From the Publisher
". . .Jampoler's unique focus on an era that changed the United States Navy deserves close attention during this latest era of Great Power competition at sea and on land, as well as in the air, in space, and in cyber space." John Grady, Sea History Magazine
“Glancing at the cover, one might think Captain Andy Jampoler, U.S. Navy (Ret.) had written a book about a single ship, the armored cruiser USS Memphis (originally named the USS Tennessee). But through meticulous research and gifted storytelling, he has delivered much more. Jampoler brilliantly weaves the ship’s plotline together with a fascinating period of U.S. Navy and broader American history that is little known, even among naval officers… I was awed by Captain Jampoler’s ability to tell Memphis’s storyfrom keel laying in Philadelphia to horrific demise at Santo Domingoagainst the backdrop of history spanning from post-Civil War through World War I … Like a vintage wine or scotch, the elements blend together sublimely.” Captain Bill Hamblet, US Navy (retired) Editor-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings “Captain Jampoler’s vivid writing and eye for telling details capture the excitement of this seminal era in US naval history. Meticulous research underpins his judgements on its personages and events. And his colorful tales within tales make for a most enjoyable read.” Peter M. Swartz, CNA strategy analyst and retired U.S. Navy captain“Andrew Jampoler’s Hard Aground is an extremely enjoyable but deeply researched accounting of the early tumultuous years of 20th century European history, seen through the eyes of a neutral, and later participant, in the conflagration of the Great War… A not-to-be-missed read.” Nicholas Jellicoe, author of Jutland: The Unfinished Battle "Enhanced informatively for the reader with the inclusion of illustrations, a ten page Epilogue, an eight page Bibliography, and a sixteen page Index, "Hard Aground: The Wreck of the USS Tennessee and the Rise of the US Navy" is an exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented historical study of the American navy and key figures involved in shaping what it into the force it would become today." Midwest Book Review
“Hard Aground takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of global naval strategy from the end of the Civil War to the Washington Naval Treaty; in the process, Captain Jampoler provides a stark and compelling reminder of how both vessels and grand naval strategy become suddenly obsolete.” William J. Bernstein, author of A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World “Andrew Jampoler has written a compelling story of a navy in transition, of the power of the sea and politics, both often stormy, and through his meticulous research and prose, again reminded us that history is the story of people.” James P. Delgado, author of War At Sea: A Shipwrecked History, and The Curse of the Somers: The Secret History behind the U.S. Navy’s Most Infamous Mutiny