The Last Century of Sea Power

by Willmott, H. P.

• ISBN13: 9780253353597
• ISBN10: 0253353599
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-03-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

In this second volume of his history of naval power in the 20th century, H. P. Willmott follows the fortunes of the established seafaring nations of Europe along with two upstarts -- the United States and Japan. Emerging from World War I in command of the seas, Great Britain saw its supremacy weakened through neglect and in the face of more committed rivals. Britain's grand Coronation Review of 1937 marked the apotheosis of a sea power slipping into decline. Meanwhile, Britain's rivals and soon-to-be enemies were embarking on significant naval building programs that would soon change the nature of war at sea in ways that neither they nor their rivals anticipated. By the end of a new world war, the United States had taken command of two oceans, having placed its industrial might behind technologies that further defined the arena of naval power above and below the waves, where stealth and the ability to strike at great distance would soon rewrite the rules of war and of peace. This splendid volume further enhances Willmott's stature as the dean of naval historians.

Author Biography

H. P. Willmott has written extensively on warfare in general and on World War II in particular. Among his books are The Last Century of Sea Power: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894--1922 (IUP, 2009) and The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action (IUP, 2005), a Society of Military History prize winner.

Table of Contents

List of Chapter Appendixes	p. xi
List of Maps and a Diagram	p. xiii
List of Tables	p. xv
Acknowledgements	p. xix
Naval Races and Wars
Introduction: Washington, London, and Two Very Separate Wars, 1921-1941	p. 3
Washington and London	p. 7
Ethiopia and Spain	p. 42
Japan and Its "Special Undeclared War"	p. 62
Introduction to the Second World War
Navies, Sea Power, and Two or More Wars	p. 83
The Second World War: The European Theater
Britain and the Defeat of the U-boat Guerre de Course	p. 119
With Friends like These	p. 223
Italy and the War in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations	p. 261
The Lesser Allied Navies and Merchant Marines in the Second World War	p. 286
The Second World War: The Pacific Theater
The War across the Pacific: Introduction and Conclusion	p. 363
The Japanese Situation—and a Japanese Dimension	p. 430
The Japanese Situation—and an American Dimension	p. 451
The Japanese Situation—and a Second Japanese Dimension	p. 473
The Japanese Situation—and Another, and Final, Dimension	p. 516
Dealing with Real Enemies
Finis: The British Home Fleet, 15 August 1945	p. 539
Notes	p. 597
Selected Bibliography	p. 627
General Index	p. 639
Index of Warships, Submarines, Auxiliaries, and Merchantmen	p. 651
Index of American Warships	p. 661
Index of U.S. Lend—Lease Production of Escort Carriers, Frigates, and Sloops that Saw Service in the British Navy	p. 67
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