Two-Block Fox: The Rise of the Aircraft Carrier, 1911-1929

181 pp. It is the customary view that during the 1920s the Navy sought to bridge the gap between national commitment in the Pacific and the force necessary to underwrite that commitment by plunging single-mindedly into programs of cruiser construction and battleship modernization. Only in this way, it was thought, could a favorable strategic balance be restored. The author does not agree. He advances the view that by 1922 the U.S. strategic position in the Pacific had eroded to the point where it could not be corrected by conventional measures. He also holds that this state of affairs was recognized by a small, but far-sighted and influential group of naval officers who saw no remedy short of a revolutionary advance in weaponry and tactical concepts. Their solution was the aircraft carrier.