. Other characters who appear are the New York-born Westphal brothers, ‘Jack Punch’ Perkins who was the first black officer in the Royal Navy, William Pringle Green who was so critical of the results at Trafalgar, and the two Loyalist Richard Bulkeleys, father and son, who served with Nelson at the beginning and at the end of his career. Two articles on technology in the Georgian navy address the surprising developments of the carronade and ballooning in the age of Nelson. Like earlier editions of The Trafalgar Chronicle, this edition is sumptuously illustrated with some seldom-seen pictures and will appeal to naval and social historians whether they are academics, antiquarians or amateurs or the reader who is curious to learn about significant but often overlooked aspects of naval history.

The Trafalgar Chronicle: Dedicate to Naval History in the Nelson Era

by Peter Hore

This edition of the journal dedicated to sailing navies of the Georgian era examines the relationship between the British and American navies.The Trafalgar Chronicle, the yearbook of The 1805 Club, is a prime source of information and the publication of choice for new research about the Georgian navy, sometimes also loosely referred to as “Nelson’s Navy,” Successive editors have widened the scope to include all sailing navies of the period, but its scope reaches out to include all the sailing navies of the era. A fundamental thread running through the journal is the Trafalgar campaign and the epic battle of twenty-one October 1805 involving British, French, and Spanish ships, and some 30,000 men of a score of nations. Each volume is themed, and this new edition contains a particularly Anglo-American flavour, focussing on North America and North Americans in Nelson’s Navy, with one article, for example, describing how the U.S. National anthem was composed onboard a British warship. Seventeen articles offer a wealth of information and new research covering such diverse subjects as the true appearance of Victory and the story of the little known American, Sir Isaac Coffin, who helped carry the pall at Nelson’s funeral. With contributions from leading experts in the field and handsomely illustrated throughout, this yearbook casts intriguing light on that era of history which forever fascinates naval enthusiasts and historians alike.

The Trafalgar Chronicle: Dedicated to Naval History in the Nelson Era

by Peter Hore

This naval history anthology explores the world of Lord Nelson, his era and contemporaries, with expert articles and sumptuous illustrations. An annual publication of the 1805 Club, The Trafalgar Chronicle is dedicated to new research about naval history in the Georgian Era. Its central theme is the Trafalgar campaign and the epic battle of October 21st, 1805, involving British, French and Spanish ships, and some 30,000 men of a score of nations. This edition focuses on the friends and contemporaries of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson of the Royal Navy. It also explores technical and scientific changes that took place at the turn of the eighteenth century. Contributions include an article by former US Navy Secretary John Lehman on Stephen Decatur and another by Professor John Hattendorf on Admiral Sir John Gambier. It also includes the observations of Professor Benjamin Silliman, an American scientist who visited Britain in 1805. Other characters who appear are &‘Jack Punch&’ Perkins, the first black officer in the Royal Navy; William Pringle Green, who was so critical of the results at Trafalgar; and the two Loyalist Richard Bulkeleys, father and son, who served with Nelson at the beginning and at the end of his career. Two articles on technology in the Georgian navy address the surprising developments of the carronade and ballooning in the age of Nelson.

The Trafalgar Chronicle: Dedicated to Naval History in the Nelson Era: New Series 7

by Judith Pearson John Rodgaard

The Trafalgar Chronicle, sponsored by The 1805 Club, is the publication of choice for new research about the Georgian Navy, sometimes called ‘Nelson’s Navy’, though its scope includes all the sailing navies of the period from 1714 to 1837. Our expert contributors for 2022 reside in the UK, US, Canada, and Denmark. Their contributions tell stories of drama, political intrigue, daring, ingenuity, war, and adventure on the world’s oceans. This year’s volume is based on the theme of scientific and technological advances in the navies of the Georgian era. Theme-related articles document aspects of the Industrial Revolution, describing developments, innovations, and inventions in manufacturing, engineering, gunnery and armaments, charting and navigation, sailing tactics, shipboard medicine, and explorations of the natural world. In the tradition of recent editions, the 2022 Trafalgar Chronicle also contains biographical sketches of Nelson’s contemporaries: Sir Harry Neale and George Matcham, brother-in-law to Lord Nelson. Two additional topics of general interest include a new perspective on single ship actions in the War of 1812 and a riveting tale of a futile Danish Navy expedition to Morocco in 1751. Handsomely illustrated, this issue will make a fascinating and admired addition to any naval history library.

The Traffickers (Badge of Honor #9)

by W.E.B. Griffin

Homicide Sergeant Matthew Payne is used to murder, but lately there's been an awful lot of it in Philadelphia. <P><P> A gangland shooting in a popular tourist location has left six dead, most of them innocent bystanders, and days later the body of a headless Latina turns up in the Schuykill River. Everybody assumes they're not related, but Payne can't shake the hunch that there's something more to it and that hunch leads him far from the City of Brotherly Love to the Texas-Mexico border. There he finds a world where the lines of law and order are murkier than he ever imagined possible. <P> Filled with authentic colour and detail, this is a riveting novel of the men and women who put their lives on the line, from the cop on the beat to the commissioner himself. It's a story of fears, dangers, courage, loyalty, and genuine heroism: story-telling at its best.

