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The Influence of Technology in Amphibious Warfare and its impact on U.S. Geopolitical Strategy from 1898 to 1945
No full textThis dissertation research examines the influence of technology on amphibious warfare and its impact on the United States’ geopolitical strategy from 1898 to 1945. Specifically, this dissertation investigates how amphibious warfare went through a gradual technological transformation that not only defined American geopolitical strategy, but also had political and social ramifications on the United States. As a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, the unprecedented development of military weapons and technology enabled industrialized nations, such as the United States, to quickly project large, powerful military forces in almost any part of the world. With the conduct of amphibious warfare changing as a result of the technological and scientific know-how of a well-developed industrial base, the United States was able to appreciate the advantages and challenges of its geographic position in the international system to develop highly sophisticated amphibious capabilities to land and defeat its enemies in both the eastern and western hemispheres. In examining the influence of technology on amphibious warfare and its impact on American geopolitical strategy, this dissertation explores the technological and scientific influences that contributed to the United States’ development of amphibious warfare; the political and diplomatic environment that led to this dynamic military capability; and the manner in which this technological influence transformed both the United States and its relationship with the world
A Monument to Perseverance: The Struggle to Build the Newport Bridge, 1945-1969
No full textThis dissertation presents a history of the Newport Bridge from its conception following World War II to its opening on June 28, 1969. The Newport Bridge spans the East Passage of Narragansett Bay. It connects the islands of Conanicut and Aquidneck and links their primary towns of Jamestown and Newport. Prior to the bridge, ferries had delivered passengers to and from Newport for three centuries. That service became obsolete the day the bridge opened. The bridge’s history can be traced back to the years leading up to World War II. In 1940, the Jamestown Bridge was completed between the Rhode Island mainland and Conanicut Island. Momentum soon grew for a Newport Bridge but the war relegated efforts to the back burner. Following the war, proponents advocated for a bridge. They encountered initial resistance from the United States Navy bent on protecting its well-established and extensive operations in and around Narragansett Bay. The Navy subsequently relented but placed conditions on the bridge’s location and navigational requirements. Proponents and opponents sparred from 1945 to 1965, when the bridge was finally approved by Rhode Island voters. Upon completion, the Newport Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in New England and ranked fourteenth nationally. It employed several new technologies and construction techniques, demonstrating the autocatalytic nature of the technology and drawing the engineering community’s attention. This study uses a range of primary resources to piece together the quarter-century long struggle proponents endured before the bridge was finally built and grew to become an iconic symbol of Newport and the state of Rhode Island. The Newport Bridge is truly a monument to their perseverance
Dramaturgy, wargaming and technological innovation in the United States Navy: Four historical case studies
No full textThe research and findings discussed in this dissertation use a historical perspective to examine the implications of dramaturgical action and wargaming for technological innovation in the United States Navy. Four wargame case studies conducted at the Naval War College between 1919 and 1924 serve as the basis for the research and subsequent analysis. Each wargame entailed the use of submarine platform types in the tactical level wargames. This dissertation relied upon an interdisciplinary approach to technological innovation which was situated at the intersection of the philosophy of technology, action theory and the history of the United States Navy. The approach used to develop the critical argument for this thesis work included a presentation of the underlying assumptions for the definition of technology including its link to the praxis of innovation; discussion of the historical and philosophical material that serves as the interdisciplinary foundation for the research; and an in depth comparative analysis of the four wargame case studies based on information retrieved from the Naval War College archives. Kenneth Burke’s characterization of the dramaturgical situation served as the primary tool to conduct the analysis in conjunction with the definition of technology supplied in the entering assumptions. The findings presented in this dissertation reveal unique relationships between the communities that interact at multiple levels to produce naval innovation, the influence asserted through changing geo-political situations and how wargaming serves as a catalyst for innovation
Professional Responsibility and Conflict of Interest
Get PDFWhile religion, law, and social mores may seem reliable guides in the professions, I argue here that traditional ethics escapes some of the limitations born by these three approaches
Captain Charles Hunter’s Civil War
No full textUnlike the Perry brothers who achieved acclaim for their naval achievements in the early nineteenth century, Newporter Charles Hunter’s naval reputation was tarnished by his service in the Civil War. A recounting of his Civil War experience is important because it reminds us that not all Newport naval officers were successful, that maritime careers could end ignominiously as well as gloriously. Hunter spent the early months of the war seeking command of a warship. However, once at the helm of a Union vessel, he met his downfall within months, not in a decisive battle, but in carrying out what appeared to be a fairly routine naval operation. Hunter’s fateful judgments during an incident that took place in October 1862 led to an international cause célèbre, paving the way to his court-martial and dismissal from the navy. A closer look at his Civil War career shows us that despite Hunter’s loyalty to the United States and to the navy, and despite his zeal to carry out his assigned duty of intercepting blockade runners, in the case of Blanche, his daring and bravado and his breach of the three-mile limit set by international law, led to his ignominious dismissal from the Union navy