Book Reviews and Book List

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The fascination of the undersea world is vividly portrayed in this book in a 'eadable, knowledgeable way by an eyewitness, Marion Clayton Link, the wife °f the inventor, Edwin A. Link. It is about her husband’s efforts to create better tools with which to explore the "ndersea world. Ed Link, who invented 'be famous Link Trainer for aviators in *529, spent the dozen years covered in 'bis book conceiving, designing, build- ^lng, testing, and using several novel devices and vehicles which have prodded significant advances to man’s capability for work in the undersea envi- '⁽⁾nment. Readers who are familiar with 'be problems man faces in the depths, will feel at home with the clear and eandid descriptions of the technical and °Perational developments. Others will

find this book an absorbing story of courageous, creative men attacking the problems encountered in attempting to achieve the objective of advancing man’s undersea capacity.

When the Thresher went down in April 1963, the Navy had little capability to locate and salvage submarines, and to rescue their crews, in water depths beyond a few hundred feet. Submariners had always accepted this risk as part of their life, but the increasing crush depths of modern submarines meant that the probability of surviving a sinking, with no chance of rescue, had increased. In 1963, the Secretary of the Navy convened the Deep Submergence Systems Review Group (DSSRG), ofwhich Ed Link was a member, to recommend a plan of action. Its report resulted in new programs and organizations, with substantial funding, designed to develop tools and train personnel.

Today, after ten years of effort and considerable expenditures, several notable achievements have been made. Among these are two Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRV) 1 and 2, which can descend to a sunken submarine’s crush depth and rescue the trapped personnel; the Diver Decompression Systems Mark I and II, which enable divers to work for long periods under saturated gas conditions at much greater depths; and several advanced systems for search and location of objects on the floor of the ocean.

Cost increases, caused by various factors, have resulted in curtailment or cancellation of some of the DSSRG program objectives. We have, for example, cut the number of planned DSRVs from six to the present two. The SeaLab-Hl project was cancelled, after an aborted

start. The Deep Submergence Search Vehicles (DSSV) were never built. These setbacks reflect not only the difficulty of solving problems in deep submergence technology, but also the problems associated with the Navy’s organizational approach.

Those familiar with the management processes of research and development (R & D) in the Navy will find particular interest in Mrs. Link’s description of the way an independent inventor operates. His freedom of action stimulates the generation of ideas and simplifies the process of development. The comparable government programs, being constrained by budget justifications, risk reduction, and comprehensive performance requirements, normally are much more expensive, take more time to accomplish, and produce equipment more complicated to operate and maintain. The several underwater engineering achievements of Ed Link from 1959 to 1971, demonstrate the value of the experimental approach.

After a brief introduction to her husband’s latest and most advanced development, the Johnson-Sea-Link, a deep submersible with all-around visibility for the operators and a diver lock-out capability, the author takes us back to 1959, when Ed Link started the series of ex-

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periments which led to the present undersea craft. The problems he encountered in searching for and recovering objects from sunken ships and cities were many, but the most difficult were the limitations of the divers. This led him to the concept of a Submersible Decompression Chamber (SDC), in which SCUBA divers could be quickly returned to the deck of their support ship, while commencing decompression safely after long periods of work on the bottom. Operations with the SDC began in the Mediterranean in 1962, and included the first successful test of man breathing helium-oxygen (heliox) gas mixture under saturation while working an eight-hour day at 60 feet, and the first successful 200-foot dive for 26 hours using heliox. Experience with the SDC proved the validity of the concept, but also demonstrated its deficiencies. Recognizing these, Ed Link proceeded with the design and construction of a Submersible Portable Inflatable Dwelling (SPID), which would enable divers to live on the bottom under saturated conditions in a shelter to which breathing gas was supplied from the surface. In

1964, two divers conducted a successful 48-hour dive in Bahaman waters at a depth of 430 feet using the SPID, with the SDC for descent and ascent.

