Author: Norman PolmarPublisher: Potomac Books
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Discover the U.S. Navy's rich aviation heritage through its aircraft
Aircraft Carriers
Author: Michael E. HaskewPublisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 0760351430
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Step aboard the floating cities that patrol international waters, launch aircraft from their decks, and decide the fate of war. Behold the king of naval warfare: the aircraft carrier. Soon after the Wright Brothers' historic flight in 1903, officials explored the airplane's military applications. The seaplane and the flying boat were conceived to combine air and naval operations, but their potential proved limited. Aircraft that could operate from the deck of a ship, however, offered tremendous possibilities. A few visionaries seized the opportunity, and by mid-century the aircraft carrier eclipsed the battleship as the preeminent weapon of naval warfare. Since the first successful launch of an airplane from the deck of a naval ship in 1910, "fighting flattops" have evolved into immense, nuclear-powered vessels--floating cities capable of launching dozens of aircraft performing a variety of missions, including attack, escort, antisubmarine patrol, and deterrence. This illustrated history covers that evolution, from the first tentative steps taken by naval aviators before World War I to the roles these massive ships have played in the War on Terror. While author Michael Haskew focuses on US Navy carriers, he also provides coverage of parallel and competing carrier developments overseas. In addition to explaining the technologies behind past and present carriers and their aircraft, Haskew reexamines major engagements involving carriers, especially the epic Pacific battles of World War II, as well as personalities who were central to carrier development and deployment and naval doctrine relating to carriers. Filled with carefully curated period photography and modern images showing aircraft carriers throughout the decades, Aircraft Carriers is a celebration of naval warfare's most important innovation.
United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918
Author: Noel C. ShirleyPublisher: Schiffer Publishing
ISBN: 9780764311796
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918 for the first time provides a comprehensive study of the formation and initial deployment of naval aviation in a world war. The late eminent naval historian R.D. Layman wrote that the subject of naval aviation has, never been adequately explored, had been often underestimated, ignored, or unrealized. The author of this book, based upon over thirty years of research into the subject of World War I aviation, and based upon both primary and secondary reference sources, has compiled into one source a complete history of the early development of naval aviation in the United States. He then discusses the manner and role that the naval aviation service applied to the war effort during 1917-1918. The book covers not only the subject of naval aircraft, but also describes the activities of the Navy in the field of lighter-than-air craft. Specific information is provided on each of the Naval Air Stations constructed and operated, both domestically as well as in Foreign Service during the War. Detailed discussion is also provided regarding the role of Marine Corps aviation during this time period.
United States Naval Aviation, 1919-1941
Author: E.R. JohnsonPublisher: McFarland
ISBN: 078648585X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
Within six months of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy had checked the Japanese military advance in the Pacific to the extent that the United States could return to its original "Defeat Germany First" strategy. That the Navy was able to accomplish this feat with only six fleet aircraft carriers and little more than 1,000 combat aircraft was not sheer luck but the culmination of more than two decades of determined preparation. This thorough study, with detailed drawings and photographs, explains and illustrates the trial and error process which went into developing the aircraft, airships and ships of the interwar period. The critical factors that shaped Naval Aviation after World War I--naval treaties, fleet tactics, government programs, leadership and organization, as well as the emergence of Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation--are discussed in depth.
Aircraft Carriers
Author: Norman PolmarPublisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
ISBN: 1597973432
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 820
Book Description
In the post-1945 era, the aircraft carrier has remained a valued weapon despite the development of nuclear weapons, cruise and ballistic missiles, and highly capable submarines. At times, as in the early days of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and in the Falklands conflict, carriers alone could deploy high-performance aircraft to the battlefield. In other operations, such as enforcing the no-fly zones and the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, only carriers could provide the bases needed for sustained combat and support operations. This second volume of Norman Polmar's landmark study details the role of carriers in the unification of the U.S. armed forces and strategic deterrence, fiscally constrained Great Britain, the development of British Commonwealth and ex-colonial navies, and the efforts of France and the Netherlands to rebuild their fleets. The role of the modern carrier-nine nations currently possess them-is discussed, as are the issues confronting nations that might acquire them. Chapters on the Soviet Union's effort to produce carriers are included for the first time. The development of both carrier planes and the many "oddball" aircraft that have flown from carriers-such as the U-2 spy plane-are also examined. Appendixes include comprehensive data on all carriers built and converted through 2006. This volume is a valuable companion to the critically acclaimed Volume I, which covers aircraft carrier development and operations from 1909 to 1945.
A History of U. S. Naval Aviation
Author: W. H. SitzPublisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781478344674
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 58
Book Description
Although a large number of experimenters gave their attention to the problem of mechanical flight previous to the last decade of the nineteenth century, nothing practical was achieved prior to that time. But with the perfection of the steam engine and the development of the internal combustion engine, there came inducement to sound experimentation bringing forth such well known scientists and inventors as Lilienthal, Maxim, Langley, and the Wright brothers. Otto Lilienthal, a German, made the first successful flight in a man-carrying glider in 1891. Sir Hiram Maxim was an Englishman who in 1893 built a gigantic airplane powered with a steam engine driving two large propellers. Prof. S. P. Langley of the Smithsonian Institution was the first person to construct an airplane possessing inherent stability. On May 6,1896, an airplane model equipped with a steam engine was successfully launched and flown, making three and a quarter turns. Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, attacked the problem of mechanical flight by experimenting with gliders. Their first glider was completed and successfully flown at Kitty Hawk, N. C., in the summer of 1900. The Navy first investigated the possibilities of aviation for naval purposes in 1908when Lieut. G. C. Sweet and Naval Constructor McIntee were detailed as observers forthe test of the Wright plane at Fort Myer, Va. This book provides full history of not only the beginning of aviation and the history of pre-war naval aviation, but also World War Organization and Personnel, U.S. Naval Aircraft and Aviation, the Northern Bombing Group, Marine Corps Aviation, and the Development of “Heavier-than-Air Craft” and the Development of “Lighter-than-Air Craft.”
Author: 
Author: Roy A. GrossnickThe Complete Visual Encyclopedia of Naval Aircraft of World Wars I and II
Author: Francis CrosbyPublisher: Lorenz Books
ISBN: 9780754830566
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This fully illustrated reference book charts the early history of naval aviation, from the pioneering days when biplanes were catapulted from converted destroyers through to the war-winning 'ace-making' aircraft of World War II. It focuses on the main wartime theatres in which naval aviation played a significant part.
In the Cockpit
Author: National Air and Space MuseumPublisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061143812
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 146
Book Description
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum holds the country's premier collection of historic aircrafts, but visitors must view these impressive structures at a distance. IN THE COCKPIT captures the feeling of helming these historic craft with big, gorgeous four–color photographs that will give flight enthusiasts a true pilot's eye view of many of history's most important domestic and military airplanes, jets, and helicopters. Each entry includes archival images of the craft and authoritative text that places each one in the context of the development of aviation technology and world history .
