Sacred Vessels: The Cult Of The Battleship And The Rise Of The U.s. Navy - Couverture rigide

O'connell, Robert L

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0813311160 ISBN 13 : 9780813311166

Editeur : Westview Press, 1991

Synopsis

This irreverent account of the modern battleship and its place in American naval history argues that the vaunted battleship was in fact never an effective weapon of war. For many decades the world's navies raced to build battleships at the expense of more effective forms of naval force. Dreadnoughts became the international currency of great power status, subject to the same anxious accountancy as nuclear weapons today. The author contends that the battleships actually have never played an important role in the outcome of any modern war, but nevertheless have continued to be built and rebuilt - and revered by many - right up to the present. The book aims to be a cautionary tale about the often unacknowledged influence of human faith, culture and tradition on the important, costly and supposedly rational process of nations arming themselves for war. The author also wrote "Of Arms and Men: A History of War, Weapons, and Aggression".

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Awesome in size, immensely powerful and ingrained in the socio-economic and psychological structure of the U.S. Navy, the battleship served as chief guardsman of territory, reigning as monarch of the sea. For two hundred years it played an essential role in U.S. military affairs, yet as Robert L O'Connell demonstrates, the battleship was never actually an effective weapon of war - even before advances in submarine and aircraft technology rendered it impractical. Battleships have never played an actively important role in the outcome of any modern war but they have continued to be resurrected and refurbished, capturing the hearts of the public with their awesome beauty and size, and the myopic devotion of the military with their patently inefficient presence. Sacred Vessels tells the story of the evolution of the battleship. It is a cautionary tale about the often unacknowledged influence of human faith, culture and tradition and of the exceedingly important, costly and, supposedly rational, process, of nations arming themselves for war.

Revue de presse

'fascinating and witty book' G.D. Sheffield, Bulletin of the Military Historical Society, Nov '93

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Westview Press
• Date d'édition: 1991
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0813311160
• ISBN 13: 9780813311166
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 409
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible