This fast-paced narrative traces the emergence of the United States Navy
as a global power from its birth during the American Revolution through
to its current superpower status. The story highlights iconic moments of
great drama pivotal to the nation's fortunes: John Paul Jones' attacks
on the British in the Revolution, the Barbary Wars, and the arduous
conquest of Iwo Jima. The book illuminates the changes - technological,
institutional, and functional - of the US Navy from its days as a small
frigate navy through the age of steam and steel to the modern era of
electronics and missiles. Historian Craig L. Symonds captures the
evolving culture of the Navy and debates between policymakers about what
role the institution should play in world affairs. Internal and external
challenges dramatically altered the size and character of the Navy, with
long periods of quiet inertia alternating with rapid expansion emerging
out of crises. The history of the navy reflects the history of the
nation as a whole, and its many changes derive in large part from the
changing role of the United States itself.
