The Six Frigates: the Epic History of the Founding of the U.S

Naval War College Review Volume 61 Article 11 Number 1 Winter 2008 The iS x Frigates: The picE History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy Jack A. Gottschalk Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Gottschalk, Jack A. (2008) "The iS x Frigates: The pE ic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy," Naval War College Review: Vol. 61 : No. 1 , Article 11. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol61/iss1/11 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Gottschalk: The Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Na BOOK REVIEWS 129 approach to complex problems. This either the U.S. Navy or early American chapter concludes with a call to develop history will find it hard to put down. military and political strategy that demon- Toll begins his story with a review of strates the importance of nation building the Continental navy and its limited in the aftermath of war—a valuable lesson value during the American Revolution, to current leaders attempting to cope with then moves seamlessly into the post- the ongoing global war against terrorism. revolutionary period. America’s colonial On the debit side, Husted’s approach is experience and the needs of the newly frequently choppy and lacks adequate formed nation had a direct effect on the transitions. Though he provides a list of founding of a navy. Pro-navy views were Marshall’s salient leadership principles largely tied to the merchant interests of throughout the text, a concluding para- the north, championed by leaders such graph summarizing each section’s salient as John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. points would have greatly enhanced the The foes of a naval force were essentially overall text. So too would an introduc- southern based and included James tory chapter outlining the broad con- Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who fa- text of the areas on which the author vored domestic development, westward concentrates. expansion, and agrarian interests. These observations aside, Husted has In March 1794, these political and eco- produced a valuable leadership primer nomic interests were rooted deeply in that will be well received by military of- the American experience, and were the ficers, regardless of rank or position. As seeds of an acrimonious debate in Con- do the military’s senior service colleges, gress that preceded House and Senate Rubrics of Leadership urges understand- authorization for the construction of ing of the importance of positive rela- six frigates to keep the sea-lanes safe for tionships with civilians at all levels of America’s large merchant fleet. They government and business. It is here that were originally designated merely as Husted makes his greatest contribution. frigates A through F. The first five names—United States, President, Con- COLE C. KINGSEED Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired) gress, Constitution, and Constellation— New Windsor, New York were chosen by George Washington from a list of alternatives suggested by the War Office; subsequently, the Ches- apeake was named. The debate over the question of who Toll, Ian. The Six Frigates: The Epic History of the would design the ships began in the Founding of the U.S. Navy. New York: W. W. wake of the authorization to build them. Norton, 2006. 592pp. $27.95 The nation’s most respected ship design- Many books have been written about ers, Joshua Humphreys and Josiah Fox, the history of the American navy, but clashed over the most desirable warship this one is of particular excellence. design, with Humphreys being the vic- While truly a scholarly work, this book tor. In the end, the six frigates emerged contains many attributes of a historical as the most powerful of their type in the novel. Any reader with an interest in world, equipped to serve as the nation’s first blue-water force. Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2008 1 Naval War College Review, Vol. 61 [2008], No. 1, Art. 11 130 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW The first trial by combat of the new Washington’s decision making. O’Rourke navy was against the French in the un- is a naval issues analyst for the Congres- declared “Quasi-War” of 1797–1800, sional Research Service (CRS) of the Li- which was fought to protect American brary of Congress. Specialists will want merchant shipping. The next naval ac- to consult his related product, China tion occurred in the Mediterranean Naval Modernization: Implications for during 1803–1805, when war was U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background waged against the pirates of Tripoli. and Issues for Congress. First published However, the true test for the Navy, of in November 2006, the latter report has course, occurred during the War of been updated regularly. Each report 1812, when the value of the ships and contains details that the other does not. their crews was proved beyond doubt. Like its CRS counterpart, O’Rourke’s The author’s descriptions of the ships, present study draws on a variety of U.S. their handling, and the combat actions government analyses; congressional tes- is excellent, and his portrayal of the timony; and articles from the media, people is equally impressive. The posi- think tanks, and academia. Additional tive and negative characteristics of the details are provided in an appendix. civilian leaders—including John Adams, Charged with presenting different Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison— points of view, with an emphasis on of- as well as of the naval officers who be- ficial analyses, O’Rourke cannot be held came well known in American history responsible for disagreements concern- (Stephen Decatur, William Bainbridge, ing the underlying assumptions or con- Thomas Truxtun, Edward Preble, and clusions of his sources. It should also be James Lawrence) are all examined. emphasized that Beijing’s continuing This is Ian Toll’s first book. It is a prod- reluctance to offer detailed information uct of his sailing experience, interest in on the purpose or scope of many as- the period, writing skill, and thorough pects of its rapid military development research. The result is an excellent work both raises concerns in Washington and that should become a permanent part makes it difficult for policy makers of the library of anyone with an interest there to rule out worst-case scenarios. in American naval history. O’Rourke has explicitly chosen to focus JACK A. GOTTSCHALK his report by limiting the attention paid Livingston, New Jersey to such issues of potential relevance to the U.S. Navy as China’s aerospace development. In light of recent significant Chinese achievements in this realm (including the acknowledged testing of an O’Rourke, Ronald. The Impact of Chinese Naval antisatellite weapon on 11 January Modernization and the Future of the United 2007), however, such factors should States Navy. New York: Nova, 2006. 106pp. $79 perhaps be integrated into follow-on Well written, succinct, and timely, this studies by O’Rourke and his colleagues. balanced assessment of Chinese naval After all, China’s ability to project naval weaknesses and strengths offers specific power farther from its shores will hinge technological development and pro- on developing effective air defense for curement alternatives to inform surface assets. Certain military https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol61/iss1/11 2.

Load more