A regular confusion -- Land warfare afloat: before 1650 -- The Anglo-Dutch wars -- At the dawn of the enlightenment -- The conundrum of the line ahead -- The advent of numerary signaling systems -- The zenith of the age of fighting sail -- The age of steam through the great war -- From 1918 through the second world war -- The cold war and beyond -- The crucial paradox of knowledge
Summary
In this grand history of naval warfare, Palmer observes five centuries of dramatic encounters under sail and steam. From reliance on signal flags in the seventeenth century to satellite communications in the twenty-first, admirals looked to the next advance in technology as the one that would allow them to control their forces. But while abilities to communicate improved, Palmer shows how other technologies simultaneously shrank admirals' windows of decision. The result was simple, if not obvious: naval commanders have never had sufficient means or time to direct subordinates in battle
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-360) and index
