As a Captain in the fledgling American Navy of 1801, young Lowell West sets sail on his first command with little hope of distinguishing himself in battle. Instead of a dull campaign, however, sealed orders, veiled political tension, and unseen threats from a more dangerous sea power throw West into the midst of a treacherous, daring mission right into the teeth of the powerful Spanish navy. The clash of sword against sword, the fury of the tumultuous ocean, and the thunder of rolling cannon broadsides come vividly alive in this nautical adventure of the most engaging kind!
A catastrophic Category 5 hurricane transforms much of Miami into a vast wasteland, and complicates Dar & Kerry's lives. But they get through it with love and support of friends and family.
Dar and Kerry's business has grown to the point that they've run out of space in their building. This, in conjunction with the frustration of trying to find the perfect new home proves to be quite a challenge. A catastrophic Category five hurricane that transforms much of Miami into a vast wasteland, arrives to complicate their lives even further. But as always, they get through it all with love and the support of their friends and family. This is the 15th book in the Dar and Kerry series.
The sniper is a battlefield threat second to none. Mastering the art of marksmanship is critical but is only part of what makes a Navy SEAL sniper. Snipers must be able to apply the craft in an urban environment or alone on a hostile mountain top with equal effectiveness. Today’s sniper must not just leverage technological advances but also have the foreknowledge to select the best rifle and gear for the mission. Increasingly, he must have the mental toughness to adapt to a constantly changing environment, gather intelligence, and truly act as a force multiplier. In this comprehensive look through the eyes of former Navy SEAL sniper instructor Brandon Webb and fellow Navy SEAL snipers Chris Kyle and Glen Doherty, the authors reveal not just the fundamentals of marksmanship but also the science of shooting, stalking, and camouflage and how technological advances have changed the training and increased the effectiveness of the modern sniper. Including maritime, helicopter, and urban sniper operations, this updated edition also goes into detail on the latest research, development, testing, and evaluation of weapons and optics. From the basics like compensating for wind and bullet drop, to camouflage and placing yourself or your team in the best position to take a photo or pull a trigger, Webb and Doherty cover the critical elements that comprise the twenty-first century sniper.
This book relates the military experiences compiled from a twenty-five year naval career of a small town boy whose elementary and high school endeavors were somewhat less than satisfactory, but who was given the opportunity, provided by that inconceivably destructive event, known as World War II, to redeem his poor educational activity and serve in the Navy reasonably successfully. The book follows his career as he rose from a very young and inexperienced Ensign to the rank of Commander. Early on, he acquired a specialty designation as cryptologist, dealing with codes and ciphers in the Naval Communications system. This book depicts the good times, the hard times, and the difficult times of the voyage to the top of the military organization in which he spent the biggest part of his Navy career. He spent many years in the field spreading the communication security gospel directly to the communication officers of various ships and stations. Finally, after 20 years of total service, he was assigned to the Naval Security Group Headquarters in Washington, D.C. as deputy to the head of the Communication Security Organization with oversight and management responsibilities over the field activities. Later, when his boss was assigned to duty at a field activity, he was elevated to the head of the organization. After about a year as head of the Communication Security Organization, he was given a very promising assignment as Commanding Officer of a newly established Naval Security Group command in California. As expressed in the book, this was a "Camelot" assignment. Shortly after World War II ended and very early in his career, he met and married his lifetime companion. This relationship produced six children, five daughters and a son, who survived a change of venue every two to three years and all became college graduates, including one daughter who was born with a physical disability denying her the ability to get around without assistance. All achieved exceptional success in their chosen occupational pursuits. He and his bride's commandment that all the children must expect to stay in school at least sixteen years, was really very rewarding for them in their later lives. The book concludes with a comparison of his Navy life with the famous and well used Navy description of a hypothetically perfect sea voyage, "Fair Winds and Following Seas."
A true-life, modern-day tale of high seas adventure follows the travels of a three-masted tall ship that left Nova Scotia in 1997 for a trip around the world, while the crew found themselves on personal journeys of their own. 30,000 first printing.
Admiral Stavridis, a leader in military, international affairs, and national security circles, shares his love of the sea and some of the sources of that affection. The Sailor's Bookshelf offers synopses of fifty books that illustrate the history, importance, lore, and lifestyle of the oceans and of those who “go down to the sea in ships.” Stavridis colors those descriptions with glimpses of his own service—“sea stories” in popular parlance—that not only clarify his choices but show why he is held in such high esteem among his fellow sailors. Divided into four main categories—The Oceans, Explorers, Sailors in Fiction, and Sailors in Non-Fiction—Admiral Stavridis’ choices will appeal to “old salts” and to those who have never known the sights of the ever-changing seascape nor breathed the tonic of an ocean breeze. The result is a navigational aid that guides readers through the realm of sea literature, covering a spectrum of topics that range from science to aesthetics, from history to modernity, from solo sailing to great battles. Among these eclectic choices are guides to shiphandling and navigation, classic fiction that pits man against the sea, ecological and strategic challenges, celebrations of great achievements and the lessons that come with failure, economic competition and its stepbrother combat, explorations of the deep, and poetry that beats with the pulse of the wave. Some of the included titles are familiar to many, while others, are likely less well-known but are welcome additions to this encompassing collection. Admiral Stavridis has chosen some books that are relatively recent, and he recommends other works which have been around much longer and deserve recognition.
His father killed by the British and his home burned, young Tatton Chantry left Ireland to make his fortune and regain the land that was rightfully his. Schooled along the way in the use of arms, Chantry arrives in London a wiser and far more dangerous man. He invests in trading ventures, but on a voyage to the New World his party is attacked by Indians and he is marooned in the untamed wilderness of the Carolina coast. It is in this darkest time, when everything seems lost, that Chantry encounters a remarkable opportunity. . . . Suddenly all his dreams are within reach: extraordinary wealth, his family land, and the heart of a Peruvian beauty. But first he must survive Indians, pirates, and a rogue swordsman who has vowed to see him dead.
"In this book, which is based especially on the Naval War College archives, Dr. Nofi, an American military historian, examines in detail each of the U.S. Navy's twenty-one 'fleet problems', at-sea exercises conducted between World Wars I and II, elucidating the patterns that emerged, finding a range of enduring lessons, and suggesting their applicability for future naval warfare."--Publisher's description.
A monumental retelling of world history through the lens of the sea—revealing in breathtaking depth how people first came into contact with one another by ocean and river, lake and stream, and how goods, languages, religions, and entire cultures spread across and along the world’s waterways, bringing together civilizations and defining what makes us most human. The Sea and Civilization is a mesmerizing, rhapsodic narrative of maritime enterprise, from the origins of long-distance migration to the great seafaring cultures of antiquity; from Song Dynasty human-powered paddle-boats to aircraft carriers and container ships. Lincoln Paine takes the reader on an intellectual adventure casting the world in a new light, in which the sea reigns supreme. Above all, Paine makes clear how the rise and fall of civilizations can be linked to the sea. An accomplishment of both great sweep and illuminating detail, The Sea and Civilization is a stunning work of history.
