Naval Warfare

The Rigging of the Viking Age Warship. The Skuldelev find and the ship motifs

by Ole Kastholm

In: L. Boye (ed.) 2011: "The Iron Age on Zealand. Status and Perspectives". Nordiske Fortidsminder, Serie C, vol. 8, pp. 175-183. Copenhagen.

Analysis of the technical evidence provided by images of ships from the Viking Age reveals that most of these depict... more Analysis of the technical evidence provided by images of ships from the Viking Age reveals that most of these depict warships equipped with a very wide and low square sail. This depiction stands, however, in clear contrast to present-day reconstructions of Viking Age warships which are fitted with a higher type of square sail, inspired to a very considerable degree by the Norwegian square-rigged vessels of the 19th century. Consequently, an item of ethnographic reference material has come to occupy a central role at the cost of evidence from the archaeological record.

Sea of Troubles or Harmony? The Balance of Naval Power in the Black Sea in the 1990s

by Serhat Guvenc

The Network Force

by Mark Tempestilli

Waging Information Warfare. Making the Connection Between Information and Power in a Transformed World.

by Mark Tempestilli

Jutland 1916: The Archaeology of a Modern Naval Battle. The Wreck of HMS Invincible, the World's First Battle Cruiser.

by Innes McCartney

SKYLLIS, The Journal of the German Society for the Promotion of Underwater Archeology - forthcoming.

This paper presents the findings of a survey of HMS INVINCIBLE, sunk at the Battle of Jutland 1916. It is extracted... more This paper presents the findings of a survey of HMS INVINCIBLE, sunk at the Battle of Jutland 1916. It is extracted from a currently unpublished report (McCartney, 2010) which examined the six known Royal Navy wrecks. All of the wrecks yielded unique insights into the battle. However the very violent destruction of the INVINCIBLE and the story told by its remains on the seabed made an especially revealing case. It is now possible to say exactly how the ship was destroyed and to know which eyewitness testimonies to believe. Like many of the Jutland wrecks, its secrets are beginning to be revealed. As the author has shown in the case of HMS DEFENCE (McCartney, 2012), the wrecks of the Battle of Jutland remain one of the most important untapped archaeological resources of the First World War. The wreck the INVINCIBLE is a notable case.

Die Berufsbiografie von Marineoffizieren

by Wolfgang Sender

Call for Papers: War and Peace: Conflict and Resolution in Archaeology. 45th Annual Chacmool Archaeology Conference, Calgary, Alberta

by Cara Tremain

Irán y la Guerra Naval Asimétrica

by Jesus Perez

Publlicado en la Revista General de Marina, ISSN 0034-9569, Vol. 261-1 (julio), 2011, págs. 87-95. La Revista General de Marina es la publicación académica y técnica de la Armada Española.

Los choques entre Irán y Estados Unidos durante los años 80 en el Golfo Pérsico llevó a las autoridades iraníes a... more Los choques entre Irán y Estados Unidos durante los años 80 en el Golfo Pérsico llevó a las autoridades iraníes a sacar desiguales conclusiones sobre el empleo de tácticas navales convencionales y no convencionales. Mientras que la armada iraní fue derrotada en sus enfrentamientos con la V Flota de Estados Unidos, las acciones de los Guardianes de la Revolución ("pasdarán") lograron causar interrupciones del tráfico marítimo en la zona.

A partir de aquellas experiencias, Irán ha desarrollado tácticas y medios para el desarrollo de la guerra naval asimétrica en el Estrecho de Ormuz.

R. Petriaggi, La Marina militare romana tra il I e il III sec. d.C., in "M. Giacobelli (a cura di), Lezioni Fabio Faccenna, conferenze di archeologia subacquea (III-V ciclo)", Bari, 2004, pp. 99-110.

by Roberto Petriaggi

A paper describing the organization of the Roman navy during the Imperial period. Conference held in the course of... more A paper describing the organization of the Roman navy during the Imperial period. Conference held in the course of historical and archaeological lectures in honor of Fabio Faccenna, young Italian underwater archaeologist who died prematurely in 1997. On page 199, instead of "Lutazio Catulo" correct "Caio Duilio".

Maritime Piracy

by Andy Young

Written as an interest paper for DCDC

The Urban Legend of the Fixed Japanese Wargaming of the Midway Campaign

by Ron Larham

First draft of article for Battlefleet (Naval Wargames Society Journal), this will probably be updated frequently as it is revised

It is commonly reported that the table top games conducted by the Japanese navy in the planning and briefing process... more It is commonly reported that the table top games conducted by the Japanese navy in the planning and briefing process in preparation for the Midway operations in the spring of 1942 were deliberately rigged in favour of the plan/s success. In this note I argue that this view of the games originates in a book by two of the participants and has subsequently been passed from one author to another without undue thought. I argue that in fact the games were conducted as far as we can tell in a manner in accordance with what would be expected for games of their nature. Also I suggest that a combination of self justification and a desire to protect the reputation of Admiral Yamamoto may be at the root of the initial misrepresentation.

