To Shining Sea: A History of the United States Navy, 1775–1998

by Stephen Howarth

To Shining Sea is a landmark work of naval history--the most comprehensive and authoritative narrative account of American sea power written in recent times. From John Paul Jones’s defiant cry "I have not yet begun to fight," to the war in the Persian Gulf, Stephen Howarth chronicles the epic story of the United States Navy. Here are the first engagements of the tiny Continental Navy, the fight against the Barbary pirates, the watershed clash of the Monitor and the Merrimack, the development--from blueprint to battleship--of the U.S. Navy’s first modern capital ships and submarines, the great battles of World War II in the Pacific, and the navy’s deployment in Vietnam and in the Persian Gulf. For this edition, Howarth provides a new afterword discussing recent developments in the U.S. Navy.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, Naval History, Military Fiction, American History, World War II

682 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1991

About the author

Stephen Howarth is an independent historian and the author of several books on corporate, maritime, and naval subjects.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

In '... To Shining To Sea,' Howarth writes an engaging, and illuminating laymens' history of the US Navy. From the birth of the Navy, to the end of 20th Century he writes of more than battles.. he writes of the politics surrounding it, the world context, and gives voice to admiral and sailor alike.

Humane and witty, Howarth's voice is not that of a dry scholar, or a detail fanatic. He's telling a long story and keeps us interested. I hope he does a further update.

It would be a very worthy read.

[Art Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended. A comprehensive introduction to both the History of the US Navy and to the political decisions that impacted the development of the Navy. A decent bibliography and source notes.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still haven't finished it yet.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of the US navy as it grew in maturity and power from sailing ships to nuclear power.