'King's Navy' Book Launch 10 May 2025 by Prof David Kohnen

Speaker: Dr. David Kohnen, U.S. Naval War College

This special maritime seminar marked the launch of Dr David Kohnen’s new book. The book, King's Navy : Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King and the Rise of American Sea Power, 1897–1947 is an authoritative account of the rise and fall of American sea power between 1897 and 1947 and the definitive biography of US Fleet (CNO) Admiral Ernest J. King.

Between 1897 and 1945 the US Navy rose to lofty heights, with huge manpower, a lavish roster of ships, and a hard-earned reputation for professionalism and potency. By 1947, in the wake of the Second World War, the Navy, although still powerful, had been significantly scaled down; much of the senior leadership retired and the wartime edge gradually dulled.

This period from 1897 to 1947 was witnessed and to a large degree driven and determined by two admirals, Ernest J. King and King's mentor William S. Sims. These admirals were empowered by two giants of American political and military history, Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Through the lives of King, Sims, and the Roosevelts, Naval War College historian David Kohnen has crafted a sweeping history of American sea power from 1897 to 1947. This epic work was made possible through 20 years of research and writing.

By accessing undiscovered and recently declassified source material, along with the full cooperation of the King and Sims families, the author has been able to tell new stories and draw fresh conclusions, making this volume a must-have for scholars of naval history.

About the speaker:

Dr David Kohnen is the Captain Tracy Barrett Kittredge Scholar of War Studies and Maritime History at the U.S. Naval War College. He earned his PhD with the Laughton Professor of Naval History in the War Studies Department at King’s College London. He subsequently served as the founding director of the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research and as executive director of the Naval War College Museum.