Preface...............................................................................................................................vii

Introduction.......................................................................................................................xi

Chapter 1: In the Beginning...............................................................................................1

Chapter II: Warships from the Barbary Pirates to the Battle of New Orleans...............21

Chapter III: Warships from the Era of Good Feeling to Fort Sumter..............................51

Chapter IV: Warships from the Blockade of the South to Appomattax..........................77

Chapter V: Warships from Reconstruction to the ABCD Ships.....................................107

Chapter VI: Warships from the Steel Navy to the Great White Fleet............................123

Chapter VII: Warships from Dreadnoughts to the Treaty of Versailles........................161

Chapter VIII: Warships from the Washington Naval Conference to the Great

   Depression...................................................................................................................185

Chapter IX: Warships from the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 to the

   Navy Expansion and Deficiency Acts of 1938.............................................................235

Chapter X: Warships from the Two Ocean Navy Act of 1940 to VJ Day.......................279

Epilogue: Lessons of History Not to be Forgotten by Naval Professionals...................299

Bibliography...................................................................................................................311

Index...............................................................................................................................336