The Navy as a Fighting Machine

Fiske, Bradley A. (Bradley Allen), 1854-1942Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 604K words
Chapters: 61

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Navy as a Fighting Machine by Bradley A. FiskeAuthor: Fiske, Bradley A. (Bradley Allen), 1854-1942,Language: English, Class: V: Naval science, Release Date: Jan 18, 2006

Editor's review

This book was written by the American naval officer Bradley A. Fiske and belongs to naval science literature; the English text is distributed free by Project Gutenberg. Its core value lies in discussing, from a serviceman's perspective, the organization, technology, and operational logic of the navy as a “fighting machine,” bearing a clear mark of its era: it reflects both the thinking of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, a period of naval technological change, and the author's systematic views on fleet construction, command, and readiness. It should be read as material for the history of military thought rather than a contemporary naval operations manual—many of its technical conditions and strategic circumstances have changed enormously. For researchers in military history, naval history, and strategy, it provides a primary text for understanding naval concepts of the time; for general readers, it offers a way to observe the long-term issue of how technology changes a service's self-perception. Read with questions in mind: how does the author define the navy's combat function, and which judgments were limited by the technical conditions of the time?

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying naval history and the history of military thought
Military enthusiasts interested in technological change and service construction
Students needing English public-domain military literature for course reading
Those interested in strategic concepts from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for contemporary naval operational doctrine or technical manuals
General readers hoping for light military stories and memoirs
Those who find English reading difficult and lack background preparation

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introductory chapters first to map the author's core argument.
While reading, mark judgments limited by the technology of the time, distinguishing historical views from general principles.
Read alongside a timeline of naval technological history to understand the equipment context discussed.
After finishing, summarize the author's main views on naval organization and readiness on a single page.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Which period's navy does this book discuss?

The author, Fiske, lived from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century; the book's thinking reflects the context of naval technological change and service construction of that period, not the contemporary navy.

Does the book contain specific tactical operating content?

It is more a discussion of the organization, functions, and construction principles of the navy as a fighting machine than a modern operational doctrine. Readers should not treat it as a practical combat manual.

How difficult is the English?

The main text is in English in a fairly formal expository style, with long sentence structures. Readers with university-level English reading ability and basic familiarity with military terminology will find it easier to enter.

Why is it worth reading now?

It provides a historical sample for observing how technological change affects a service's self-definition and has reference value for understanding the evolution of military thought, but it should be read critically alongside contemporary materials.

Comments

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About the author

Fiske, Bradley A. (Bradley Allen), 1854-1942 Author · American · 1854–1942

Bradley A. Fiske (1854–1942) was a rear admiral and inventor in the United States Navy. Over a long naval career he took part in and promoted the electrification of the U.S. Navy, leaving his mark on the modernization of shipboard technology. He also concerned himself with naval strategy and combat, and wrote works including The Navy as a Fighting Machine, in which he discussed how a navy should be organized and employed as a fighting machine, along with strategic and memoir writings. Because public information is limited, the details of his life should not be elaborated; his surviving works nonetheless show a technical officer's practical perspective combined with reflection on the navy's overall fighting capacity, offering a useful window on the transformation of the U.S. Navy in his time.