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A Carrier at War
Richard F. Miller's A CARRIER AT WAR: ON BOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK IN THE
IRAQ WAR isn't just another overview of military events, but a narrowed
focus on individual officers, sailors and shipboard morale during a
mission which paralleled the events leading to the Iraq War. The Kitty
Hawk was one of the lead elements in the 'shock and awe' campaign: the
author remained with the carrier through the hostilities and interviewed
the ship's captain, chaplain, doctors, and more, even visiting the brig.
His review of life aboard a carrier at war is vivid and personal.
I found the key to this book in the preface where the author, a noted
Civil War historian, declares his intention to create a letter or diary
format for recording the events which he suspects are about to unfold.
In short, he wants to create a diary in which the stuff of daily life on
board the USS Kitty Hawk is recorded before he (or anyone else) knows
how the "story"--the invasion of Iraq--will end. As a result, this book
is the stuff of true history--a valuable primary source. It has
integrity because unlike other journalist accounts, which I suspect have
trimmed away erroneous predictions of WMDs, or fears about the same
which now look foolish in hindsight, or their early support for a war
which is now widely believed to have been a mistake, Miller's account
leaves this material in place--in short, providing a snapshot of life as
it was actually experienced, not as we imagine (or would like to imagine
it) now. Fortunately, Miller was not a journalist, and his account of an
embedding process which remains controversial, is about as balanced as
I've seen. And the inclusion of original embedding documents preserve a
primary source which, if they still exist, probably won't for much
longer. Future historians trying to figure out how the reporting went as
it did will, or ought to be, indebted to this book.
I don't agree with Miller's politics, and unlike him, am not a religious
person (for example, I don't understand his closing quotation taken from
(I think) the Jewish Torah). And I'm not convinced of the spirituality
of sailors to the extent that he apparently is. But none of that is the
point. I consider this as an important primary source--the raw stuff of
history.
This is not a book for readers who prefer their histories to be fairy
tales, or mere stories, or neatly prepackaged narratives with lots of
bang-bang (not that Saddam had much of a surface fleet to take on our
Navy!)--but for an account of life aboard a warship, it has
verisimilitude. These days, that's worth five stars.
 US
Navy Aircraft Carriers
This incredible CD-ROM provides a comprehensive guide to aircraft
carriers operated by the U.S. Navy. Today's Nimitz-class nuclear-powered
carriers are known as the powerhouse of the Navy fleet, over 1000 feet
long and carrying about 85 aircraft. They are the largest warships in
the world. Forward presence by U.S. Navy aircraft battle groups helps
protect our overseas interests as well as encouraging peace and
stability around the globe. Nuclear Aircraft Carriers support and
operate aircraft to engage in attacks on targets afloat and ashore which
threaten our use of the sea and to engage in sustained operations in
support of other forces. Every aspect of the carrier and the aircraft is
covered in this detailed material, which is heavily illustrated with
color photographs, drawings, tables, and charts.
Nimitz class carriers are the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), San Diego, CA; USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), Newport News, VA; USS Carl Vinson (CVN
70), Bremerton, WA; USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Norfolk, VA; USS
Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Everett, WA; USS George Washington (CVN 73),
Norfolk, VA; USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), San Diego, CA; USS Harry S.
Truman (CVN 75), Norfolk, VA; USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) (under
construction; George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) (under construction). Earlier
carriers still in active status: USS Enterprise, USS John F. Kennedy;
USS Constellation; USS Kitty Hawk.
 Carrier
Combat
The entire world has a deep respect for the effect that the carrier has
on the world around us. When it is time for it to swing into action it
is a formidable force to be reckoned with. This book illustrates that
fact beautifully. It is a must have for any military aviation or Naval
Warfare enthusiast!!
 Lock
on No. 14
Although this book is a little bit dated, since both the Forrestal and
the F-14s are now history to the US Navy, Mr Verlinden does a suberb job
describing in a few pages the workings of USS Forrestal's flying deck.
The photographs are very clear and sharp and the captions accompanying
them reveal the author's penetrating look to military hardware. The
sequence of catapult take offs and arresting hook landings are described
in a vivd way and the photos show the various people working long
shifts. Although there are photos of Hornets, Prowlers, Vikings and
Hawkeyes, the Tomcats are the kings of the book.
This book provides you the details about the activity on the aircraft
carrier USS Forrestal from the hangar under the deck, the preparation
before the launching of the aircraft, during and after the landing ,
concerned equipment and vehicles. If you're the modeler and seeking for
the reference book to build your naval diorama, this book is the best
since it consists of over 60 color photos which you can also use as the
painting guide.
 Aircraft
Carriers
With its emergence at the end of World War I, the aircraft carrier
quickly established itself as the centerpiece of any naval flotilla.
Aircraft carriers' dominance at sea was marked by the Japanese surprise
attack on Pearl Harbor. Since then aircraft carriers have been the
yardstick by which any navy's potency is measured. Aircraft Carriers is
a comprehensive guide to the carriers that have been built since the end
of World War I.Accompanying the illustrations in each entry are highly
detailed specifications and a full design and development history of the
carrier, and, where relevant, the aircraft. All of the most famous
aircraft carriers are included, from the American Yorktown and
Enterprise and the Japanese Akagi, to the British mini-carriers like the
Illustrious, the French Charles de Gaulle, the Soviet Kuznetsov, and the
modern American Nimitz class.- Comprehensive guide to all the major
classes of aircraft carriers- Full-color artworks of each carrier class-
Detailed technical specifications |