« Apprendre l'un de l'autre : l'École de Guerre Navale et la coopération navale franco-allemande » dans Bilan et perspectives de la coopération militaire franco-allemande de 1963 à nos jours. Actes du colloque tenu à Paris les 2 et 3 novembre 1998, Paris, 1999, p. 243-280.

by Benoît Rossignol

La coopération navale franco-allemande débute dès la naissance d'une marine fédérale allemande (1956). Elle n'eut... more La coopération navale franco-allemande débute dès la naissance d'une marine fédérale allemande (1956). Elle n'eut pendant longtemps qu'un caractère secondaire pour les deux pays. Ce caractère modeste n'empêcha pas la mise en place de programmes fructueux. L'échange réalisé entre l'E.G.N. et la FUAK en est un des meilleurs exemple. Sa régularité est sans équivalent. L'explication de cette situation doit sans doute être plus recherchée dans le domaine politique et symbolique que dans le domaine technique, les formats des deux marines étant par trop différents. Commencé dans le cadre de l'O.T.A.N. la collaboration se poursuivit au niveau bilatéral après 1966. L'approfondissement des relations fut la conséquence majeure de ces liens discrets mais solides. Après quelques tensions postérieures à 1966, puis après deux décennies de travail commun quotidien, un tournant majeur a lieu en 1988, sur la base définie par le traité de l'Élysée (1963) : les relations s'approfondissent et croissent en qualité et en quantité. L'évolution politique et stratégique de l'Europe contemporaine peut désormais révéler la valeur de cette collaboration.

Reconstruction, restructuration et modernisation des bases navales (1944-1949)

by Benoît Rossignol

Co-authored with R. Le Borgn’, Revue Historique des Armées, 2000, 3, p. 98-111

Elephants Chasing Ants: Counter-piracy operations and the failure of strategy in the Gulf of Aden

by Andy Young

Draft Copy

Currently, there are over 30 Warships from more than 16 Nations undertaking counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of... more Currently, there are over 30 Warships from more than 16 Nations undertaking counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden (GoA). Yet, despite the disparity of force betwen these ultra-modern high tech vessels and the low-tech criminals, piracy remains a thriving business venture. Only by focussing on the root causes of piracy can the international community deal efectively with these maritime guerillas who are truly the 'enemies of all mankind'.

The PLA's Evolving Joint Task Force Structure: Implications for the Aircraft Carrier

by David Chen

China Brief (28 October 2011)

At this juncture in the development of China’s aircraft carrier force, the operational employment and integration of... more At this juncture in the development of China’s aircraft carrier force, the operational employment and integration of an aircraft carrier in a naval or joint task force remains very much in the realm of theory and speculation, yet with careful parsing of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as an organization, some insights can and have been made. These include Ken Allen and Aaron Shraberg’s insightful contributions in using the PLA’s grade system to conduct a thought experiment on locating aircraft carriers within the PLA grade hierarchy ("Assessing the Grade Structure for China's Aircraft Carriers [Parts 1 and 2]," China Brief, July 15 and July 29). This article seeks to add to their analysis by taking observations from recent PLA exercises that involved joint force structures and speculating where an aircraft carrier might fit into a similar PLA task force organization. Based on this analysis, an aircraft carrier within the PLA Navy (PLAN) probably would be assigned a grade of division deputy leader (Grade 8) and the carrier strike group commander a grade of division leader (Grade 7)—a lower grade assessment than Allen and Shraberg. The implication is that the PLA is devolving joint command authority further down the grade scale as part of an overall attempt to transition away from centralized decision making.

Fregatten Mynden: a 17th‐century Danish Frigate Found in Northern Germany

by Jens Auer

Métiers et travaux aux chantiers navals constantinopolitains au milieu du XIVe siècle. Un témoignage catalan : le ACA, RP, MR 2.280

by Daniel Duran Duelt

under press in 'Les activités professionnelles dans les villes du monde gréco-latin (XIIIe-XVIe)'

La Marina alfonsí al asalto de África (1240-1280)

by Jose Manuel Rodriguez Garcia

Developing a Plan to Preserve the USS Essex

by Christopher Olson

Maritime Heritage Minnesota was awarded a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grant in April 2010 to devise a plan for... more Maritime Heritage Minnesota was awarded a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grant in April 2010 to devise a plan for the preservation of the wreck of the Sloop-of-War USS Essex. USS Essex was the last ship designed and constructed by North America's premier 19th Century shipwright Donald McKay and is the only known example of McKay's craftsmanship to exist in the world.

Partager le fardeau : la sécurité maritime en Asie du Sud-est vue par le prisme de la coopération.

by Alban Sciascia

Defense Nationale, 2011

Le fait maritime a vu son importance s’accroître au cours de la dernière décennies. Dans un contexte d’expansion de la... more Le fait maritime a vu son importance s’accroître au cours de la dernière décennies. Dans un contexte d’expansion de la globalisation, 90% des échanges commerciaux mondiaux se font par voies maritimes. Zone d’échanges et de ressources, le domaine maritime voit de part le monde une plus grande considération de la part des acteurs politiques. L’Asie du Sud-est s’affirme aujourd’hui comme une région d’importance stratégique primordiale, par laquelle passe des routes maritimes essentielles. Si la Chine a su attirer un nombre croissant d’investissements étrangers, plusieurs nations du sud-est asiatique sont aujourd’hui en passe de devenir de nouveaux eldorados économiques (Vietnam, Malaisie et dans une moindre mesure Indonésie et Philippines).  Composée de détroits qui sont autant de points sensibles, mais aussi de vastes étendues maritimes, théâtres de disputes territoriales et d’activités plus ou moins licites. Face à un ensemble de risques et de menaces, les nations d’Asie du Sud-est ont entrepris de coopérer. Toutefois, cette volonté – pas toujours partagée avec le même enthousiasme par l’ensemble des acteurs – se retrouve confrontée à différents obstacles.