Rear Admiral Herbert V. Wiley, USN: A Career in Airships and Battleships (History of Military Aviation)
by M. Ernest Marshall, M.D.
Winner of the 2020 RADM Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature, Dr. M. Ernest Marshall was acknowledged by the New York Commandery and scheduled to speak at the Annual Book Award dinner in New York City in November. However, due to the ongoing corona virus situation in the Tri-State area, all commandery events were cancelled. (As a substitute for the Morison Award dinner, the commandery plans to host a formal recognition ceremony in the spring.)
This distinguished writing prize is given to an American author “who by his published writings has made a substantial contribution to the preservation of the history and traditions of the United States Sea Services – the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and U.S. Flag Merchant Marine.”
Overview
Suspecting a war with Japan somewhere over the horizon, the American Navy needed a means of conducting surveillance of the vast Pacific Ocean to guard against invasion. Surface vessels were too slow, and the Navy had too few of them, and airplanes lacked the range to cover the Pacific Ocean. The Navy turned to airships (dirigibles) as a solution - vehicles that could range for thousands of miles in the air on a single tank of fuel. Rear Admiral Herbert V. Wiley and Vice Admiral Charles E. Rosendahl - close friends - were with the Navy's airship program from beginning to end. After the loss of the Navy's last airship, Rosendahl went on to develop the blimp program that guarded America's entire coastline during WW II.
Author
M. ERNEST MARSHALL is a graduate of the University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences and School of Medicine. In his academic career, he rose to the rank of Full Professor of Medicine in Hematology/ Oncology. In retirement, he is an historian and author focused on U. S. Navy history. He resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife, Lisa. Marshall's next book is a biography of Vice Admiral Charles E. Rosendahl.
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