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Reid tells one of the greatest sea stories in the history of the U.S. Navy. Under Commodore Edward Preble, the Navy came of age fighting the scourge of the time, the infamous Barbary Pirates. Intrepid Sailors chronicles the Navy’s campaign to subdue the pirate leader of Tripoli, who declared war on the United States in 1801. After two failed campaigns, Preble took command of the U.S. squadron in the Mediterranean and served notice to world the U.S. Navy would be a force with which to reckon. Among the ships in Preble’s flotilla was a non-descript little ketch. Once a French supply boat, the ketch served Tripoli until the U.S. squadron captured her in 1803. Upon her capture, Preble incorporated the little boat into his force, re-naming her the Intrepid. She was the first ship in the United States Navy to bear the name of Intrepid and would play a central role in some of the primary feats of “Preble’s Boys.” The exploits of the officers and sailors in this campaign are the stuff of legend. In culling myth from fact, Reid went back to original sources, using the words of the men in the campaign to tell their story. Whether it is Decatur leading the daring raid to burn the captured frigate Philadelphia or the escape attempts of American prisoners in Tripoli, Intrepid Sailors brings to life a story many Americans once widely knew but that today has become little more than footnote. Unlike other books on the topic, however, Intrepid Sailors delves into the development of officers and sailors under Preble. Most were half the age of their commander and few had major combat experience. Under Preble, these men forged a legacy of professionalism to which the Navy still adheres. The book also examines one of the most famous friendships in American and Navy history – that of Decatur and Somers. Their thirst for glory and utter devotion to making the U.S. Navy a permanent, respected force inspired all around them but that quest for immortality never caused a breach in their friendship. Instead, that friendship grew stronger, providing even more inspiration. Intrepid Sailors offers a rare insight into the lives of men who today loom larger-than-life and who continue to inspire each new class of naval officer. Stephen Decatur, Richard Somers, Charles Stewart, James Lawrence, Edward Preble and a pantheon of early U.S. Navy heroes all come to life.
Stories of the World's Most Adventurous SailorsEdited by Tom LochhaasAs vivid and engrossing as great sea fiction, Intrepid Voyagers captures the real-life adventures of fifteen legendary long-distance sailors--men and women who have sailed to the ends of the earth and returned to write about it. Tania Aebi, Naomi James, Robert Manry, Hugo Vihlen, Val Howells, Bernard Moitessier, and other greats chronicle the joys, fears, sacrifices, and triumphs of life at sea with an immediacy and grace that will resonate with sailors and landlubbers alike.
The first official history of the legendary aircraft carrier that fought in World War II and Vietnam and continues to serve as a major air and space museum in New York City The USS Intrepid is a warship unlike any other. Since her launching in 1943, the 27,000-ton, Essex-class aircraft carrier has sailed into harm’s way around the globe. During World War II, she fought her way across the Pacific—Kwajalein, Truk, Peleliu, Formosa, the Philippines, Okinawa—surviving kamikaze and torpedo attacks and covering herself with glory. The famous ship endured to become a Cold War attack carrier, recovery ship for America’s first astronauts, and a three-tour combatant in Vietnam. In a riveting narrative based on archival research and interviews with surviving crewmen, authors Bill White and Robert Gandt take us inside the war in the Pacific. We join Intrepid’s airmen at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in October 1944, as they gaze in awe at the apparitions beneath them: five Japanese battleships, including the dreadnoughts Yamato and Musashi, plus a fleet of heavily armored cruisers and destroyers. The sky fills with multihued bursts of anti-aircraft fire. The flak, a Helldiver pilot would write in his action report, “was so thick you could get out and walk on it.” Half a dozen Intrepid aircraft are blown from the sky, but they sink the Musashi. A few months later, off Okinawa, they again meet her sister ship, the mighty Yamato. In a two-hour tableau of hellfire and towering explosions, Intrepid’s warplanes help send the super-battleship and 3,000 Japanese crewmen to the bottom of the sea. We’re next to nineteen-year-old Alonzo Swann in Gun Tub 10 aboard