Books published by Naval Institute Press

Before Jutland is a definitive study of the naval engagements in northern European waters in 1914-15 when the German High Sea Fleet faced the Grand Fleet in the North Sea and the Russian Fleet in the Baltic. Author James Goldrick reexamines one of the key periods of naval operations in the First World War, arguing that a focus on the campaign on the western front conceals the reality that the Great War was also a maritime conflict. Combining new historical information from primary sources with a comprehensive analysis of the operational issues, this book is an extensive revision of The King's Ships Were at Sea, Goldrick's earlier work on this naval campaign. In all, Before Jutland shows not only what happened, but how the various navies evolved to meet the challenges that they faced during the Great War and whether or not that evolution was successful.

Written by veteran aerospace journalist Bob Ward, who spent years investigating his subject, the father of modern rocketry, this biography presents a revealing but even-handed portrait of the one-time Nazi Party member who brought the United States into the Space Age.

Like its World War II namesake of Leyte Gulf fame, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) was a small combatant built for escort duty. But its skipper imbued his brand-new crew with a fighting spirit to match their forebears, and in 1988 when the guided missile frigate was thrust into the Persian Gulf at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, there was no better ship for the job. This is the first book to record the ship's extraordinary tale.

Rough Rider is a snapshot study of the significant career of President Theodore Roosevelt. Partly biographical sketch and partly analysis, the book provides an overview of his actions, ideals, and written works, highlighting important events from Roosevelt's early public life, his presidency, and later career. David Key sees Roosevelt as a statesman who well understood how to create his own popular image, but equally important was Roosevelt's place as one of the foremost historians of his time, a man who understood the traditional criteria for greatness and did not hesitate to shape his own legacy. Written especially for college students, Rough Rider examines pertinent primary sources and critical analyses of other historians to aid in understanding the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt.

This is the first biography of Capt. Joe Rochefort, the Officer in Charge of Station Hypo the U.S. Navys decrypt unit at Pearl Harbor and his key role in breaking the Imperial Japanese Navys main code before the Battle of Midway. It brings together the disparate threads of Rocheforts life and career, beginning with his enlistment in the Naval Reserve in 1918 at age 17 (dropping out of high school and adding a year to his age). It chronicles his earliest days as a mustang (an officer who has risen from the ranks), his fortuitous posting to Washington, where he headed the Navys codebreaking desk at age 25, then, in another unexpected twist, found himself assigned to Tokyo to learn Japanese.This biography records Rocheforts surprising love-hate relationship with cryptanalysis, his joyful exit from the field, his love of sea duty, his adventure-filled years in the 30s as the right-hand man to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet, and his reluctant return to codebreaking in mid-1941 when he was ordered to head the Navys decrypt unit at Pearl (Station Hypo).The book focuses on Rocheforts inspiring leadership of Hypo, recording first his frustrating months in late 1941 searching for Yamamotos fleet, then capturing a guilt-ridden Rochefort in early 1942 mounting a redemptive effort to track that fleet after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor . It details his critical role in May 1942 when he and his team, against the bitter opposition of some top Navy brass, concluded Midway was Yamamotos invasion target, making possible a victory regarded by many as the turning point in the Pacific War.The account also tells the story of Rocheforts ouster from Pearl, the result of the machinations of key officers in Washington, first to deny him the Distinguished Service Medal recommended by Admiral Nimitz, then to effect his removal as OIC of Hypo. The book reports his productive final years in the Navy when he supervises the building of a floating drydock on the West Coast, then, back in Washington, finds himself directing a planning body charged with doing spade work leading to the invasion of Japan. The Epilogue narrates the postwar effort waged by Rocheforts Hypo colleagues to obtain for him the DSM denied in 1942a drive that pays off in 1986 when President Reagan awards him the medal posthumously at a White House ceremony attended by his daughter and son. It also explores Rocheforts legacy, primarily his pioneering role at Pearl in which, contrary to Washingtons wishes, he reported directly to Commander in Chief, US Fleet, providing actionable intelligence without any delays and enabling codebreaking to play the key role it did in the Battle of Midway.Ultimately, this book is aimed at bringing Joe Rochefort to life as the irreverent, fiercely independent and consequential officer that he was. It assumes his career cant be understood without looking at his entire life. It seeks to capture the interplay of policy and personality, and the role played by politics and personal rifts at the highest levels of Navy power during a time of national crisis. This bio emerges as a history of the Navys intelligence culture.

