CLASSIFIED ADS wreak havoc amo ng rhe Union navy's fleer in suaregically viral Chesapeake Bay. John Ericsson, a Swedish engineer, was approached to design and oversee rhe consrruction of a warship such as the world had never seen. H e succeeded and, despite all predictions to the contrary, his weird creation floated on her lines. She was named Monitor. Totally unready for battl e and with a green captain and inexperienced crew, she was rowed from New Yo rk to Hampton Roads, almost sinkin g in a win ter storm off the New Jersey coast. Arrivi ng in H ampton Roads, she fo und that CSS Virginia was living up to her predicted rep utation, having rammed and sunk USS Cumberland and set afire USS Columbus. The next day Monitor and Merrimac hounded each other almost from dawn to dusk, neither o ne able to seriously damage the other but each claiming victory. It was, indeed, a victory for the North, for exMerrimac had been shorn of her terrible threat and could no longer take with impuni ry the vessels of the Union Navy. Mr. deKay has don e a masterful job in recreating the life and death of both USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, their backgro unds, th eir battle and the enormous significance of their confli ct. Monitor's design and constructi on heralded a new approach to warsh ip design , and our migh ry bartleships such as Iowa and Missouri are rhe direcr descendants of rhis "cheesebox on a raft." THOMAS H ALE
The Real Hornblower: The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon, GCB by Bryan Perren (Naval lnstirure Press, Annapo lis MD, l 68pp, illus, ISBN 155750-580-2; $29.95 hc) The aurhor of this relatively short but detail ed synopsis of the career of Sir James Gordon, RN, has created, at least in his mind , proof positive that C. S. Forester used Gordo n as his model for the still popular Hornblower series . T hat he did his homework is not at issue; his research is exhaustive, and he has provided the reader with not only an extraordinary bit ofl iterary and histo rical detecrive work, but also with a fair ly complete biography of a m ost interesring Royal Navy officer during rhe golden age of sail. Thar he was, in fact, rhe model rhar Foresrer used may or may nor be rhe case; mosr readers would certainly
SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998
agree that it is likely thar Foresrer used segmems of Gordon 's experiences for h is ch aracter. Perren m akes his case srrongly, but wirhout belaborin g it. Ir is up to rhe reader to make his/ her own decision. W hile rhe book provides an excellem look inside Royal Navy life durin g rhe !are 17 00s and 1800s, ir is wrinen with an unabashed parochialism rhar rends toward national chauvinism. There can be no do ubt in a ny reader's mind rhar Mr. Perren is most ass uredly Brirish, and proud of it; to his mind, that the "colonies" had any naval successes at all in the War of 1812 (the "American W ar" to him) was due o nly to the Americans' more heavily armed ships, and the fact thar there were a large n umber of British sailors aboard each. H e gives C. S. Forester cred it for nor purrin g Hornblower in to the America n thea rer during rhe War of 1812 eve n though his model was rhere, so as not to annoy his American readers. Perh aps a stand more moderate would have stood Mr. Perren as wel l. Aside from rhe fo rego ing narionalism, The Real Hornblower is well-w rinen, and even if one does nor subscribe who leheartedly to the premise, it has certainly a wellearned pl ace in any emhusiast's library; a quite complete listing of Royal Navy vessels and rheir hi stories is an added bon us. Fo r rhe lover of biograp hies, rhe work provides an enterta in ing and well -srructured look into the life of a lirtle-known but most interestin g character who enjoyed a norable m easure of success in a difficult environment fraughr with rhe potential for fai lure. W.H.WHITE
Bluejacket Odyssey: Guadalcanal to Bikini-Naval Armed Guard in the Pacific, by Wi lli am L. McGee (The G lencannon Press, Palo Alto CA, 1997, 518pp, illus, appen, index, ISBN 1-889901-05-9; $35hc) The sub rit!e of rhis book prerry well sums it up. McGee starts with his early life in Montana during rhe D epress ion, drifting from job to job, until his pivoral enlistm ent in rhe US Navy in !are 1942 at age seven ree n. Imerested as many of us we re in those years in getting into action, he chooses the Naval Arm,ed Guard as a quick way to acco mplish rhar. After Gunnery School, he joins a series of Navy gun crews on merchant vessels, Liberties and Victories, sailin g the Pacific with their essential cargoes
10 books, new: mixed [ides, paper/hard cover, [ax, shipping $ 15 ($ 100 + value) prepay visa, mastercard, check: LRA Inc. 474 Dunderberg Rd., Monroe, NY 10950, 914-783- 1144. Ship P aintings Restored. M useum quali ty resto ration of old paintings. Damaged old ship paintings purchased. Pe[er Williams, 30 Ipswich St., Boston MA 022 15. By appointment: 6 17536-4092 Maritime Books. Used and rare. Al l mari[ime subj ec[s. Free catalogs upon request. American Booksellers, 102 West 11th St., Aberdeen, WA 98520. 360-532-2099. Marinas/Boatyards on C hesapeake Bay, buy or sell. Call Wilford Land Company, PO Box 953, Easto n, MD 21601. Tel: 4 10-822-4586, Fax: 4 10-226-5205 Collection: Korea n diving helmet. Shi p: wheels, paintings, models . Pres ident FDR model. Dollond Telescope. Books. Memorabilia. SASE, Box 231 , West Covina, CA 91 793. Fax: 909595 -6655 . E-mai l: j impin xit@aol.com. Chart your courseth ro ugh New England's mari[ime heritage. Send fo r your free copy. C ubberley & Shaw Maritime Museum News, Box 607NM, Groton MA 01450-0607 Freighters, Ferries, N avy, Paddlewheelers: Books,China,Postcards,etc. Lis[ $2. ShipShape, 104 1 Tuscany Place, Winter Park, FL 32789 . shipshape@shipshape.com or www.shipshape.com Fine Oils & Prints 18th and 19th centu ry style by award winning mar ine artist Paul R. H ee. Smdio: P.O.Box 53 1274, Miami, FL 33 153 . Tel: 305-895-3672 . Quit Smoking in 7 days! Aromatherapy works! Help others qu it also. For free info wri[e: S. Taylor, Box 1774, Betl1el, AK 99559. C ustom Ship Models. All types. Co ntact S.J. Wl1ite, 132 Sronegate, Quakertown, PA 18951
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THE GLENCANNON PRESS MARITIME BOOKS NEW! Vol 4 of the Mr. Glencannon stories, Vols 1-3 also avail., FDR's yacht Potomac, SS Lane Victory, Jeremiah O'Brien, Battleship USS California , more. FREE CATALOG Box 633, Benicia, CA 94510 Tel: 800-711-8985
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