Eight Bells Lecture Series

The format of the Eight Bells Lecture Series has the author speaking about 40-45 minutes on the topic of his book and the facts leading to its publication. The last 15-20 minutes are given over for audience members to ask questions on the topic. Those who are able to remain after the allotted hour can stay and discuss the book further and have the book signed. Copies of the books are on sale in the Naval War College Foundation Gift Shop.

As always, this event is a brown-bag affair which is free and open to the public. For those without Department of Defense ID cards, please call the Museum at least one work day in advance at 841-2101 to make reservations for any of these events or to visit the Museum.

14 February 2013: Lake Erie & Lake Champlain Compared: An Analysis of the Strategic & Tactical Importance of Two Naval Battles by Dr. David Skaggs
Hailed for his decisive victory over a Royal Navy squadron on Lake Erie in September, Oliver Hazard Perry was one the early U.S. Navy’s most famous heroes. The book describes how Perry’s conduct set the standard as an embodiment of the code of honor and courage under fire and made him a symbol of patriotism to his fellow officers and the American public. This lecture will compare the two “freshwater commodores” and give an analysis of Perry’s and Macdonough’s victories in the War of 1812.

28 February 2013: Wendy the Welder with Gus Bourneuf
Coming back with a reprise of his lecture on the development of the Liberty Ship given in January 2010, Mr. Bourneuf will emphasize the role of women in the shipbuilding industry during World War II. Anyone interested in learning about the ships known as the “Ugly duckling” should come and hear the presentation as Mr. Bourneuf is an expert on the origin, design and fate of the Liberty Ship.

7 March 2013: Allied Master Strategists: The Combined Chiefs of Staff in World War II by David Rigby
Hailed as the glue that held the British-American alliance together, the members of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee, American Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the British Joint Staff Mission are examined in detail in this look at the personalities, relationships, and disagreements/debates that led to ultimate victory in the war. It is an even-handed look at the international relations as well as the inter-service manner in which the war was conducted.

14 March 2013: Fatal Decision: The Story of Edith Cavell by Terri Arthur
Based on historical fact, this novel tells the story of the legendary Edith Cavell, a British nurse whose duties as a healer clashed with the demands of a ruthless occupying regime during World War I following the German army occupation of neutral Belgium. Working to rescue wounded allied soldiers, she became an important link working with the Belgian underground.

28 March 2013: The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (2007) and America the Vulnerable (2004) by Dr. Stephen Flynn
Dr. Stephen Flynn is a Professor of Political Science and the Founding Co-Director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University. Prior to arriving at Northeastern, he served as President of the Center for National Policy and spent a decade as a senior fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Flynn served in the Coast Guard on active duty for 20 years, including two tours as commanding officer at sea, and as a member of the faculty at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. His two books, The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding  a Resilient Nation (2007) and  America the Vulnerable (2004)

4 April 2013: Imperial Crossroads: The Great Powers and the Persian Gulf edited by Professors Jeffrey Macris and Saul Kelly
This is a study of the contest for control of the Gulf and its resources, with an emphasis on Portugal, Holland, Britain, and the United States. The historical perspective will enhance the readers’ understanding of geo-political development within the region.

25 April 2013: From Kabul to Baghdad and Back: The U.S. at War in Afghanistan and Iraq with Prof. John Ballard
This book questions some of the fundamental assumptions affecting decisions regarding the prosecution of the Afghan war. It compares the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan from a national strategic perspective and questions several key operational decisions in the region. Dr. Ballard is the Dean of Faculty at the National War College.

9 May 2013: The Aden Effect with Claude Berube.
In this change of pace for an 8 Bells Lecture, we have a novel about murder, politics, sea power, and intrigue centering in the Middle East. Touted as bringing to the written page “the most interesting new hero since Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”, his should prove to be a worthwhile departure, both entertaining and educational. Claude Berube teaches at the U.S. Naval Academy and will be discussing the non-fiction themes that influenced the novel.

16 May 2013: Death in the Baltic with Cathryn Prince.
In late January of 1945, with the Allied victory imminent, nearly 10,000 German refugees attempted to flee the advancing Red Army aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a cruise liner-turned-escape ship. During the night, three torpedoes from a Soviet submarine struck the boat. By morning, over 9,000 people had drowned in the frigid waters and making it one of the worst maritime disasters of all time. This book reconstructs the story by drawing on original interviews with remaining survivors and newly declassified records.