America's second war against Iraq differed notably from its first. Operation Desert Storm was a limited effort by coalition forces to drive out those Iraqi troops who had seized Kuwait six months before. In contrast, the major combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 was a more ambitious undertaking aimed at decisively ending Saddam Hussein's rule. The toppling of Hussein's regime ended the iron rule of an odious dictator who had brutalized his people for more than 30 years. Yet the inadequate resourcing with which that goal was pursued showed that any effective plan for a regime takedown must include due hedging against the campaign's likely aftermath in addition to simply seeing to the needs of major combat. That said, despite the failure of the campaign's planners to underwrite the first need adequately, those who conducted the three-week offensive in pursuit of regime change performed all but flawlessly, thanks in considerable part to the mostly unobserved but crucial enabling contributions of allied air power.

Many regard this work as the definitive account of a controversial conflict of the war in the Pacific, the June 1944 battle known as the "e;Great Marianas Turkey Shoot."e; Drawing on ten years of research and told from the viewpoint of the fliers and sailors who were on the firing line, William T. Y'Blood leads the reader through every stage of the battle, from the dogfights to the persistent attacks on the Japanese carriers to the frantic efforts of the returning fliers to land on friendly carriers. He takes the battle from the initial planning through the invasion of the Marianas and the recriminations that followed, describing Admiral Spruance's decision to allow U.S. forces to remain on the defensive and giving blow-by-blow details of the action. This intensive study of what many believe to be a major turning point in the Pacific War has remained an important reference since it was first published in 1981.

Called a definitive account when first published in 1980 and the winner of several book awards, this revised and expanded edition is available now for the first time in paperback. Tyrone G. Martin, the author, was captain of the USS Constitution during the nation''s bicentennial celebrations. After decades of research and study, Martin was able to confirm that the innovative diagonal riders which ensured the frigate''s long life were present at the ship''s launching. He also provides details about the famous ship''s participation in battles that have long been ignored or glossed over in official reports. Pictorial battle diagrams are included.The book not only tells Constitution''s complete story, but also presents a picture of life in the U.S. Navy during the nineteenth century-its proud moments as well as its concerns, attitudes, and tensions. Fascinating details are presented on the organization, care, feeding, and disciplining of the crew, and on events that involved such famous names in early American naval history as Edward Preble and Stephen Decatur. Just as previous editions were sought-after as sources of pleasure and information, this new edition will appeal to everyone who enjoys a good sea story and to serious students and sailing ship buffs seeking a reliable reference.

Hailed as one of the finest examples of aviation research, this comprehensive 1984 study presents a detailed and scrupulously accurate operational history of carrier-based air warfare. From the earliest operations in the Pacific through the decisive Battle of Midway, it offers a narrative account of how ace fighter pilots like Jimmy Thach and Butch O'Hare and their skilled VF squadron mates - called the "e;first team"e; - amassed a remarkable combat record in the face of desperate odds. Tapping both American and Japanese sources, historian John B. Lundstrom reconstructs every significant action and places these extraordinary fighters within the context of overall carrier operations. He writes from the viewpoint of the pilots themselves, after interviewing some fifty airmen from each side, to give readers intimate details of some of the most exciting aerial engagements of the war. At the same time he assesses the role the fighter squadrons played in key actions and shows how innovations in fighter tactics and gunnery techniques were a primary reason for the reversal of American fortunes. After more than twenty years in print, the book remains the definitive account and is being published in paperback for the first time to reach an even larger audience.

Winner of the Royal United Services Institute Westminster Medal for Military Literature `To read a comprehensive history of the technical, military and political aspects of the Cold War, based on documents from the two super powers, written by a scholar who is free of bias, is something I never thought I would be able to do.