Forged In War: The Naval-Industrial Complex and American Submarine Construction, 1940-1961

This book is the first to analyze the partnership between the Navy, industry, and science forged by World War II and responsible for producing submarines in the United States in the period from 1940 through 1961. The naval-industrial complex was not the result of a single historical event. Neither was it a political-economic entity. Instead it was made up of many unique and distinct components, all of which developed simultaneously; each reflected the development, significance, and construction of a particular vessel or technology within its historical context. Together these components emerged from World War II as a network of distinct relationships linked together by the motives of national defense, mutual growth, and profit. None of the major players in the drama planned or predetermined the naval-industrial complex, and it did not conform to the views of any individual or confirm the value of a particular system of management. Instead it grew naturally in response to the political environment, strategic circumstances, and perceived national need, its character defined gradually not only by the demands of international conflict but also by the scores of talented people interested in the problems and possibilities of submarine warfare. Their combined efforts during this short period of time produced remarkable advances in nuclear propulsion, submerged speed, quieting, underwater sound, and weaponry, as well as a greater appreciation within the Navy and the shipbuilding industry for the ocean environment. This book won the Roosevelt Prize for naval history.