The following years produced technical improvements to the diving and handling operations which added to the overall capability. The next major step took place in 1967, with the launching of the submersible PL-4 (Perry-Link 4), later renamed Deep Diver. This was the first submersible capable of locking divers in and out at all depths of operation, and of acting as a decompression chamber on conclusion of the dive. The Deep Diver made many scientifically rewarding dives during her years of useful life. Experience gained with her led Ed Link to the design and construction of the Johnson-Sea-Link submersible, with much greater capability for supporting research projects in the undersea environment. This vehicle, with an acrylic sphere housing the operator and observer and an aluminum sphere housing the divers, has many novel features, the most impressive of which is the all- around visibility afforded those in the acrylic sphere.

The author’s vivid descriptions of operational difficulties experienced, will be appreciated by naval officers who understand the controlling effects of weather and currents on diving opera tions, particularly as they affect the handling of submersible chambers and vehicles over the side of surface ship' All of us who have recovered ship’s boats and landing craft with davits and booms as the weather worsened will appreciate the stress on personnel and material experienced by the Sea Dirt and her crew. Ed Link’s development of the hydrocrane made a significant contribution to the speed and safety of submersible handling operations, but as all professional seamen know, there is no substitute for knowledge of the environment and the seasoned judgment which decides whether or not to conduct operations at sea under unfavorable conditions.

The rousing story of a great ship is brought vividly to life through music and narration in a long-playing record. USS Olympia was one of the ships of the "New Navy” of the 1880’s and 1890’s; her guns and the historic words of Commodore George Dewey, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley," signaled the start of the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898; her distinguished career was climaxed in 1921 when she returned the body of the Unknown Soldier for burial in Arlington National Cemetery. The colorful history of the Cruiser Olympia comes to life in this official commemorative album.

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The developments and tests carried out during this 12-year period were all consistent with Ed Link’s original objective—to enable man to work safely and effectively at greater depths for longer periods of time. Each successful

development added to this capability, and provided a new baseline for further development. As is often the case in truly innovative experimental work, the experiment itself provides information which leads to new concepts, either for improvement of the device under test, or for an entirely different approach to the problem. This aspect is observed in his progress from "underwater elevator” (SDC), to underwater habitat (SPID) to diver lock-out submersible (Deep Diver), and finally to the submersible with all- around visibility so important to undersea research, the Johnson-Sea-Link. Each represented a significant improvement over prior capability, and a marked change in approach.

The author recognizes the many individuals who participated in these developments, and who share some of the credit for their success. She also credits the U. S. Navy for its support, both specifically, as in the assignment of key personnel and support ships, and generally for the research and development conducted by the Submarine Medical Research Laboratory and the Experimental Diving Unit. Without these vital elements, the program could not have proceeded.

The actual dates of events, often difficult to determine from the text, are included in the Chronology on the last pages. Better proofreading would have detected the correct names for the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) and the Straza sonar. The final chapter, which describes the Johnson-Sea-Link and her improved equipment, would have been greatly enhanced by some first-hand accounts of operators’ experiences and scientific projects which benefitted from its advanced capacities.

The tragic loss of the Links’ son Clayton and his fellow diver, A1 Stover, m the Johnson-Sea-Link shortly after this book was published, underlines the high price that the oceans exact from those 'vho attempt to penetrate its depths. The environment offers no margin for ^Crror in the performance of man and his C'luipment, once he has left the surface °f the sea far above. This book presents 'hat truth clearly, and is a testimonial ^t0 one man’s ingenuity and determination as he strives to improve that Performance.

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Notable Naval Books of 1973

Compiled by Professor Robert A. Lambert, Associate Editor

Editor’s Note: This is the Proceedings’ 24th annual survey of significant naval books of the current year. No effort is made to cover fiction or books appearing in foreign languages. Most of the books may be purchased through the U. S. Naval Institute at a discount to members. Assistant Professor Lambert is Assistant Librarian, Technical Services Division, of the U. S. Naval Academy Library, and compiler of the Proceedings’ monthly Professional Reading column.

