Submarine Admiral: From Battlewagons to Ballistic Missiles [Hardcover]

I J. Galantin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

Presents an account of the development of the ballistic missile submarine, and a lifelong love affair with submarines.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this memoir of his 41-year military career, from midshipman to four-star rank, mostly in the submarine service, Galantin provides an authoritative overview of the evolution of the sub and its role in the U.S. Navy. A distinguished combat veteran of WWII, he saw postwar service as head of the Navy Department's submarine branch; and, as director of the Navy's Special Projects Office, he had a leading role in developing the Polaris missile system for subs. Galantin recalls the loss of the Thresher at sea in 1963 and explains how that tragedy?and the mystery of its cause?led to a comprehensive examination of submarine design, construction and operation. Long involved in high-level planning and policy-making in the Pentagon, he gives a good account of how the Navy met the Soviet challenge at sea as well as the submarine's role in the post-Cold War era. Our nuclear subs, he argues, remain the chief deterrent to global strategic aggression. His Pentagon insider's view includes much interesting information about intra-Navy and interservice turf wars. Galantin retired in 1970. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Galantin has already written in detail of his distinguished World War II career in the Pacific, commanding the submarine Halibut, in Take Her Deep! (1987). Now, he covers his whole naval career, from entering Annapolis in 1929 through retirement as a four-star admiral in 1970. In so doing, he presents both a gripping panorama of the navy's transformation over two generations and three wars (plus the cold war) and a record of his personal role in the process. The pleasures and burdens of command, the never -dull task of dealing with Admiral Rickover, an insider's account of the development of the ballistic missile submarine, and a lifelong love affair with submarines all figure in his readable, literate, insightful prose. Both as a primary source for the modern U.S. Navy and as a sheer delight for naval buffs' casual reading, highly recommended. Roland Green

Product Details

• Hardcover: 345 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 1St Edition edition (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252021606
• ISBN-13: 978-0252021602
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,927,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book for naval historians, March 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Submarine Admiral: FROM BATTLEWAGONS TO BALLISTIC MISSILES (Paperback)

Admiral Galantin's book tells the story of his personal involvement in the post-war U.S. Navy in a readable and entertaining manner. His accounts of bureaucratic turf wars in the Navy were especially interesting to naval historians like myself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!