US Naval History Podcast

Nov 04 2024 74 ep. 38 mins 55
US Naval History Podcast artwork

The US Naval History Podcast features the highlights of our naval history, from John Paul Jones' raids on Scotland to the navy's finest hours in WWII, and beyond to the Cold War and world today. Support the show, get transcripts, and more: usnavalhistory.com

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Booty, Blockades, and Prizes with Andrew Claphan

Nov 04 2024 31 mins  
Traditionally war came with loot. This loot took a lot of forms, ranging from slaves (definitely not allowed today), to enemy military equipment, and whatever you could plunder from the enemies cities and countryside. We still have a few vestiges of these sorts of takings that are "legal" in warfare today. Andrew Clapham argues that we should almost completely ban these sorts of pr

The Perils of Interpreting (The Opium War)

Nov 01 2024 43 mins  
When the biggest country in the world and the most powerful country in the world can't even talk to each other, how can they possibly avoid war? Well, in the case of the Chinese and British in the early 19th Century... they didn't! In this episode of the U.S. Naval History Podcast, I interview Professor Henrietta Harrison on the leadup to war that in some ways parallels our world

Diplomacy by Other Means

Oct 24 2024 61 mins  
Why did the United States fight the Barbary Wars? How did early American diplomacy, economics, and naval power converge to confront North Africa's Barbary states? In this episode of the U.S. Naval History Podcast, Chase Dalton interviews Professor Abby Mullen from the United States Naval Academy, author of To Fix a National Character: The United States in the First Barbary War, 18

Accidental Exporters: How Britain Taught America to Guard Its Tech Secrets

Oct 18 2024 53 mins  
In this episode I talk with Kate Epstein about her new book "Analog Superpowers: How a 20th Century Technology Theft Built the National Security State." Key points: - The book focuses on the development of fire control technology for battleships in Britain and how the U.S. essentially stole this technology. - The challenges of protecting military inventions through patents while m

Early Military-Industrial Complex

Sep 23 2024 31 mins  
How did the military-industrial complex get it's start? How did it affect our early wars? Financially support the show here: ⁠https://www.usnavalhistory.com/#/portal/signup⁠ Please support the show if you are able. I greatly appreciate everyone who does so. Email me at: [email protected]

River War: The Battle of Memphis

Sep 02 2024 44 mins  
In this episode, I dive into the dramatic Battle of Memphis and its prelude, a crucial moment in the struggle for control of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. Three unusual fleets - two Union and one Confederate - converged on Memphis in June 1862. We examine the desperate improvisation of the Confederate River Defense Fleet, the Union's evolving Western Flotilla, an

River War: Taking Island No. 10

Aug 22 2024 47 mins  
Imagine you're a Union soldier, slogging through knee-deep Mississippi mud, trying to outflank a fortress that's not even on dry land. Welcome to Island Number 10. In this episode, we're diving into the Battle of Island Number Ten. We'll explore how a patch of land barely above the waterline became a linchpin in the Mississippi. You'll hear about innovative tac

The River War- The Battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson

Jul 31 2024 34 mins  
In this episode, we dive into the Civil War battles that cracked open the Western theater: Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. These were the fights where Grant and his ironclads showed what they could do. We explore how the messy politics of border states set the stage, why Kentucky and Tennessee were so crucial, and how these victories let the Union push deep into Confederate territor

The River War- The Plan to Strangle the South and the Battle of Belmont

Jul 13 2024 18 mins  
Before the modern era, rivers were either great defensive positions, or offensive highways into your enemy's heartland. For the western half of the Confederacy, the North-South rivers were a mortal danger. The Confederacy knew they had to defend their rivers no matter what... and Grant knew he had to take them. This episode tells the story of the first battle of the River War

The River War

Jul 04 2024 4 mins  
Happy 4th of July! This is the trailer for the next mini-series on the western campaign of the Civil War which culminated with the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4th, 1863. This was the first true joint (Army-Navy closely working together) campaign in American history and one that I really have enjoyed researching. Stay tuned over the next few weeks! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠�