US Navy Gunboats 18851945

The D-Day landings and their aftermath were among the most complex and important naval operations in history. With the target beaches divided into two areas of responsibility ? one US-commanded, one British ? this armada launched a month-long operation to first support the landings, then to protect, supply, and support the troops ashore, as they fought to expand their toehold in occupied Europe. In this book, illustrated throughout with 3D diagrams, photos, maps and dramatic artwork, naval historian Brian Lane Herder explains how the US Navy-led Western Task Force was built, and outlines its operations off Normandy during June 1944. It covers this multinational fleet's organization, assembly, and training, as well as the intelligence and logistics picture, and explores its actions that we...

Explores the history of the US Navy's 11 new steel warships, built during the late 19th century to advance American naval supremacy. After the American Civil War, the powerful US Navy was allowed to decay into utter decrepitude, and was becoming a security liability. In 1883, Congress approved four new steel-constructed vessels called the ?ABCD? ships. The three protected cruisers Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago were the first steel warships built for the US Navy, whose 1880s?1890s technological and cultural transformation was so total it is now remembered as the ?New Navy?. This small fleet was joined by a succession of new and distinctive protected cruisers, culminating in the famous and powerful Olympia. These 11 protected cruisers formed the backbone of the early US steel navy, and were i...