From the Spanish Armada to the modern age of aircraft carriers, history is littered with horribly bad military ideas on the open seas. Whether a result of lack of planning, miscalculations, a leader's ego, spy infiltration, or just a really stupid idea in the first place, each military defeat is fascinating to dissect.

America's greatest naval victory? Battle of the Chesapeake, September 1781 / William Terdoslavich -- The shoals of Tripoli: The Philadelphia and the First Barbary War, 1803 / Paul A. Thomsen -- Nelson's masterpieces: The Nile and Trafalgar, 1798 and 1805 / Roland J. Green -- Remember the Maine! Naval Battle of Santiago, July 3, 1898 / William Terdoslavich -- Tsushima: Japan vs. Russia, 1905 / Dennis Showalter -- Catch me if you can: flight of the Goeben, July-August 1914 / William Terdoslavich -- A beach too far: Gallipoli, October 1914 -- January 1916 / -- Decision by indecision: the Battle of Jutland, 1916 / Roland J. Green -- The oddly anachronistic voyage of Admiral Graf Spee, November 1939 / Douglas Niles -- This is no drill! Air raid Taranto, November 11, 1940 / William Terdoslavich -- British drama, Italian comedy: Battle of Cape Matapan, March 1941 / William Terdoslavich -- When a short war turns long: the life and death of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Air Service, 1941-1945 / Roland J. Green. Sink the Bismarck!, North Atlantic, March 1941 / Douglas Niles -- The valiant and violent story of the ABDA fleet / Pacific, February 1942 / Douglas Niles -- "Scratch one flattop": Coral Sea Pacific, May 1942 / Douglas Niles -- Massacre under the midnight sun: the tragedy of Convoy PQ17, July 1942 / Douglas Niles -- Disaster in the dark: the Battle of Savo Island, August 1942 / Douglas Niles -- The guns of November: battleships duel off Guadalcanal, November 1942 / Douglas Niles -- The enigma that wasn't: the battle of the Atlantic, 1943 / Paul A. Thomsen -- Their own worst enemy: the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, March 26, 1943 / Paul A. Thomsen -- "You sank my battleship!": Battle of North Cape, Devember 26, 1943 / William Terdoslavich -- Drawing a line in the ocean: Marshall Islands, January 1944 / William Terdoslavich -- Overlord at sea: Operation Neptune, June 1944 / Douglas Niles -- Hellcats over the Philippine sea: the Marianas turkey shoot, June 1944 / Douglas Niles -- After the turkey shoot: invasion of the Marianas, June-August 1944 / William Terdoslavich -- Halsey leaves the back door open: the Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944 / Douglas Niles -- The forgotten battle: Peleliu, September-November 1944 / William Terdoslavich -- Sink the Tirpitz! Norway, 1942-1944 / William Terdoslavich -- Irresistible force, immovable obstacle: Iwo Jima, February 1945 / Roland J. Green -- Divine and deadly wind: kamikazes at Okinawa, April 1945 / Douglas Niles -- The worst place to land: Inchon, September 15, 1950 / William Terdoslavich -- Cold War burning: Kennedy quarantines Cuba, October 1962 / Douglas Niles -- When bad guy fights bad guy: Operation Morvarid, November 29, 1980 / William Terdoslavich.