US Navy Gunboats 1885-1947 by Brian Lane Herder


ISBN
9781472844705
Published
Binding
Paperback
Pages
48
Dimensions
184 x 248mm

The history of the US Navy's gunboats, their roles in building a worldwide American naval presence and in combat, from the Yangtze era through to World War II.

For more than half a century, American gunboats were the ships often responsible for policing small crises and provided deterrence and fast-response capabilities around the world showing the flag, landing armed parties, patrolling river and littoral areas, and protecting ex-pats. They were often the United States' most-visible and constant military presence in far-flung foreign lands, and were most closely associated with the Far East, particularly the Philippines and China. Most famous, of course, was the multinational Yangtze Patrol.
Many US gunboats were built, purchased, or reassembled overseas, where they usually served out their entire careers, never coming within 7,000 miles of the national homeland which they served. Numerous gunboats were captured from the Spanish during the 1898 war, many being raised from shallow graves, refurbished, and commissioned into USN service.
The classic haunt of US gunboats was the Asiatic Station of China and the Philippines. Gunboat service overseas was typically exotic and the sailors' lives were often exciting and unpredictable. The major operational theaters associated with the US gunboats were the pre-1898 cruises and patrols of the earliest steel gunboats, the Spanish-American War of 1898 (both the Philippines and the Caribbean), the guerilla wars of the early 20th century Philippines and Latin America, the Asiatic Fleet and Yangtze Patrol of the 1890s-1930s, and finally World War II, which largely entailed operations in China, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Alaska, and on convoy routes. It was Japan's sudden 1941-1942 "Centrifugal Offensive" that effectively spelled the beginning of the end not just of most American gunboats, but also the century-old world order in Asia that had provided US gunboats their primary mission.
EOFY 2025 Book Frenzy
19.54
RRP: $22.99
15% off RRP


This product is unable to be ordered online. Please check in-store availability.
Instore Price: $22.99
Enter your Postcode or Suburb to view availability and delivery times.

Other Titles by Brian Lane Herder


You might also like

The Nazis
Unknown
24.99
12.99
48% Off
The Fall Of Berlin
Anthony Tucker-Jones
34.99
14.99
57% Off
Mein Kampf
59.99
50.99
15% Off
History Of World War II
49.99
25.00
50% Off
Always Remember Your Name
24.99
9.99
60% Off
Great Battles of WWII
24.99
9.99
60% Off
The Choice
29.99
16.00
47% Off
SAS Rogue Heroes
Ben Macintyre
24.99
21.24
15% Off
DDay Landings
24.99
9.99
60% Off
The Story of the SS
24.99
9.99
60% Off
Big Week
35.00
16.00
54% Off
DDay Photo History
69.99
25.00
64% Off
The Second World War
26.99
22.94
15% Off

RRP refers to the Recommended Retail Price as set out by the original publisher at time of release.
The RRP set by overseas publishers may vary to those set by local publishers due to exchange rates and shipping costs.
Due to our competitive pricing, we may have not sold all products at their original RRP.