John D. Alden, a retired U.S. Navy commander and World War II veteran, has written five books and numerous articles for the U.S. Naval Institute.

Articles by John Alden

Salvage Man

By Commander John D. Alden, U.S. Navy (Retired)
October 1997
When a ship needed raising, one tempestuous naval officer was the man for the job.

Book Reviews

Reviewed by Charles Dana Gibson, Vice Admiral E. P. Giambastiani Jr., U.S. Navy & Commander John D Alden, U.S. Navy (Retired)
February 2001
Ellet’s Brigade: The Strangest Outfit of All Chester G. Hearn. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2000. 289 pp. Photos. Notes. Bib. Index. $34.95 ($31.45). Reviewed by Charles Dana Gibson ...
An episode of the naval battle at Trafalgar: the ship Redoutable (French) against the vessels Victory (British), Téméraire (British) and Thunderer (British). Spain, Cape Trafalgar, 21 October 1805

Book Reviews

Reviewed by Stephen Howarth, Captain James Stavridis, U.S. Navy & Commander John D. Alden, U.S. Navy (Retired)
October 2000
Maritime Supremacy and the Opening of the Western Mind Peter Padfield. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 2000. 340 pp. Illus. Maps. Gloss. Notes. Bib. Index. $35.00 ($33.25). Reviewed by Stephen Howarth ...

The Ups and Downs of Electric Boat

By Commander John D. Alden, U.S. Navy (Retired)
July 1999
The Electric Boat Company was incorporated officially in 1899, but its technological and corporate roots go much deeper. John P. Holland, who had attained considerable public recognition for his earlier ...

Book Reviews

Reviewed by Colonel Wendell N. Vest, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), Commander Robert C. Whitten, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired), Rear Admiral Kemp Tolley, U.S. Navy (Retired), Rear Admiral Randolph W. King, U.S. Navy (Retired), Commander John D. Alden, U.S. Navy (Retired), & Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired)
June 1992
Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle Richard B. Frank. New York: Penguin Books, 1992. 812 pp. Append. Ind. Maps. Notes. Photos. Tables. $16.00 ($14.40) paper. Reviewed by Colonel ...

Book Reviews

By Stanley L. Falk, Commander Edward P. Stafford, U. S. Navy (Retired), John Rousmaniere, Commander John D. Alden, U. S. Navy (Retired)
September 1988
Leyte Gulf: A Bibliography of the Greatest Sea Battle By Stanley L. Falk The Battle for Leyte Gulf (23-25 October 1944) was the last great naval battle of World War ...
Lithograph of the USS Onondaga (1863)

Monitors 'Round Cape Horn

By Commander John D. Alden, U. S. Navy (Retired)
September 1974
While the United States was engaged in the Civil War, several European powers took advantage of the situation to extend their spheres of influence in Latin America. France installed the ...
Banana boat SS Teapa, ex-USS Putnam (DD-287), loading bananas in Miami

Banana Boats and Blockade Runners

By Commander John D. Alden, U. S. Navy (Retired)
April 1971
In 1950, a U. S. submarine was in Miami on a “leave and recreation” visit. A short distance down the waterfront lay a small white freighter unloading bananas. A young ...
Starboard bow view of USS Isabel (SP-521) underway off the coast.

The Yacht that Was a Destroyer

By Commander John Alden, U. S. Navy (Retired)
December 1967
Tradition had it that the yacht Isabel had been built by millionaire Horace Dodge for his daughter Isabel and sold to the U. S. Navy for one dollar with the ...
USS Wasmuth (DD-338) moving in to ARD-1 at San Diego, 1935.

ARD-1, The Pioneer

By Commander John Alden, U. S. Navy (Retired)
July 1967
The years between the two World Wars were not, in general, noted for the liberality of financial support afforded the U. S. Navy. In the rather discouraging atmosphere of routine ...