Although the quantity of the books published in the sphere of naval and maritime interests was somewhat less than the previous two years, it is possible to discern some trends. Last year, the Royal Navy was a feature of one- third of the books covered; this year, their presence takes a much lower profile. Equally noticeable is a declining interest in the American Civil War- only two books representing that period—and a growing interest in the years of the American Revolution, which is only natural with the approach of the bicentennial. There are a large variety of choices to be found in the subject areas of Personal Histories, Warship Compendiums, and Ships’ Histories, the latter, along with the World War II unit delineating the evolution of naval technology in the 20th century.

None of the books listed in those divisions, even including the very fine album The American Steel Navy, stirred as much interest as the provocative little

paperback From A Small Naval Observatory by Captain Walter "R” Thomas, U. S. Navy. Though slender in size, it packs a wallop and, for that reason, is selected as this year’s outstanding naval book. It is discussed in greater length in the General section.

Warship Compendiums—Two years ago, the question was raised in these pages as to whether Jane’s was getting better as it became bigger. The answer then was that Jane’s had fallen into an editorial rut and that Weyer’s was becoming the better value. With Jane's Fighting Ships 1972-1973 (McGraw-Hill, $55.00), editor Raymond V. B. Blackman has assembled the largest edition ever, with a 40% increase in the Soviet section alone, and presented two short papers assessing the Royal Navy’s capabilities which are widely divergent from Blackman’s editorial statement; his best in several years. This was Blackman’s last issue, and he has retired, relinquishing control to Captain John Moore, Royal Navy. Weyer’s Warships of the World 1973 (Naval Institute Press, $30.00), still under the editorship of Gerhard Albrecht, continues the policy of alternate year translation into English. Weyer’s has also grown larger and correspondingly more costly, but may yet be a better choice over Jane’s because of its compact size and lower price.

The series, Navies of the Second World War I Doubleday, $4.95 each) added four new volumes by H. T. Lenton: American

Submarines, British Battleships and At^f' craft Carriers, British Cruisers, and Briti>^e Submarines. As with the others published previously, all contain design history, technical details concerning origin⁴* construction, plus later modification⁵ and operational synopses supported ty drawings and photographs. Of th'⁵ quartet, the second title is disappointing as the section on battleships and battle^- cruisers is outfitted with illustration⁵ that are too few and badly reproduced Despite the rather small size of som^c of the print-type used and very ft" pictures, British Warships 1914-1919 (London: Ian Allen, £4.50) is a refc^r- ence of considerable use. F. J. Dittro# and J. J. Colledge have managed to p⁴^ between its covers a large amount information. British and Dominion ships in service at the war’s outbreak in August 1914 are listed along with thost built or ordered until November 19'® from battleships down to "Q” ship⁵ Each of the lists opens with a very brid statement of ship particulars for tb^£ individual class, then provides an equally-brief statement on building an final disposition. Staying within d'^e British Commonwealth, but covering³ much smaller segment a half centuP later, is Graeme Andrews’s Fighting Sbf of Australia and New Zealand, 1973-19] Edition (Kogarah Bay, NSW, Austral’³ Regency House, $2.50, paper). Th^|j book covers aircraft and missiles as " as the ships of the two navies, along with a section on the Australian Arno) • Water Transport Squadrons.

Notable Naval Books of 1973           101

Ships’ Histories—The differences between this grouping and the previous section are slight. There tends only to be less emphasis on technical characteristics and slightly more on a ship’s operational history, with the study of one ship at least as often as an entire class or type.

With The American Steel Navy (Naval Institute Press, $29.95) by John Alden, Ed Holm, and Arthur D. Baker III, even the simple definition in the previous paragraph is slightly violated, with this viewing of a whole navy in transition. In this large format album, excellent prose is combined with crisp photographic selection and reproduction, to show a modern navy going through its adolescent stage, covering from the introduction of the steel hull in 1883 to the cruise of the Great White Fleet.

