Overview

Before there was a U.S. Navy, several Colonial navies were all-volunteer--both the crews and the vessels. From its beginnings through World War II, the Navy has relied on civilian sailors and their fast vessels to fill out its ranks of small combatants. Beginning with the birth of the yacht in 17th century Netherlands, this illustrated history traces the development of yacht racing, the advent of combustion-engine power and the contribution privately owned vessels have made to national defense. Vessels conscripted during the Civil War served both the Union and Confederacy--sometimes changing sides after capture. The first USS Wanderer saw the slave trade from both sides of the law. Aboard the USS Sylph, Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine fought the Third Reich's U-boats under sail. USS Sea Cloud made history as the first racially integrated ship in the Navy, three years before President Truman desegregated the military.

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9781476682600

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'What's the difference between a ship, a boat, and a yacht?' That's one of the oldest debates among sailors. As Kenneth Howard Goldman points out in this fascinating new approach to maritime history, each type has a unique history and purpose, and all three team up during naval wars. From the Revolution's spy sloops to World War II's coastal patrols, here is an overlooked chapter in American maritime history. --John Rousmaniere, author of The New York Yacht Club: A History

Author Information

Kenneth H. Goldman has written historical pieces for Navis Magazine and has sold several screen and radio plays. He is also a professional designer and fabricator of scale model kits of Civil War guns, horse-drawn wagons and WWI aircraft. He lives in Southern California.

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