Rear Admiral Herbert V. Wiley, U.S. Navy

A Career in Airships and Battleships

  • Subject: Biography & Memoirs | Clear the Decks 70% OFF
  • Format:
    Hardcover
  • Pages:
    352
    pages
  • Illustrations:
    This book is simultaneously a biography of Rear Admiral Herbert Victor Wiley and a history of the U.S. Navy's lighter-than-air (LTA) program.
  • Published:
    September 15, 2019
  • ISBN-10:
    1682473171
  • ISBN-13:
    9781682473177
  • Product Dimensions:
    9 × 6 × 1 in
  • Product Weight:
    24 oz
Hardcover $14.40
Book: Cover Type

Overview

This book is simultaneously a biography of Rear Admiral Herbert Victor Wiley and a history of the U.S. Navy's lighter-than-air (LTA) program. As tensions rose between Japan and the United States over control of East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the prospects of war between the two nations increased. The Navy tracked Germany’s use of zeppelins during World War I and saw an aircraft with the potential to conduct long-range reconnaissance over the oceans—something that could not be achieved by airplanes or surface ships. While rapid progress was being made in manned flight, it was still young enough that the future of LTA vs. HTA (heavier-than-air) flight was unknown. At the time airships had a much greater range than airplanes. In its history, the Navy had four great airships—the USS Shenandoah, the USS Los Angeles, the USS Akron, and the USS Macon. Wiley served on all four of these vessels and the history of each is covered through the career of Wiley. Three of the airships met with disaster and Wiley survived the crash of two of them. Through an examination of the records of the Navy's Courts of Inquiry, M. Ernest Marshall explores in detail the events leading to the crashes.


About the Author

Editorial Reviews

“This comprehensively researched and richly detailed biography is not only an invaluable reference to the history, personalities, doctrines, and most significant episodes of the American rigid airship program but is also an enjoyably readable insight into the professional and family life of an American naval officer in the interwar years.” Dan Grossman, Airship Historian, Airships.net, author, Zeppelin Hindenburg: An Illustrated History of LZ-129
“Rear Adm. Wiley is a largely unknown figure from the U.S. Navy from the first half of the 20th century, so this biography does a great service in telling the story of his advocacy of airships as a maritime patrol platform.” —Seapower
Rear Admiral Herbert V. Wiley is a good account of the life and career of an important officer, and also worthwhile reading for those interested in the rise of naval aviation or institutional change in the naval service.” —StrategyPage
Winner of the Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison Award

Series