Getting more to the point of the definition is Peter Padfield’s The Battleship Era (McKay, $9.95), which follows the evolution, use, and eclipse of the battleship as queen of the fighting fleet. The focus is actually on the twin technologies of armor and armament and their effects as seen through the results of the battles that were fought. Moving away from the generalized tactical approach of Padfield, Anthony Preston takes a specific point in time with Battleships of World War 1 (Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole, $19.95). It is an illustrated gathering of data and career notes for each of the battleships that took part in the war or was under construction during those years.

From the era of the two foregoing come two other monographs treating, in turn, the Invincible Class (London: Conway Maritime Press, £1.50) battlecruisers and the Queen Elizabeth Gass (London: Conway Maritime Press, £ 1.50) battleships. John A. Roberts in the first and John Campbell in the second show the genesis of these Royal Navy classes and describe how the ships changed in appearance during their careers as a result of operational experiences. The class design of the Queen Elizabeth battleships is also analyzed in light of the Jutland damage reports, where four of the five were engaged.

Of more recent historical vintage, are the two short histories concerning the Australian light cruisers, the sister ships Hmas Hobart (Garden Island, NSW:

The Naval Historical Society of Australia, $1.50, paper) and HMAS Sydney (Garden Island, NSW: The Naval Historical Society of Australia, $1.50, paper) by L. J. Lind and John Collins, respectively. In format, these closely resemble the style of the separate chapters contained in Warships in Profile, Volume 2 (Doubleday, $22.00), edited by John Wingate. As with Volume 1 of last year, there are 12 chapters, but only 11 ships are covered in this year’s volume. Two chapters are devoted to HMS Furious, which lead a double life, serving as a battlecruiser in World War I and as an aircraft carrier in World War II.

Completing the warship portion of this section is the fourth and final volume of John Van Duyn Southworth’s series War at Sea. In this volume, The Age of Steam, Part Two (Twayne, $7.50), the history of engine-driven warships is carried from the collapse of the naval disarmament movement in 1936 to 1971.

Bringing up the rear, as they so often did in wartime, are the Liberty Ships (Naval Institute Press, $10.00). John Gorley Bunker has written an informal history of these World War II cargo ships that is arranged by geographic area of operation, which may be slightly unusual, but the book is provided with sufficient cross-references and appendixes that makes it relatively easy to locate details of a particular ship.

World War I—In the realm of naval technology and tactics World War I was, in retrospect, a time of perceptible change. The battleship, as we have just seen, still ruled the surface, though slipping into obsolescence. Aircraft had gone to sea more as a scouting vehicle than as the weapon it would become, and the submarine evolved quickly from a "toy” into a deadly killer.

Edwyn A. Gray tells of the German U-boats in his aptly titled The Killing Time (Scribners, $7.95). This is an episodic history, which focuses mostly on the submarine as a new type of weapon and on the personal characteristics of the commanders who were fighting a new style of war, one in which the rules were not really established. In one particular episode, the sinking of the British liner Lusitania, these vague rules were to have

consequences far beyond the actual sinking. The Lusitania Case (Riverside, Conn.: 7 C’s Press, $8.00) by C. L. Droste and W. H. Tantum, IV, is a compilation of newspaper articles, editorials, personal papers, and court records concerning the affair, without offering an historical judgment. Historical judgment, however, is definitely offered by Colin Simpson, who sees The Lusitania (Little, Brown, $8.95) as part of a deliberate plot by Winston Churchill to involve the United States in the war. The author builds a reasonably strong case for his premeditation theory, but appears to be on much firmer ground as he builds a second case for a cynical use of the torpedoing by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic, who wished to ensure a declaration of war by the United States against Germany.

