Abandoned Ocean: A History of United States Maritime Policy, The

Sea Power, Dec 2000

THE ABANDONED OCEAN: A History of United States Maritime Policy, by Andrew Gibson and Arthur Donovan. Columbia, S.C.: The University of South Carolina Press, 2000. 362 pp. $39.95. Gibson, a former maritime administrator, and Donovan, a teacher of maritime history at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., look at U.S.

maritime policy from the Revolutionary War to the late 20th century. They examine the marriage of the shipbuilding industry and the activities of America's merchant and military navies and suggest why U.S. maritime policy has been largely unsuccessful-since the middle of the 19th century-in achieving its stated goal of promoting a commercially viable merchant marine engaged in foreign trade. While tracing the policies that have compromised U.S. competitiveness, the authors call for a reassessment of current policy and a more even focus on commercial as well as military considerations in formulating new policies for the 21st century. With abbreviations list, appendix, notes, bibliography, index, four line art illustrations, 15 tables, and 28 black-andwhite photographs.