The Naval Institute Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy
Symonds, professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy, and cartographer William Clipson have produced a most satisfying historical atlas. The work is divided into 10 sections, covering from the American Revolution to the Gulf War, which is included in the final section of the work, "The Pax Americana, 1980^-1994." Good, brief coverage of important naval battles accounts for most of the discussion, but the author also suggests political concerns serving to impede or expedite development of the U.S. naval force from its beginnings in October 1775.A work about the navy published by the Naval Institute Press might suggest less than candid coverage. The author's discussions are made more interesting by his pointing out mistakes in judgment before, during, and after important naval engagements. He notes that the navy is often called upon to come to the aid of ground forces. However, the discussion of naval operations during the Civil War, World War II, and Desert Storm illustrates the importance of cooperative planning. Entries are based on sound scholarship, reflecting the author's disinterestedness, and he is able to make complex operations understandable and interesting to laypersons. Good examples of this are the discussions of submarines developed during the Cold War and the excellent naval history of the Vietnam War. Large-format maps are in full color, each facing a page of text. Major entries, such as "Midway," have two pages of text and two of maps. Maps illustrate movements of opposing forces, showing such details as placement and names of individual vessels. Symonds calls attention to illustrated details in the body of his text.Presently, this is the only historical atlas of U.S. naval warfare. David Howarth'sFamous Sea Battles(Little Brown, 1981) covers some of the more important U.S. engagements, but maps are not as helpful. The same can be said for Michael Sanderson'sSea Battles: A Reference Guide(Wesleyan Univ., 1975). Howarth and Sanderson attempt to cover world naval history and thus devote little space to the U.S. This new historical atlas has black-and-white photographs of ships, old and new, and old salts, military and civilian. The index is complete, and a well-constructed table of contents enables users to understand organization and to quickly locate needed entries. It is highly recommended for purchase by public, academic, and special military libraries.