World War II—The shift from traditional forms of seapower, as represented by the big-gun capital ship, was underway in World War I. The war was over, however, before the full impact was discernable. World War II dispersed the battleline and did away with the all-gun duel, but not before several classic engagements occurred and the battleline made one last appearance.

The Battle of the River Plate (Naval Institute Press, $5.50) was such a duel in December 1939, and Geoffrey Bennett does very well as he describes the Graf Spee's futile attempts to elude the three scrappy British Commonwealth cruisers in a running fight, that featured broadsides and intelligent maneuvering, but no aircraft. The eventual victory was a proud increment to the Nelsonian tradition of going after the enemy regardless of the odds. Still within the Nelson style, was The Deadly Stroke (Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, $6.95), but this was hardly an affair in which pride could be taken, as it was aimed at an ally. This was the Royal Navy’s calculated destruction of the French Fleet at anchor in Oran, North Africa, in July 1940, just two weeks after the collapse of metropolitan France. Warren Tute tells, in great detail, of the strategic problem facing Britain and the decision to destroy the fleet rather than permit it to fall under German control. Also obvious in the account is the re-

vulsion felt by the officers and men of the Royal Navy at having to attack their former allies in a naval bombardment, which saw every French ship, except one battlecruiser, sunk or disabled, and some 1,300 men killed.

If the Royal Navy was shamed by its action against the French, it could certainly take justifiable pride in The Attack on Taranto (Naval Institute Press, $5.95) on 11 November 1940 and the Night Action off Cape Matapan (Naval Institute Press, $7.00) in March 1941. Together, these battles destroyed the Italian Fleet, and foreshadowed events in the Pacific. The first battle, recounted by Vice Admiral B. B. Schofield, Royal Navy (Retired), featured carrier aircraft attacking a fleet at anchor in a protected harbor. The second engagement, reconstructed by S. W. C. Pack, featured carrier aircraft and radar, together, as means of achieving a decisive victory in what might have been a traditional surface action. As will be seen, the lessons being taught were not lost on Britain’s present and future enemies.

The Battle for Crete (Naval Institute Press, $6.75) in late May 1941, stands as a monument to futility for the victor. S. W. C. Pack stays very close to the statistics and the technical data in his compact history of a battle that threw new air power against old seapower. David Thomas in Nazi Victory: Crete 1941 (Stein and Day, $8.95) goes into much greater narrative detail about this historical first—the first time an island had been conquered by paratroop assault and the first time that air power defeated a non-static naval force. Germany, however, in winning lost more strategically than Britain lost tactically, despite its own losses of ships and men. Germany never restored its losses in winning what became a sideshow. Britain sacrificed ships to keep alive its naval tradition; Nelson would have approved.

While the Royal Navy was taking its lumps in the eastern Mediterranean, it was returning a measure in the North Atlantic, in the great sea chase that ended in the Loss of the Bismarck (Naval Institute Press, $5.00). Here, in this account by Vice Admiral Schofield, who provides considerable detail from the German side, was a near-classic pursuit in which Britain lost the battlecruiser, Hood, but eventually defeated the Ger

man battleship through the same doggedness that defeated the Graf Spee. Although surface gunfire opened and finished the battle, it was torpedo-armed carrier aircraft which shadowed the German giant and delivered the crippling blow against her, permitting the Royal Navy’s surface force to finish her. As has been seen, warfare tends to be a series of triumphs and tragedies. For the Royal Navy, no tragedy quite matches The Loss of the Prince of Wales and Repulse (Naval Institute Press, $5.95) on 10 December 1941, when swarming Japanese aircraft, without surface support, sank the two capital ships sailing without air support. In this compact account, Geoffrey Bennett places the action within the context of the political and military decisions, which sent the ships from European waters to the Far East—and to their doom. There is no mistake, the Royal Navy had forgotten its own recent experiences, while the Japanese used the examples to its own benefit.

