Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing,explores the dynamics of war at sea
Review: Naval campaigns analysed by the author represent three different epochs of war at sea.War in the age of sail involving woodenships ,the steam age when Dreadnoughts[ironclads]engaged in duels using long-range guns.Advances in the field of technology saw the emergenceof aircraft and submarine.Concurrently four major sea battles [Trafalgar,Jutland,Midwayand Atlantic campaign]each an apogee of its epoch has become the focus of author's study.Keegan then traces the origins of war at sea and says that it started when pirates started attacking seaborne commerce,a thesis indeed debatable.Of particular interest is author's narration of evolution of naval tactics which has had a chequered past.Ancient times it was galley warfare.Rival fleets rammed amidships.Bridges were thrown and soldiers would board.Outcome of such an engagement decided by brute force.The gunpowder revolution in the age of sail made cannons compact enough to be installed aboard ships. This brought about different modes of engagement.Ships came to fire broadsides.The admirals experimented with different forms of manoeuvre which helped to bring fire on the enemy line better.The Royal Navy deployed ships in 'line ahead' formation alongside the opposing fleet engaging the enemy downwind.However in Trafalgar it adopted a new manoeuvre 'breaking the line'French ships were enveloped and enfiladed from the wings.Experiences of men who saw combat in the seas have been documented.Equal stress has also been given on the impact of technology on naval warfare.The supersession of woodenship by ironclad and sail by steam transformed the nature of war at sea.Arm oured protection enhanced the seaworthiness of ships ,steam propulsion increased its speed.Outcome of battles now determined by the accuracy of long -range gunnery.With the coming of aircraft and submarine war at sea became complex and multidimensional.Naval actions can now be staged on surface ,air and subsurface.Hitherto aeroplane aboard ships have been used for scouting purposes , for directing gun fire.But a combination of bomb and torpedo made aircraft a lethal weapon.A new generation of naval leaders realised that planes operating from flight decks can be used for projecting fire power across vast ocean spaces.This idea made the 'big gun' philosophy obselete.Another powerful weapon , the submarine which can be used to deny the freedom of navigation in highseas posing a threat to the security of maritime nations.Both world wars the German U boats brought the Allied navies almost to the brink of defeat. In the final chapter Keegan predicts future prospects of war at sea.Seas will be devoid of capital ships and submarines would become the instruments of sea control.Using stealth , manoeuvrability,high underwater speed ; launching torpedoes and missiles from great depths it can whittle down the strengh of carrier battlegroups.Finally I may add,with spy satellites hanging overhead, keeping round- the- clock vigil, a pearl harbor type ambush is virtally ruled out.
Rating: 
Summary: Keep your feet dry
Review: Sir John enjoys a deserved reputation as one of the foremost military historians, but his strength is narrative, not analysis. Whatever possessed him to spoil The Face of Battle with his final paragraph? ("The suspicion grows that the face of battle will abolish itself.")
Apart from the egregious factual errors in Price of Admiralty, Keegan offers very little evidence for his perplexing conclusion that the submarine has been the dominant naval weapon of the 20th century. Considering how very few submarines have "shot for blood" since 1945, and the fact that carrier aircraft dominated subs in the Atlantic and Pacific, Keegan's assertion is extremely difficult to support. If he was thinking of Cold War deterrent, he still missed the mark by a wide margin since subs were only 1/3 of the nuclear triad.
Sir John does much better when he keeps his feet dry.
Rating: 
Summary: From Sail to Sub
Review: The thing about British historians that I have found refreshing is that they actually analyze the subject they write about and don't just chronicle events. John Keegan is tops when it comes to history, and gives the reader added value with his analysis. One doesn't have to agree with his findings based on trends and patterns of history he's reported, but one is forced to consider seriously the results he presents.In "The Price of Admiralty," Keegan recounts the pinacle events of two naval eras--Trafalgar at the height of wooden ships and sail; and Jutland at the peak of iron ships and steam. He then delves into the two transformational events leading to the next two eras of sea warfare--carrier-based air power at Midway; and the advent of effective submarine operations in the Battle of the Atlantic. Describing the constriction of surface ships between the "upper pincer of the aircraft carrier and the lower of the submarine," Keegan points to the future competition between carriers and subs. Although it is not clear which platform will come to predominate in the future, Keegan makes a strong argument that tomorrow's sea actions will belong to the submarine. There is rich detail among the pages of "The Price of Admiralty," and, like other Keegan masterpieces ("The Mask of Command," and "The Face of Battle"), this work will stand the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: Attention All Hands: Read this Book
Review: This was a book, cohorts asserted, that was certain to disappoint those smitten with aircraft carriers and battleships. After all, Keegan's central conclusion about the evolution of the capital ship (which will not be revealed here) seems anathema to those who have devoted their lives to surface warfare. However, `The Price of Admiralty'- with its soaring prose, penetrating gaze, and inescapable logic - is a classic in the canon of naval history. Keegan is an unconventional historian who offers an original thesis on naval warfare not by assessing the gains of victorious navies, but rather through the emerging trends in each era. In this sense, it is more than straight history. `Admiralty' is a compass point for the future. Keegan explores the meaning of the term `command of the seas' and strives to discern whether any navy throughout history could lay claim to it. The influence of technology on the outcome of the four major battles covered in the book - Trafalgar, Jutland, Midway, and the Battle of the Atlantic - is demonstrated, to great effect. Perhaps the most important contribution of `The Price of Admiralty' is its implicit exhortation to think beyond the present and into the future. Through the examples of four naval engagements, Keegan demonstrates the grasp governments had on developing technology, and how this affected war aims. Keegan's conclusions point to the necessity of `thinking outside of the box' and applying the emerging technological trends to war on the high seas. Have we run aground on outdated and outmoded strategy? Or will we think ahead to battles not yet fought, and train future captains in forward-thinking tactics? This is a remarkable book and a worthy successor to the works of Alfred Thayer Mahan.
Rating:
Summary: High Caliber Naval History
Review: Though the vast majority of Keegan's work through his illustrious career has been more oriented towards regular military histories over naval ones, The Price of Admiralty certainly makes up for any lack of naval writing his books may have. This was a very well-written account of four historically crucial naval scenarios: Trafalgar ( a magnificently written portion with all the vivid imagery of C.S. Forester "Hornblower" tale with solid history mixed right in), Jutland, Midway and the Battle of the Atlantic. The portion on Jutland is probably the highlight of the book, as it tells a marvelous account of the battle as well as providing an informative guide to the naval arms race that was set off at the turn of the century between Germany and the UK. This may well be some of the best WWI naval writing in print that isn't met to serve as an all-encompassing encyclopediac overture of the entire naval war. For a reasonable and efficient telling of the important aspects of the battle, this book is superb. The Midway portion is decent but not remarkable, making it the lowest point of a book in which that truly isn't much of an insult. The Battle of the Atlantic portion is more thoroughly in depth and systematic in its analysis, but is an enjoyable read. This book could certifiably be called on of the best general naval histories available today, and it is definitely well worth the read.
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