Sacred Vessels is an irreverent account of the modern battleship and its place in American naval history from the sinking of the coal-fired Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898 to the deployment of the cruise missile-armed Missouri in the Persian Gulf in 1991. With provocative insight and wit, Robert O'Connell conclusively demonstrates that the vaunted battleship was in fact never an effective weapon of war, even before developments in aircraft and submarine technology sealed its doom. The worlds navies failed to recognize the ...
Read More
Sacred Vessels is an irreverent account of the modern battleship and its place in American naval history from the sinking of the coal-fired Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898 to the deployment of the cruise missile-armed Missouri in the Persian Gulf in 1991. With provocative insight and wit, Robert O'Connell conclusively demonstrates that the vaunted battleship was in fact never an effective weapon of war, even before developments in aircraft and submarine technology sealed its doom. The worlds navies failed to recognize the full implications of rapid technological change at the turn of the century but were enthralled by the revolutionary design of the HMS Dreadnought, launched in 1903. Nations raced to build and deploy the biggest, the fastest, and the greatest possible number of battleships, usually at the expense of much more effective forms of naval force. Dreadnoughts became the international currency of great power status, subject to the same anxious accountancy as nuclear weapons today. Their awesome beauty captured the public s imagination and won the unquestioning devotion of naval officers everywhere. When war came in 1914, the world held its breath in anticipation of a modern-day Trafalgar, but dreadnoughts everywhere avoided battle, and when they were forced to fight, the results were inconclusive or irrelevant. In spite of this display of impotence, the world's shipyards continued to turn out the great vessels. The sinking of the heart of the U.S. battlefleet at Pearl Harbor-an event that finally forced the United States into World War II-ironically also began to shake the U.S. Navy free from its infatuation with the dreadnought in favor of the more practical charms of the aircraft carrier. Still, sheer faith in the battleship ensured that it would live to fight again, this time with even more questionable results. In fact, says O'Connell, battleships have never played an important role in the outcome of any modern war, but they have continued to be resurrected and refurbished-even garnished with nuclear weapons-right up to the present day. Television images of the Missouri and the Wisconsin firing on the shores of Iraq in 1991 were not just a glimpse of an anachronism: We were witnessing, with a lingering sense of awe, the last gasp of a fire-breathing behemoth that in actuality was all but toothless from the moment of its conception. Sacred Vessels is more than the unmasking of a false idol of naval history. It is a cautionary tale about the often unacknowledged influence of human faith, culture, and tradition on the exceedingly important, costly, and supposedly rational process of nations arming themselves for war.
Read Less
Add this copy of Sacred Vessels: the Cult of the Battleship and the Rise to cart. $15.00, very good condition, Sold by Weller Book Works, A.B.A.A. rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Salt Lake City, UT, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Westview Press.
Add this copy of Sacred Vessels: the Cult of the Battleship and the Rise to cart. $16.00, very good condition, Sold by This Old Book rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brookfield, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Westview Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good Dust Jacket. This book with dust jacket is clean, solid and in great shape! This is a hardcover book with 392 pages including many photos. The binding is strong with all pages firmly attached. The pages are clean with no soiling, writing, or tears. The copyright page shows 1991 as the published date. The dust jacket shows some light edgewear (No Chips). This book looks and feels great! We always ship in a sturdy cardboard box!
Add this copy of Sacred Vessels: the Cult of the Battleship and the Rise to cart. $18.00, very good condition, Sold by Dorley House Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hagerstown, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Westview Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
B/W Photos. Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. 8vo. First Edition, First Printing: dj w/clikpped price, in mylar; 409 clean, unmarked pages/index...irrevernt account of the modern battleship and its place in American naval history, from the 1898 sinking of the coal-fired Maine to the deployment of the cruise missle-armed Missouri in the Persian Guilf in 1991.
Add this copy of Sacred Vessels: the Cult of the Battleship and the Rise to cart. $145.96, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Routledge.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
