Customer Reviews

Tip of the Spear: U.S. Navy Carrier Units and Operations 1974-2000

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A great reference tool for anyone interested in US naval operations, especially carrier ops in the last quarter of the 20 century. Appears to be very well researched volume and the book is well organized. While not exactly a good bedtime read, this volume is a must-have for anyone interested in what the US carrier fleet and its associated air wings were doing from the end of Vietnam War, up till just before 9/11.

Definitely a must have for a hardcore naval buff or a library reference shelf.

Another beautiful book from Schiffer Publishing. It's the most complete story of the Navy's recent carriers available. 1974 was a watershed year in that the carriers used in Viet Nam were more than just a little weary. They needed heavy repair, or replacement. This makes it a good starting place for a book like this.

From 1974 until now, here is just about the complete history of U.S. carrier operations. It has chapters on the carriers themselves (each carrier used by the Navy during this time), the deployments where they went into action, the Air Wings, the Fighter Squadrons, Attack Squadrons and all the other squadrons that make up the fleet. And yes, the Marines are included also.

The book is beautifully illustrated and printed, and uses seqn bindings for a long life. It is hands down the most complete recent book on carriers available and highly recommended.

The Title: The Tip of the Spear is the small percentage of military people who are at the forefront of any operation. It's not the supply people, or the intelligence people. It's the warriors, those people right at the front line. And for a lot of years now, that's where the cariers have been, right at the 'pointy end' of U.S. forces.

For some reason, I missed buying this when it first came out. Can't imagine why. Rick Morgan's name on it alone was recommendation. (He and his brother wrote a detailed and knowledgeable history of the A-6 Intruder as well as articles in The Hook.) It is a comprehensive and authoritative history of carriers, air wings, squadrons, and airplanes during the title period. It would have made my life easier when I was writing my carrier-based attack book, because a lot of the events that I needed to be aware and keep track of were neatly cataloged in Tip of the Spear. I look forward to the rest of the series.