Overview

Considered by many to be the father of the modern U.S. Navy, Arleigh Burke was a sea warrior, strategist, and unparalleled service leader whose impact on the course of naval warfare is still felt today. Noted historian E.B. Potter's biography follows Burke's distinguished naval career from the his early days at the Naval Academy through the dramatic destroyer operations in the Solomons, where he earned his nickname ""31-Knot Burke,"" to his participation, as chief of staff to Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher, in the crucial carrier operations of World War II. The author also fully examines Burke's postwar service as a United Nations delegate to the Korean truce talks and his tenure as chief of naval operations for an unprecedented six years, from 1955 to 1961, where he was a strong advocate of carrier aviation, nuclear propulsion, and a major force in developing the navy's Polaris missile program. In 1977 he was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, and became the first living U.S. Naval officer to have a class of ship named after him - the Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers. Published in 1990 and now available in paperback for the first time, this definitive biography is a worthy tribute to a great man and a great naval hero.

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9781591146926

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-One of the military's most colorful figures, and the last surviving WW II naval commander, '31-Knot Burke' was a destroyer captain in the Solomons campaign, served as Admiral Marc Mitscher's chief of staff in the final two years of the war and, in 1955, was chosen over 91 senior admirals as Chief of Naval Operations. Retiring after four decades of active service in 1961, Burke became co-founder and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies at Georgetown University. Potter, former chairman of naval history at the U.S. Naval Academy, has written an entertaining biography of a talented and resourceful officer who was instrumental in the development of the missile-armed, nuclear-propelled navy. Of particular interest is Potter's clarifying account of the controversy over unification of the armed services in the late 1940s and Burke's role in the so-called -Revolt of the Admirals.- -- Publishers Weekly

One of the military's most colorful figures, and the last surviving WW II naval commander, '31-Knot Burke' was a destroyer captain in the Solomons campaign, served as Admiral Marc Mitscher's chief of staff in the final two years of the war and, in 1955, was chosen over 91 senior admirals as Chief of Naval Operations. Retiring after four decades of active service in 1961, Burke became co-founder and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies at Georgetown University. Potter, former chairman of naval history at the U.S. Naval Academy, has written an entertaining biography of a talented and resourceful officer who was instrumental in the development of the missile-armed, nuclear-propelled navy. Of particular interest is Potter's clarifying account of the controversy over unification of the armed services in the late 1940s and Burke's role in the so-called Revolt of the Admirals. -- Publishers Weekly

One of the military's most colorful figures, and the last surviving WW II naval commander, 31-Knot Burke was a destroyer captain in the Solomons campaign, served as Admiral Marc Mitscher's chief of staff in the final two years of the war and, in 1955, was chosen over 91 senior admirals as Chief of Naval Operations. Retiring after four decades of active service in 1961, Burke became co-founder and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies at Georgetown University. Potter, former chairman of naval history at the U.S. Naval Academy, has written an entertaining biography of a talented and resourceful officer who was instrumental in the development of the missile-armed, nuclear-propelled navy. Of particular interest is Potter's clarifying account of the controversy over unification of the armed services in the late 1940s and Burke's role in the so-called Revolt of the Admirals. -- Publishers Weekly

One of the military's most colorful figures, and the last surviving WW II naval commander, '31-Knot Burke' was a destroyer captain in the Solomons campaign, served as Admiral Marc Mitscher's chief of staff in the final two years of the war and, in 1955, was chosen over 91 senior admirals as Chief of Naval Operations. Retiring after four decades of active service in 1961, Burke became co-founder and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies at Georgetown University. Potter, former chairman of naval history at the U.S. Naval Academy, has written an entertaining biography of a talented and resourceful officer who was instrumental in the development of the missile-armed, nuclear-propelled navy. Of particular interest is Potter's clarifying account of the controversy over unification of the armed services in the late 1940s and Burke's role in the so-called ""Revolt of the Admirals."" -- Publishers Weekly

Author Information

The late E. B. Potter, a longtime history professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and former naval officer who served in the Pacific during World War II, is the author of several books, including Bull Halsey, Nimitz, and Sea Power: A Naval History, which he wrote with Admiral Nimitz.

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