About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherJohns Hopkins University Press

ISBN-100801868300

ISBN-139780801868306

eBay Product ID (ePID)2008626

Product Key Features

Number of Pages320 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameCivil War Ironclads : the U. S. Navy and Industrial Mobilization

SubjectPublic Policy / Military Policy, Military / Naval, United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), Military / United States, Ships & Shipbuilding / History, History, Marine & Naval, Industries / Transportation

Publication Year2002

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaTransportation, Political Science, Technology & Engineering, Business & Economics, History

AuthorWilliam H. Roberts

SeriesJohns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology Ser.

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.9 in

Item Weight19.2 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

LCCN2001-001860

Dewey Edition21

Reviews"Well researched... Any Civil War scholar or naval historian, regardless of specialty, will find something of interest in the volume."--James E. Sefton, History: Reviews of New Books, In this impressively researched and broadly conceived study, William Roberts offers the first comprehensive study of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of naval shipbuilding, the Union's ironclad program during the Civil War. Perhaps more importantly, Roberts also provides an invaluable framework for understanding and analyzing military-industrial relations, an insightful commentary on the military acquisition process, and a cautionary tale on the perils of the pursuit of perfection and personal recognition., This is an important book that should be in the library of all those interested in the Civil War at sea., "This is an important book that should be in the library of all those interested in the Civil War at sea."--Spencer C. Tucker, North and South, Roberts does an excellent job detailing the rise and fall of the [monitor-building] programs, including the major design elements and changes that contributed to the debacle. He skillfully weaves in the key operations that disclosed the monitors' shortcomings... Every major character involved is presented... Civil War Ironclads is an excellent addition to the literature of the period., Well-conceived and well-written... One of the strengths of the book is the author's comparison of ironclad-building efforts with modern military-industrial efforts such as the Polaris Fleet Ballistic missile program., Roberts's study, illuminating on many fronts, is a welcome addition to our understanding of the Union's industrial mobilization during the Civil War and its inadvertent effects on the postwar U.S. Navy., "Well-conceived and well-written... One of the strengths of the book is the author's comparison of ironclad-building efforts with modern military-industrial efforts such as the Polaris Fleet Ballistic missile program."--David Surdam, EH.Net, "Roberts does an excellent job detailing the rise and fall of the [monitor-building] programs, including the major design elements and changes that contributed to the debacle. He skillfully weaves in the key operations that disclosed the monitors' shortcomings... Every major character involved is presented... Civil War Ironclads is an excellent addition to the literature of the period."--Donald L. Canney, Nautical Research Journal, "[A] readable and well-researched account of Civil War ironclad production." -- Benjamin Franklin Cooling, Journal of American History, Well researched... Any Civil War scholar or naval historian, regardless of specialty, will find something of interest in the volume., "In this impressively researched and broadly conceived study, William Roberts offers the first comprehensive study of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of naval shipbuilding, the Union's ironclad program during the Civil War. Perhaps more importantly, Roberts also provides an invaluable framework for understanding and analyzing military-industrial relations, an insightful commentary on the military acquisition process, and a cautionary tale on the perils of the pursuit of perfection and personal recognition."--Robert Angevine, Journal of Military History, Civil War Ironclads could easily be a case study to accompany any text in the history of technology or management. Anyone concerned with managing complex technology, of which building warships is still among the most complex, will be able to apply lessons learned., "An important study of institutional response to a new technology that holds lessons for today." -- Choice, "Roberts's study, illuminating on many fronts, is a welcome addition to our understanding of the Union's industrial mobilization during the Civil War and its inadvertent effects on the postwar U.S. Navy."--William M. McBride, Technology and Culture, Civil War Ironclads could easily be a case study to accompany any text in the history of technology or management. Anyone concerned with managing complex technology, of which building warships is still among the most complex, will be able to apply lessons learned.

Grade FromCollege Graduate Student

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal973.7/58

Table Of ContentList of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. "I Have Shouldered This Fleet" - Gustavus Fox and "Monitor Mania" Chapter 2. Forging the Fleet - Alban C. Stimers and the Passaic Project Chapter 3. The Navy Looks West Chapter 4. Mobilization on the Ohio River Chapter 5. Miserable Failures - Combat Lessons and Political Engineering Chapter 6. A Million of Dollars - The Price of "Continuous Improvement" Chapter 7. Progress Retarded - The Harbor and River Monitors, 1863-1864 Chapter 8. The Sudden Destruction of Bright Hopes - The Downfall of the General Inspector Chapter 9. Good for Fifty Years - Winding Down the Mobilization Chapter 10. Additions, Alterations, and Improvements - Reversing Technological Momentum Appendix Tabular Data for Passaic- and Tippecanoe-Class Monitors Abbreviations Notes Essay on Sources Index

SynopsisHonorable Mention, Science and Technology category, John Lyman Book Awards, North American Society for Oceanic History Civil War Ironclads supplies the first comprehensive study of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of naval shipbuilding. In constructing its new fleet of ironclads, William H. Roberts explains, the U.S. Navy faced the enormous engineering challenges of a largely experimental technology. In addition, it had to manage a ship acquisition program of unprecedented size and complexity. To meet these challenges, the Navy established a "project office" that was virtually independent of the existing administrative system. The office spearheaded efforts to broaden the naval industrial base and develop a marine fleet of ironclads by granting shipbuilding contracts to inland firms. Under the intense pressure of a wartime economy, it learned to support its high-technology vessels while incorporating the lessons of combat. But neither the broadened industrial base nor the advanced management system survived the return of peace. Cost overruns, delays, and technical blunders discredited the embryonic project office, while capital starvation and never-ending design changes crippled or ruined almost every major builder of ironclads. When Navy contracts evaporated, so did the shipyards. Contrary to widespread belief, Roberts concludes, the ironclad program set Navy shipbuilding back a generation., Civil War Ironclads supplies the first comprehensive study of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of naval shipbuilding. In constructing its new fleet of ironclads, William H. Roberts explains, the U.S. Navy faced the enormous engineering challenges of a largely experimental technology. In addition, it had to manage a ship acquisition program of unprecedented size and complexity. To meet these challenges, the Navy established a "project office" that was virtually independent of the existing administrative system. The office spearheaded efforts to broaden the naval industrial base and develop a marine fleet of ironclads by granting shipbuilding contracts to inland firms. Under the intense pressure of a wartime economy, it learned to support its high-technology vessels while incorporating the lessons of combat. But neither the broadened industrial base nor the advanced management system survived the return of peace. Cost overruns, delays, and technical blunders discredited the embryonic project office, while capital starvation and never-ending design changes crippled or ruined almost every major builder of ironclads. When Navy contracts evaporated, so did the shipyards. Contrary to widespread belief, Roberts concludes, the ironclad program set Navy shipbuilding back a generation., In Civil War Ironclads, the first comprehensive study of one of the most ambitious programs in the history of naval shipbuilding, William H. Roberts explores the enormous task of constructing the U.S. Navy's new fleet of ironclads. This process involved establishing a "project office" that was virtually independent of the existing administrative system, broadening the naval industrial base, granting shipbuilding contracts to inland firms -- all under the intense pressure of a wartime economy.

LC Classification NumberE591.R63