The full thrust of seapower in its evolving and evolved states, came to pass during the series of battles that were fought during the Philippine invasion, and have become known as The Battle of Leyte Gulf (Weybright and Talley, $8.95). This confusing array, as presented by Edwin P. Hoyt, has all the elements of ancient and modern naval warfare—battleships, aircraft and their carriers, amphibious assaults, high-speed maneuvering, decoy fleets, light carriers holding off capital ships, and history’s last crossing of the enemy’s "T,” fittingly carried out by old battleships, many of whom were raised from the bottom of Pearl Harbor. The result was a successful restoring of the Philippine Islands to American control, and the destruction of the Japanese Fleet as an effective fighting force, never again seriously challenging the U. S. Navy.

To this point, the focus has been directed toward the glamorous aspects of seapower, but the Ordeal of Convoy N.Y. 119 (South Street Seaport Museum, $10.00) shows another side. Charles Dana Gibson, II, tells the day- to-day story of the mid-1944 crossing of the Atlantic by a convoy of tugs, yard tankers, and barges operated by the U. S. Army, shepherded by destroyer escorts of the U. S. Navy, and bound for the

war zones of northern Europe to help clear the invasion-crowded harbors in order to release vital shipping for use elsewhere. The fact that the convoy successfully made the crossing in the face of nature and German submarines, emphasizes what is possible when the sea lanes are not controlled by the enemy.

Coastal Forces—Laboring in the shadows of many nations’ bluewater navies are the coastal defense forces, which, despite having a wide range of duties beyond defense—revenue collecting, smuggling prevention, boat registration, lighthouse keeping, and lifesaving—usually receive little public attention.

America’s oldest continuous seagoing armed Service, The United States Coast Guard (Crown, $6.95), is just such an organization. Gene Gurney, in this large-format pictorial, along with a similar book This is the Coast Guard (Cambridge, Md.: Cornell Maritime Press, $12.95) by H. R. Kaplan and James F. Hunt, describe the history and missions of this maritime force from its earliest days as a revenue collecting agent for the newly-established nation, to the present multifaceted Service, with a wide variety of domestic and sometimes foreign duties. As small as the Coast Guard is, it has a pride that goes beyond sheer numbers, but within any bureaucracy, there always seems to be a fertile soil that produces something less—that becoming a Day of Shame (McKay, $8.95)- Algis Ruksenas in a reasonably restrained manner, tells of the bureaucratic bungling and diplomatic ineptitude, by the State Department as well as the Coast Guard. The crew of a Soviet fishing vessel was permitted to board the U. S. Coast Guard cutter Vigilant, in American waters, and forcibly remove a Lithuanian defector who had sought asylum. Such an act contradicted national policy and was less justified than the Pueblo; 23 November 1970 certainly would seem to be an accurate reflection of the book’s title.

Since Canada’s military review, which resulted in a remarkable degree of unification of its armed forces in the p^ist few years, there has been much concern as to how that country can best handle

Notable Naval Books of 1973                                                                                                            103

its domestic needs and treaty requirements as related to the sea. Canada no longer has a Navy or a Coast Guard as separate entities. There is a Maritime Command that blends the functions and problems of both, and the basic questions raised by Colin S. Gray in Canada’s Maritime Forces (Toronto: Canadian Institute of International Affairs, $1.75, paper) are what should the Command do and how much should it cost? In attempting to answer these questions, he surveys the strategic, political, and economic rationales that have been advanced and which could be used to support a wide range of present and potential defense and marine research services, some of which may well affect Canada’s relations with the United States.

A small, but active, vital portion of Britain’s defenses were the Royal Naval Coastal Forces 1939-1945 (London: Al- mark, £1.25, paper). A. J. D. North, in this illustrated booklet, describes all the classes of the fast patrol craft that saved many a downed flyer and helped control the narrow seas.

