A. A. Hoehling's Thunder at Hampton Roads tells the story of the U.S.S. Monitor, the world's first all-iron fighting ship. The book covers the entire story of this famous vessel, detailing the construction of the vessel, the battle between it and the C.S.S. Merrimack, and its rediscovery in the mid-1970's. The Monitor changed the image of the navy forever, ridding people of their notion of ships built of oak and canvas and replacing it with pictures closer to those invoked by the navy of today: ones of invincible metal and guns.

The book begins with an account of the construction of the Monitor. Northern and Southern forces were racing for naval supremacy throughout the war, and ironclads were among the most important technology being developed. The Monitor was specifically designed to combat the seemingly indestructible Southern Merrimack. A Swede named John Ericcson conceived of the idea for the North. Though similar in design to the other ship, which had already been proven in battle, the Monitor's development was viewed with some skepticism; many people thought it would never float, much less act as a battle-ready warship. They were proved wrong, as the Monitor was proved as worthy as its Confederate opponent.

The second section of the book details the Monitor's encounter with the Southern ironclad Merrimack, and its sinkage off the coast of Cape Hatteras. The battle came in defense of a seaport called Hampton Roads. Both ships took substantial damage. The Monitor came away victorious, though the Merrimack did escape. Many people believed that the ironclad was the only thing that came between Hampton Roads and a complete ransacking by the Confederate Navy. The loss of the Monitor was an unfortunate incident. The ironclad was being towed by another ship, the Rhode Island, to Wilmington North Carolina, where it was indeed to take part in capturing the city. When the crew discovered that their ship was failing, they cut loose from the Rhode island so as to avoid bringing the other ship down with the Monitor. Luckily, most of the crew was able to escape via lifeboat. Sadly, fifteen crewmen, including the captain, went down with her.

The third section of the book details the post-war lives of those who were involved with the Monitor, and tells of its rediscovery in the 1970's. Many of the Monitor's crewmen lived peacefully after the sinking, but one could not. Samuel Dana Greene, an executive officer on the Monitor whom many thought should have chased the Southern Merrimack until he had captured or destroyed it, killed himself. Supposedly he was consumed with guilt that was fed by the accusations over the fact that the Merrimack escaped to do further damage in the war. Only after his death was the matter cleared up by a superior officer who announced that the Monitor had sustained too much damage for it to follow the enemy ship.

The Monitor was discovered and photographed by a team of marine scientists twelve miles off Cape Hatteras where it had sunk to more than a century previously. Salvaging operations funded by the National Science Foundation and National Geographic were successful. Technological advances such as that of sonar greatly aided those who were devoted to discovering the Monitor. Restoration work was taking place when the book was published in the late 1970's

A. A. Hoehling used diaries, letters, ships' logs, and newspaper articles to put together the story of the Monitor. He was directly involved with the salvage work on the vessel, which explains his desire to let the public know about this fascinating ship. It was his belief that the Monitor played a significant role in the Civil War and in the development of the navy, a point that he convinces the reader of throughout the book.

I believe that this book would be perfect for research on any aspect of the Merrimack or the Monitor. Through text and photos of the Monitor as it was when built and as it appeared sunken beneath the sea, the author tells the ship's complete story. This is a valuable source for anyone researching naval forces during the civil war, not only the battles but also the inner workings of the Navy and its chain of command.

Still the best book on the history of the USS Monitor. Hoeling is both an excellent researcher and a first-rate writer. I am very pleased this book is back in print. Naval historians should rejoice!

This book examines thirteen American disasters, including the Galveston storm of 1900, the Hindenburg, and the 1964 Alaskan earthquake. One of the best aspects of this book is that it covers a relatively few disasters in great detail, rather than giving us a cursory look at a larger number. Hoehling includes material from interviews with survivors and never fails to keep the reader interested. Two catastrophies, namely the Hindenburg and the 1918 influenza outbreak, have been the subject of complete books by Hoehling. My only criticism is that the book's first chapter covers the New York draft riots. This is not a disaster in the sense of a natural calamity or an accident. I feel it belongs more as part of our Civil War history than in a book of this kind.

A.A.Hoehling is a good story teller, so it is no surprise that this book comes off as quite interesting. World War I naval action is described from the battle of two ocean liners early in the war to the scuttling of the German fleet after the armistice. He gives considerable attention, as he should, to the battles of Jutland and the Falklands.
I have only two problems with this book, and neither are very serious. First of all, The War At Sea lacks the detail one might find in other books on the subject. This could be a fault or a blessing, depending on one's outlook. If someone is looking for a general overview, the book is fantastic. But if heavy analysis and data is the reader's cup of tea, it should be avoided.
It could also be argued that Hoehling concentrates a little too much on the American side of the war. WWI naval action was mostly a British-German event. But as most works so far have indeed talked about this angle exclusively, perhaps Hoehling is justified.