Intrepid as he peers over the breech of a 20-mm anti-aircraft gun. He’s heard of kamikazes, but until today he’s never seen one. Swann and his fellow gunners are among the few African Americans assigned to combat duty in the U.S. Navy of 1944. Blazing away at the diving Japanese Zero, Swann realizes with a dreadful certainty where it will strike: directly into Gun Tub 10. The authors follow Intrepid’s journey to Vietnam. “MiG-21 high!” crackles the voice of Lt. Tony Nargi in his F-8 Crusader. It is 1968, and Intrepid is again at war. Launching from Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, Nargi and his wingman have intercepted a flight of Russian-built supersonic fighters. Minutes later, after a swirling dogfight over North Vietnam, Nargi—and Intrepid—have added another downed enemy airplane to their credit. Intrepid: The Epic Story of America’s Most Legendary Warship brings a renowned ship to life in a stirring tribute complete with the personal recollections of those who served aboard her, dramatic photographs, time lines, maps, and vivid descriptions of Intrepid’s deadly conflicts. More than a numbers-and-dates narrative, Intrepid is the story of people—those who sailed in her, fought to keep her alive, perished in her defense—and powerfully captures the human element in this saga of American heroism.
In 1804, the crew of the frigate Philadelphia were being held hostage by the Bey of Tripoli. While diplomatic efforts to free them remained deadlocked, William Eaton came up with an outrageous and impossible plan to free them Eight Marines under the command of Lieutenant Presley O'Bannin made that plan work. They marched across hundreds of miles of hostile desert, attacked a fortress garrisoned by many times their number and took it. Their achievements were so remarkable that they thoroughly unnerved the Bey and forced him to release the Philadelphia prisoners. And so was the reputation of the U.S. Marine Corps established
Set amid the backdrop of political infighting, interservice jealousy, and diplomatic intrigue, To the Walls of Derne is the story of William Eaton’s effort to topple Bashaw Yusuf Karamanli, the ruler of Tripoli, and replace him with his brother, Hamet, who was sympathetic to America. Coming in the fourth year of the war with Tripoli, Eaton’s coup attempt marked the first time the United States attempted “regime change” in another country. Although it had the backing of President Thomas Jefferson, problems – political, military and logistical – beset Eaton’s campaign. At the same time, the US Navy continued its campaign against Tripoli, ranging from blockade to planning for an all-out assault on the city. Neither Commodore Samuel Barron nor John Rodgers, the commanders of the American squadron, support Eaton’s mission and also did not want the former Army captain to grab the glory of the ending the war. Meanwhile, Jefferson sent diplomat Tobias Lear to North Africa with specific orders to negotiate an end to the war. Despite the roadblocks, Eaton’s indomitable will carried him through. He landed in Egypt, searched for and found Hamet Karamanli, assembled an army that included First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon and seven U.S. Marines. Eaton led his army across the Egyptian and Libyan deserts to attack Bengahzi and had to contend with mutinies, cantankerous allies, hunger, thirst, and lukewarm support from Navy. Almost to spite his detractors, Eaton accomplished his mission, with O’Bannon and his Marines leading the charge that took Benghazi and becoming the first U.S. troops to raise the Stars and Stripes over a foreign city. Just as he seemed on the verge of victory and ousting Yusuf, however, Lear negotiated an end to the war, forcing Eaton to abandon Hamet, his army, and his dreams of glory. To the Walls of Derne looks not only at the military aspect of the campaigns but at the character of those involved. It uses Libyan sources to provide insight into the persona of Yusuf Karmaanli, who was far from the mindless brute many as Western historians portray him. Karamanli was a fascinating character and arguably among the first Arab nationalists. This book also breathes new life into Hamet Karamanli, who, despite his shortcomings, was a brave combat leader and devoted family. It also examines the role of the US Marine Corps in the campaign in detail – a role that literally saved the Corps from extinction. It delves into the tangled web of political, military and diplomatic efforts and competing interests that plagued the final year of the Tripoli War and gives new insight into the larger-than-life character that was William Eaton.