Seapower—Maritime strategy since Mahan’s day has changed more dramatically than anytime preceeding the late 19th century. Dreadnought to Polaris

(Naval Institute Press, $7.00), in nine papers edited by A. M. J. Hyatt, examines this strategic evolution against the changes in technology and politics which have accompanied them. Specially noteworthy is the opening paper by D. M. Schurman, which assesses Sir Julian Corbett and balances his concepts against those of Mahan’s. Warships and Navies 1973 (London: Ian Allen, £2.25), a new annual edited by Anthony J. Watts, tries to do the same thing on a current basis, highlighting the changes occurring in naval services around the world. Most of the articles are superficial, however, and the book should be regarded, generally, as a Royal Navy public relations effort at influencing opinion in England concerning defense spending.

Major sea battles are described, and the growth of air-sea power is discussed by Donald Macintyre, in Sea Power in the Pacific (Crane, Russak, $12.50), but it is a disappointing book, nonetheless, as it tends to be repetitious and offers too little analysis of the history it surveys. A far more satisfying book, although aimed at a decidedly limited audience, is The Three-Mile Limit of Territorial Seas (Naval Institute Press, $12.50) by Captain Sayre A. Swarz- trauber, U. S. Navy. It is a much needed study in view of the growing national

istic demands for extending seaward control at the expense of traditional seapower requirements, and of the growing exploitation of the oceans’ natural resources. The problem is of paramount importance to this country’s use of the Navy as the first line of national defense. It is also a possible point of friction between the United States and Canada, with regard to Canada’s claims along its polar border.

Christopher Lloyd has padded Nelson and Sea Power (Mystic, Conn.: Lawrence Verry, $5.00) with irrelevant details of the Admiral’s affair with Lady Hamilton, yet has otherwise produced a useful, uncomplicated explanation, especially for someone not familiar with Nelson’s methods, of tactical and strategic sense when at sea.

The Soviet Challenge—With the assertions of recent Jane’s editorials concerning the expanding size, capability, and world-wide scope of the Russian Navy, it is interesting to consider the historical perspective and consider differing conclusions.

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Norman Polmar, who is the editor for the American section of Jane’s, provides a useful summary of Soviet Naval Power (National Strategic Information Center, $1.00, paper) from the Revolution to the present, with commentary

on the ships, missions, and operations likely in the 1970s. Interesting as this is, Polmar never makes a clear judgment as to whether the Soviet Navy is an offensive or defensive force. Such is not the case, however, with Barry M. Blech- man. He analyzes The Changing Soviet Navy (The Brookings Institution, $1.00, paper) since 1958, and finds that while the present naval force is smaller than its 1950s counterpart, it is more capable in the performance of its newer ships, weapons, and electronic systems, and in the scope of its global deployments. In these assessments, both authors agree, but Blechman finds the Soviet Fleet to be a defensive force, designed primarily to prevent attack on the Russian homeland and to deter intervention by the United States in regions close to its shores. In this belief, Blechman echoes the 1968 conclusions of Robert W. Herrick in Soviet Naval Strategy. Perhaps both analysts rely too heavily on interpreting Soviet "intentions,” when the greater weight should be given to their acknowledged capabilities.

Personal Histories—Year after year, the Royal Navy proves to be an inexhaustible mine for the biographer, and this year is no exception. For the first time in quite awhile, however, the American Navy matches its progenitor rival.

Edward Preble (Naval Institute Press, $16.00) had as much to do as anyone else with the organization of the youthful American Navy. Christopher McKee presents a scholarly, yet readable, assessment of this pugnacious commodore, whose influence did so much to shape the character of the nascent officer corps. Much less known than Preble, but a contemporary of his, was Captain John Sinclair of Virginia (Gloucester, Va.: Lands End Books, $7.50), a Revolutionary privateer of considerable daring, who also served in the War of 1812. Sinclair’s biographer, Claude Olwen Lanciano, Jr., certainly has done his research, and seems to present a fair rendering, perhaps only a bit too sympathetic, but the book suffers mostly from a dull writing style. A much better style is exhibited by Norman C. Delaney in his gracefully-handled biography of John McIntosh Kell of the Raider Alabama (The

University of Alabama Press, $8.50), a veteran of the Mexican War and of Perry’s voyage to Japan. He joined the Confederate Navy at Georgia’s secession, and eventually served as executive officer on the Sumter and the Alabama.

