Public-domain ebook
by Stevens, William Oliver; Westcott, Allan F.
Language: en2,993 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: History - European·History - Ancient·History - Modern (1750+)
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #24797.
This work is a concise survey of naval history that aims to trace the development and influence of sea power from its earliest origins to the modern era. The authors begin by noting the lack of a brief yet comprehensive treatment of the subject, then set out to highlight “high points” rather than a detailed battle-by‑battle account. Their introduction stresses that naval history is more than a sequence of engagements; it is a force that has shaped the rise and fall of nations. The book proceeds chronologically, starting with the Mediterranean beginnings of navies, Egyptian fleets, the Cretan empire, and the Phoenician traders, before moving through classical, medieval, and modern periods, each chapter concluding with a short list of references for further study.
Written in the scholarly style of the early twentieth‑century United States Naval Academy, the prose is formal and dense, interweaving factual narration with occasional commentary on broader civilizational trends. The tone reflects the authors’ belief that contemporary naval officers must still learn from figures like Nelson, and it assumes a reader comfortable with academic footnotes and historical illustration. Students of military history, naval enthusiasts, and anyone interested in how maritime power has intersected with politics and culture will find this compact yet richly illustrated overview rewarding.
The opening · free to read
This volume has been called into being by the absence of any brief work covering the evolution and influence of sea power from the beginnings to the present time. In a survey at once so comprehensive and so short, only the high points of naval history can be touched. Yet it is the hope of the authors that they have not, for that reason, slighted the significance of the story. Naval history is more than a sequence of battles. Sea power has always been a vital force in the rise and fall of nations and in the evolution of civilization. It is this significance, this larger, related point of view, which the authors have tried to make clear in recounting the story of the sea. In regard to naval principles, also, this general survey should reveal those unchanging truths of warfare which have been demonstrated from Salamis to Jutland. The tendency of our modern era of mechanical development has been to forget the value of history. It is true that the 16" gun is a great advance over the 32-pounder of Trafalgar, but it is equally true that the naval officer of to-day must still sit at the feet of Nelson.
The authors would acknowledge their indebtedness to Professor F. Wells Williams of Yale, and to the Classical Departments of Harvard and the University of Chicago for valuable aid in bibliography. Thanks are due also to Commander C. C. Gill, U. S. N., Captain T. G. Frothingam, U. S. N. R., Dr. C. Alphonso Smith, and to colleagues of the Department of English at the Naval Academy for helpful criticism. As to the "References" at the conclusion of each chapter, it should be said that they are merely references, not bibliographies. The titles are recommended to the reader who may wish to study a period in greater detail, and who would prefer a short list to a complete bibliography.
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