In "The Price of Admiralty," Keegan illuminates the history of naval conflict as it has evolved from Nelson's day until our own, offering a brilliant dissection of four landmark sea battles, each featuring a different form of warship: the Battle of Trafalgar, a conflict of wooden ships of the line; the Battle of Jutland in World War I with its ironclad steamships, the ponderous dreadnoughts; the Battle of Midway in World War II, the last great surface-ship battle, in which aircraft carriers proved the key players; and the long, arduous Battle of the Atlantic, which saw the submarine emerge as the last major-and ultimately most significant-technological transformation in naval operations. The author recounts how each new advance in warship technology irrevocably altered the face of naval conflict-the tactics and strategy necessary for offensive and defensive maneuvers, the role of commanders, and most important, the daily and operational routines of the men aboard. The author closes with a sobering vision of the naval arsenals of the two superpowers today, and suggests how our nuclear navies-now custodians of truly earthshaking power-may continue to evolve.

Includes index. Includes maps of: Trafalgar [North Atlantic]; Trafalgar, Morning, 21 October 1805; Nelson and Collingwood Breaking the Line; Jutland; Jutland about 6:30 P.M., 31 May 1916; Battle of Midway; Allied Shipping Losses, 1 August 1942-31 May 1943; North Atlantic Convoys and the Positions of Convoys SC112 and HX229, 17-20 March 1943. Congressman Ike Skelton's National Security book list Reprint. Originally published: London : Hutchinson, c1988. Some copies on course reserve A858

Introduction: Battle at sea -- 1. Trafalgar: The wooden world ; The strategic background ; Nelson versus Napoleon ; Nelson versus Villeneuve ; Naval warfare in the Age of Sail ; Battle off Cape Trafalgar ; What had happened? ; The aftermath -- 2. Jutland: The fall of the wooden walls ; High Seas Fleet versus Royal Navy ; The War of Sea before Jutland ; The ironclad world ; The battle of Jutland ; The experience of action: Battlecruisers versus battlecruisers. Battleships versus battleships. The smaller ships ; The aftermath -- 3. Midway: The coming of the aircraft carrier ; The two navies ; The Pacific War before Midway ; The Midway Campaign ; The Battle of Midway: The battle over Midway Island. The great carrier battle. The retreat from Midway ; Counting the cost -- 4. The Battle of the Atlantic : Convoys SC122 and HX229: The emergence of the submarine ; Doènitz and the U-boat Service ; The Battle of the Atlantic ; The underwater war: Convoy. U-boats. Escorts. Anti-submarine weapons. Aircraft. Radio intelligence. Decryption ; The Battle for Convoys HX229 and SC122: HX229 and SC221. The wolf-packs. The encounter. The massacre of HX229. The ordeal of SC122. The coming of the aircraft ; The balance of the battle -- Conclusion: An empty ocean.