Sea Power in the Pacific: A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Korean War

This book is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Ian Toll, James D. Hornfischer, and Craig L. Symonds.

Despite being the largest body of water on the globe, the Pacific was often overlooked by historians until the conflict between Japan and the USA after Pearl Harbor. Donald Macintyre, renowned naval authority and wartime U-boat hunter, sets this right.

Drawing upon a wealth of research, Macintyre charts how naval forces were developed and clashed across the Pacific Ocean over the course of five centuries. He begins with the years prior to European intervention in the region, then explores how Portuguese, Dutch, and British naval forces reshaped the balance of power in these vast waters. Particularly compelling is the history of Japanese influence in the Pacific, as it transformed from an isolated medieval state into a modern naval power, asserting itself in the early twentieth century through conflicts with China and Russia.

The origins of the Pacific War, as well as all its major battles — from the Coral Sea to Leyte Gulf — are recorded in fascinating detail, before Macintyre concludes with an overview of the Pacific’s last major naval conflict: the Korean War.

Sea Power in the Pacific: A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Korean War is essential reading for anyone interested in the rise of early modern European empires, their maritime conflicts, and how the Pacific became a crucible of war in the twentieth century.

‘A clear, concise, and very readable history of events.’ — The RUSI Journal

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