Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy

Additional Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy Information

In 1794, President Washington signed legislation authorizing the construction of six heavy frigates. The unique combination of power, speed and tactical versatility -- smaller than a battleship and larger than a sloop -- that all navies sent on their most daring missions. It was the first great appropriation of federal money and the first demonstration of the power of the new central government, calling for the creation of entirely new domestic industries, and the extraction of natural resources from the backwoods of Maine to the uninhabited coastal islands of Georgia.

From the complicated politics of the initial decision, through the cliffhanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and a narrative flair worthy of Patrick O'Brian. In the words of Henry Adams, the 1812 encounter between USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere "raised the United States in one half hour to the rank of a first class power in the world."

What Customers Say About Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy:

Ever since reading Patrick O'Brian's depiction of the battle between the USS Constitution and the HMS Java in "The Fortune of War," I've wanted to learn more about the United States's own naval history from that period. Finally, Toll's "Six Frigates" has arrived, and it's exactly the sort of book I was looking for. Unlike O'Briens overblown prose with multiple compound/complex sentences, Toll is able to capture the essence of the time and war with primarily simple sentences, limited, to no use, of the subjunctive and a small number of pictures (the previously never-been-seen-before photo of the Earl of Bathurst leading the British attack in only his boxers was worth more than 1,000 words). Toll's work is marvellously full-flavored and towers over the works of OBrien and the work of his communist son-in-law stepson Nikolai Tolstoy like a three-decker over a ship's longboat.

However, if you are looking for the personal touch, gripping tales and tightly woven prose, look elsewhere. The author has taken what should have been a fascinating and elegant story and turned it into a disjointed catalog of events. For the history buff who wants to understand what role America played in the late age of fighting sail, this book is an excellent resource. It is certainly well researched, and the author brings in a lot of political points that provide the background to this fascinating piece of American history, but he misses some obvious points that should have been made, such as the factor the choice of wood made in the effectiveness of the ships, or where many of the American sailors got their training. Worth getting for anyone who wants to learn about this era, but a more tightly woven story would have helped immensely.

Six Frigates, was an intriging account of our young country deciding to buildworld prestige one ship at a time. There was no money in the treasury to spendon ships and only a few ship designers and two shipyards. Every seagoing nation,England, France, Spain and the Tripolitian Pirates had a better navy than ThomasJefferson's U.S.A. History was well written between the covers of Six Frigates.You don't have to be a black shoe sailor to thoroughly enjoy this book.

With recent global concerns bout the resurgence of piracy, a couple of chapters in here would shed some interesting light upon the subject. Very well written naval history, packed with lots of insights on concurrent American politics and culture. A history book that reads almost like a Clancy novel (except not so long). I expect to read it again.

Not only presents the birth of the U S Navy, but ties this into all the political and economic issues of the period. Extremely well researched and written. Just the right amount of detail. Briliant narrations of key battle scenes. Highly recommend to lovers of early American history.