A chronicle of America's intensive shipbuilding programme during World War II, this explores the development of revolutionary construction methods and the recruitment, training, housing and union activities of the workers.

It was a miracle worthy of the season. When Captain Leonard La Rue spied from his twelve-man merchant ship, the Meredith Victory, the throng of Korean refugees on the docks of a city in flames, he didn't hesitate to do what others would consider impossible. In December of 1950, La Rue and his skeleton crew rescued fourteen thousand Korean refugees from the hands of the rapidly-approaching Chinese army in the city of Hungnam. Through the night and next day, a seemingly endless succession of refugees boarded the Meredith, their will to live and strong spirit steeling them against the bitter cold and incredibly crowded conditions. Standing shoulder to shoulder for three days the refugees and crew stoically endured as La Rue steered the ship through sea battle, a thirty-mile web of sea mines, and enemy shelling. "Ship of Miracles" is the incredible story of what has been called "the greatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind." Against all odds, the little merchant vessel transported its precious cargo to the island of Koje-Do on Christmas Eve completely unharmed, all fourteen thousand refugees alive and well, including an additional five new lives begun on this incredible journey. As the fiftieth anniversary of this miraculous rescue approaches, "Ship of Miracles" is as touching today as it was then; a tale you'll hold close to your heart, and return to time and again. While the United States Navy prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the perilous evacuation at Hungnam and honor the Meredith Victory's miraculous feat, read this never-before-told account from the crew themselves, as they relate the incredible and unbelievable details of their three-day journey from fear to freedom.

An example of the ultimate sailing warship--the three-decker First Rate-Victory was the most popular and successful 100-gun ship of the period, and the flagship of Nelson at Trafalgar. First published in 1987 in the acclaimed Anatomy of the Ship series, 100 Gun Ship Victory is now available in paperback for the first time. The titles in this series are acknowledged for the detailed information they provide about historic ships and this volume presents detailed descriptions and illustrations of the HMS Victory, including a pictorial section with numerous close-up photographs and on-board views of ship equipment and spaces. Three hundred perspective and three-view drawings, with fully descriptive keys, illustrate every detail of the ship, including hull construction, masts and yards, armament, rigging, decoration and fittings. These accurate and comprehensive drawings offer ship buffs, historians, and model makers a full view of the ship and her position in the development of the First Rate.

Andrew Higgins built boats that could "crunch through driftwood, bounce over logs, climb a beach," and "wham up on a sloping concrete sea wall." In World War II, that was exactly what was needed to get soldiers and Jeeps from the ocean to land. This biography for young readers traces the invention of the legendary Higgins boat--and the adventurous childhood of the remarkable man behind it.

The history of Admiral Horatio Nelson has been written from every possible angle, but this was not so with his ships. Not until this work was first published in 1955. Before then, such information as there was about the ships was buried in archives on Naval Architecture; only the top expert could have sifted it and present it in a usable form. Dr. Longridge was that expert, and his work became a veritable treasure trove for every naval historian and ship modeller. His research is supported by 271 detailed line drawings, rare photographs and fold-out plans showing hull framing, interior construction, complexing and deck layouts.

A noted historian examines the impact of culture and politics on the wartime attitudes and experiences of Americans and their expectations concerning the postwar world.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Paul Kennedy, award-winning author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers and one of today’s most renowned historians, now provides a new and unique look at how World War II was won. Engineers of Victory is a fascinating nuts-and-bolts account of the strategic factors that led to Allied victory. Kennedy reveals how the leaders’ grand strategy was carried out by the ordinary soldiers, scientists, engineers, and businessmen responsible for realizing their commanders’ visions of success. In January 1943, FDR and Churchill convened in Casablanca and established the Allied objectives for the war: to defeat the Nazi blitzkrieg; to control the Atlantic sea lanes and the air over western and central Europe; to take the fight to the European mainland; and to end Japan’s imperialism. Astonishingly, a little over a year later, these ambitious goals had nearly all been accomplished. With riveting, tactical detail, Engineers of Victory reveals how. Kennedy recounts the inside stories of the invention of the cavity magnetron, a miniature radar “as small as a soup plate,” and the Hedgehog, a multi-headed grenade launcher that allowed the Allies to overcome the threat to their convoys crossing the Atlantic; the critical decision by engineers to install a super-charged Rolls-Royce engine in the P-51 Mustang, creating a fighter plane more powerful than the Luftwaffe’s; and the innovative use of pontoon bridges (made from rafts strung together) to help Russian troops cross rivers and elude the Nazi blitzkrieg. He takes readers behind the scenes, unveiling exactly how thousands of individual Allied planes and fighting ships were choreographed to collectively pull off the invasion of Normandy, and illuminating how crew chiefs perfected the high-flying and inaccessible B-29 Superfortress that would drop the atomic bombs on Japan. The story of World War II is often told as a grand narrative, as if it were fought by supermen or decided by fate. Here Kennedy uncovers the real heroes of the war, highlighting for the first time the creative strategies, tactics, and organizational decisions that made the lofty Allied objectives into a successful reality. In an even more significant way, Engineers of Victory has another claim to our attention, for it restores “the middle level of war” to its rightful place in history. Praise for Engineers of Victory “Superbly written and carefully documented . . . indispensable reading for anyone who seeks to understand how and why the Allies won.”—The Christian Science Monitor “An important contribution to our understanding of World War II . . . Like an engineer who pries open a pocket watch to reveal its inner mechanics, [Paul] Kennedy tells how little-known men and women at lower levels helped win the war.”—Michael Beschloss, The New York Times Book Review “Histories of World War II tend to concentrate on the leaders and generals at the top who make the big strategic decisions and on the lowly grunts at the bottom. . . . [Engineers of Victory] seeks to fill this gap in the historiography of World War II and does so triumphantly. . . . This book is a fine tribute.”—The Wall Street Journal “[Kennedy] colorfully and convincingly illustrates the ingenuity and persistence of a few men who made all the difference.”—The Washington Post “This superb book is Kennedy’s best.”—Foreign Affairs

“A first-rate visual guide to the most famous preserved warship on the planet. The imagery has the ‘wow’ factor . . . a brilliant showcase.”—Warships International Fleet Review HMS Victory is probably the best-known historic ship in the world. A symbol of the Royal Navy’s achievements during the great age of sail, she is based in Portsmouth and seen by tens of thousands of visitors each year. In this new series written by experts and containing more than 200 specially commissioned photographs, each title will take the reader on a superbly illustrated tour of the ship, from bow to stern and deck by deck. Significant parts of the vessel for example, the capstan, steering gear, armament, brody stove, cockpit, stern cabins are given detailed coverage both in words and pictures, so that the reader has at hand the most complete visual record and explanation of the ship that exists. In addition, the importance of the ship, both in her own time and now as a museum vessel, is explained, while her design and build, her fighting career and her life prior to restoration and exhibition are all described. No other books offer such superb visual impact and detailed information as the Seaforth Historic Ship Series—a truly groundbreaking concept bringing the ships of our past vividly to life. Nominated for the 2011 Mountbatten Awards “In a precise and careful treatment, they cover the evolution of naval architecture, maritime warfare, and British strategy that led to the construction of the 100-gun ship-of-the-line . . . A valuable book for students of the age of fighting sail.”—New York Military Affairs Symposium