The Traffickers

by W.E.B. Griffin William E. Butterworth

Philadelphia Homicide Sergeant Matthew Payne is paired with a Texas Ranger to bring down a murderer with Mexican cartel connections. The odd couple of the Philly cop and the Texas lawman must run down the killer and his gang-before the body count rises again.From the Paperback edition.

Tragedy at Dieppe

by Mark Zuehlke

With its trademark "you are there" style, Mark Zuehlke's tenth Canadian Battle Series volume tells the story of the 1942 Dieppe raid. Nicknamed "The Poor Man's Monte Carlo," Dieppe had no strategic importance, but with the Soviet Union thrown on the ropes by German invasion and America having just entered the war, Britain was under intense pressure to launch a major cross-Channel attack against France.Since 1939, Canadian troops had massed in Britain and trained for the inevitable day of the mass invasion of Europe that would finally occur in 1944. But the Canadian public and many politicians were impatient to see Canadian soldiers fight sooner.The first major rehearsal proved such a shambles the raid was pushed back to the end of July only to be cancelled by poor weather. Later, in a decision still shrouded in controversy, the operation was reborn. Dieppe however did not go smoothly. Drawing on rare archival documents and personal interviews, Mark Zuehlke examines how the raid came to be and why it went so tragically wrong. Ultimately, Tragedy at Dieppe honors the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought and died that fateful day on the beaches of Dieppe.

Tragedy at Évian: How the World Allowed Hitler to Proceed with the Holocaust

by Tony Matthews

In July 1938 the United States, Great Britain and thirty other countries participated in a vital conference at Évian-les-Bains, France, to discuss the persecution and possible emigration of the European Jews, specifically those caught under the anvil of Nazi atrocities. However, most of those nations rejected the pleas then being made by the Jewish communities, thus condemning them to the Holocaust. There is no doubt that the Évian conference was a critical turning point in world history. The disastrous outcome of the conference set the stage for the murder of six million people. Today we live in a world defined by turmoil with a disturbing rise of authoritarian governments and ultra right-wing nationalism. The plight of refugees is once more powerfully affecting public attitudes towards those most in need. Now, on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of the Second World War, it’s time to reflect on the past to ensure we never again make the same mistakes. Tragedy at Évian also shines a spotlight on some of the astonishing and courageous stories of heroic efforts of individuals and private organisations who, despite the decisions made at Évian, worked under extremely dangerous conditions, frequently giving their own lives to assist in the rescue of the Jewish people.

Tragedy at Honda

by Charles Lockwood

Known to seafarers as the Devil's Jaw, Point Honda has lured ships to its dangerous rocks on the coast of California for centuries, but its worst disaster occurred on 8 September 1923. That night nine U.S. Navy destroyers ran into Honda's fog-wrapped reefs. Part of Destroyer Squadron 11, the ships were making a fast run from San Francisco to their homeport of San Diego at a steady 20 knots as fog closed around them. The captain of the flagship Delphy ordered a change of course, but due to navigational errors and unusual currents caused by an earthquake in Japan the previous week, she ran aground and eight destroyers followed her. The authors recreate in dramatic hour-by-hour detail what happened, including the heroic efforts to rescue men and ships. In addition to presenting a full picture of the tragedy, they cover the subsequent investigations, which became a media sensation. In conclusion, the authors suggest that the cause of the tragedy lay in the interpretation of the differences that exist between the classic concepts of naval regulations and the stark realism of the unwritten code of destroyer doctrine to follow the leader. Admiral Nimitz's introduction sets the scene for this action-filled account of America's greatest peacetime naval tragedy in history. Only Pearl Harbor in 1941 would do more damage.

Tragedy At Honda [Illustrated Edition]

by Admiral Charles A. Lockwood Hans Christian Adamson

Includes 6 maps and 14 photos illustrations“Known to seafarers as the Devil’s Jaw, Point Honda has lured ships to its dangerous rocks on the coast of California for centuries, but its worst disaster occurred on 8 September 1923. That night nine U.S. Navy destroyers ran into Honda’s fog-wrapped reefs. Part of Destroyer Squadron 11, the ships were making a fast run from San Francisco to their homeport of San Diego at a steady 20 knots as fog closed around them. The captain of the flagship Delphy ordered a change of course, but due to navigational errors and unusual currents caused by an earthquake in Japan the previous week, she ran aground and eight destroyers followed her. The authors recreate in dramatic hour-by-hour detail what happened, including the heroic efforts to rescue men and ships. In addition to presenting a full picture of the tragedy, they cover the subsequent investigations, which became a media sensation. In conclusion, the authors suggest that the cause of the tragedy lay in the interpretation of the differences that exist between the classic concepts of naval regulations and the stark realism of the unwritten code of destroyer doctrine to follow the leader. Admiral Nimitz’s introduction sets the scene for this action-filled account of America’s greatest peacetime naval tragedy in history. Only Pearl Harbor in 1941 would do more damage.”-Print ed.

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