These Ships Didn’t Quite Change History
Written: Aug 17 '08 (Updated Aug 17 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Mildly interesting vignettes on maritime history
Cons: These really aren't the ships that changed history
The Bottom Line: There are some good stories here, but a lot more, better stories were missed as this book doesn't get the really important ships in maritime history.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: A. A. Hoehling - Ships That Changed History |
I’ve been a military and naval history buff ever since I was knee-high to an M-1 rifle, so it was with some interest when one of my colleagues at work dropped off a copy of A.A. Hoehling’s Ships That Changed History, which had a nice picture of a 1930’s era U.S battleship gracing the cover. That’s encouraging, I thought, so let’s give it a try.
What the book turns out to be is a series of vignettes written at the Landmark level of comprehension for the advanced grade school reader and slower adult. This in itself is fine, and though there is some interesting stuff in here, for the most part these really aren’t the ships that changed history.
The books six chapters encompass the following topics: 1) the 19th century clippers; 2) the British liner Great Eastern; 3) the U.S.S. Monitor of American Civil War fame; 4) the R.M.S. Lusitania; 5) the rescue vessels at Dunkirk; and 6) the U.S.S. Arizona. Immediately, we see that there is a modern bias that ignores some important ships and classes of ships from earlier times. Second, even the vessels discussed for the most part aren’t as important as the author thinks.
The clippers, for example, were a short-lived phenomenon in pre-Civil War times. These were extremely fast, graceful sailing vessels that considerably cut the sailing time from New York to points west. And while the vignettes about life on the clippers are interesting, if we’re talking about ships that changed history during this period, I’d be more interested in hearing about the effects of Commodore Perry’s mission to Japan, which opened Japan to the West and had considerable impact on China, Russia and the United States over the next century and more.
Similarly, the chapter on the Great Eastern, which laid the first transatlantic cable and was a marvel of her time, is interesting but the ship isn’t that important. Ditto for the boats that pulled the Brits off the beaches at Dunkirk. An important military feat (in defeat, albeit), yes, but as far as the boats. . . not so much. The story of the U.S.S. Arizona is a fascinating one and Hoehling’s tale of her sinking, based on survivor’s accounts, is a lesson in military unpreparedness.
He does get it right with the Monitor and Lusitania. The former was among the first ironclad warships and participated in the epic battle with the Confederate C.S.S. Virginia off Hampton Roads in 1862, showing the face of naval warfare for nearly a century to come. The sinking of the Lusitania off Ireland in 1915 ultimately led to U.S. entrance in World War I with certain unfortunate impacts on German military fortunes.
I think a motivated ten- or twelve-year old would find enough to push through most of the book. However, kids like to read about stuff that blows up real good, and the book could have used more of that. Moreover, Hoehling misses some critical ships and technologies that are more notable than the ones in his book and that could have made interesting reading.
So if you’re so smart, buff, what are some of other ships? OK. First, the trireme with its three banks of oars was the central warship of ancient times. Lots of blood and guts at battles like Salamis and Actium that we could hear about. Second, the European development of ocean-going sailing vessels had obvious implications for power projection from the discovery of the Americas to the conquest of India and points beyond.
Moving on, the construction of the H.M.S. Dreadnought, the first modern battleship, not only revolutionized naval warship technology but led to a naval arms race that had woeful implications for European peace before World War One. In turn, the development of the aircraft carrier made those battleships obsolete, as was proven at Pearl Harbor. Finally, nuclear technology, especially for submarines, has had critical implications for international security over the past fifty years.
In sum, Ships That Changed History is a mildly engaging book. One doesn’t want to re-write an author’s work, but I really think this misses the boat, as it were. These are interesting ships and stories, yes, but most of them didn’t change history. I certainly don’t see any need to own this book.
Recommended:
No
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