Mr. Carlson is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Aviation History, Pacific Flyer, and Military History, among other publications. He also is the author of multiple books, most recently, The Marines’ Lost Squadron: The Odyssey of VMF-422 (Sunbury Press, 2017).

Articles by Mark Carlson

Ships

Invasion 1066

By Mark Carlson
October 2021
To invade England and gain a kingly crown, William the Conqueror had to do something else first: namely, construct a massive fleet.
1 August 1798: The French 74-gunner La Spartiate, her mainmast split, sends sailors in the rigging crashing over the side, joining their comrades flailing in the briny. In the left-center background, the chaotic scene is illuminated by the explosion of the French flagship l’Orient. Nelson’s decisive victory at the Battle of the Nile led to the disintegration of Napoleon’s army in Egypt. But victory came only on the heels of a confused and uncertain sea chase.

For Want of Frigates!

By Mark Carlson
December 2020
It was a cat-and-mouse game between two icons—Nelson and Napoleon, sea power and land power—and it would culminate in smashing victory for one and crushing defeat for the other.