Elisha Kent Kane was a contemporary of John Kell and perhaps their paths crossed during their Service careers, but Kane was a physician and explorer, as well as a naval officer and did not remain long in one place. George W. Corner in Doctor Kane of the A retie Seas (Temple University Press, $10.00) tells of the action-packed 37 years the man had, including a romance with a 19- year-old spirit-medium. The book’s chief concerns are the two expeditions to the Arctic in search of Sir John Franklin, the lost British explorer. Kane never found Franklin, but he added much to the little knowledge of Arctic geography. Shortly after his second effort in 1857, Kane died, putting the nation into a state of mourning not matched until Lincoln’s assassination.

The Royal Navy, with its longer history, has had its share of interesting characters, and some were not exactly savory individuals; however, a couple of whom will be met here, proved to be quite controversial.

Editor John Hampden did not produce a true biography of Francis Drake, Privateer (The University of Alabama Press, $12.75), but much is revealed of his life in this combination of contemporary documents and explanatory narrative that is really a chronicle of events in which Drake participated. A worthy successor to the Elizabethan corsair was Robert Blake (Crane, Russak, $12.75). J. R. Powell paints an interesting portrait of a Cromwellian general, who was instrumental in defeating King Charles I and, later as an admiral, was equally adept at defeating the great Dutch admirals of the day—Tromp, De Ruyter, and De With.

Alister MacLean has written an almost novelistic account of the three voyages of Captain Cook (Doubleday, $9.95), and has made some shrewd appraisals of the navigator’s character, but in sum, added nothing to what little is known of this strangely ephemeral man. While little is known of Cook, the opposite is true of an aide who rose to early prominancc and later approbation

as leader of the Bounty expedition. Even though much is known concerning the events and the people, there has always been conjecture as to what was the prime cause of the mutiny. Richard Hough goes behind the known events to delve into the innermost thoughts and personalities of Captain Bligh atui Air. Christian (Dutton, $10.00) and concludes that a homosexual relationship existed between the two men. A not uncommon practice in the Royal Navy of the time, this eased the strain of a long sailing voyage, but was irreparably strained by the Pacific paradise of Tahiti and was impossible of being reconstituted on the return voyage to England. Their tense, personal situation was further exacerbated by the basic emotional differences of the two men- These instabilities, in turn, were transmitted to an already restless crew, and the mutiny resulted.

Naval and Maritime References —Seldom has one year produced such a bumper crop of reference tools—bibliographies, atlases, and dictionaries- other than the usual materials listed at the beginning of the review.

Approximately 1,600 entries spanning a publication period from 1770 to earl)' 1973 are included in the bibliograph)> Navies in the American Revolution (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press,$6.50)- Beyond the strictly bibliographical p°^r' tion, Myron J. Smith, Jr., has two ap pendixes, one concerning the 1776 ep^1- sode between the British sloop Otter and Maryland’s Defense and, the second, a l'^st identifying vessels in the public service of the United States from 1775 to 1785- Amplifying the foregoing, is An Anttotaled Bibliography of Marines in the A//if' ican Revolution (Washington, D.C.: LI. -■ Marine Corps, Historical Division, n° price given, paper) under the joint edit' orship of Carolyn A. Tyson and Rowland P. Gill. The book selection is very extensive, but most annotations arc descriptive rather than analytical. An complementing these bibliographies, an the multi-volume series, Naval b)^¹¹ ments of the American Revolution, is ^i<] atlas of 18th century maps and char¹⁵’ which provides a graphic method ⁰ understanding the role of sea power >ⁿ The American Revolution, 1773-i^-