From flags and pennants to Morse code and complex telecommunications, Radio History Ship to Shore is a treatise on the navigational aids vessels have used over the centuries. Author Spurgeon “Spud” G. Roscoe takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of communication systems globally, from the days of Columbus to modern times. Roscoe also mines his first-hand experience as a radio officer who sailed on a dozen ships, including a reproduction of the ill-fated HMS Bounty. Now in his eighties, he has been meticulously collecting the content for Radio History Ship to Shore for more than five decades. The result is a hefty tome in which Roscoe shares his encyclopedic knowledge and unyielding fascination with communications systems. The book includes all the vessels in the RCMP marine section (and, later, marine division), the RCAF marine squadrons, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Government Merchant Marine, and the Canadian Coast Guard, including the weather ships, and icebreakers. Radio History Ship to Shore is complemented by a wealth of historic photos of everything from warships to Canada’s famous Bluenose schooner.

ALL SHIPS...ALL SHIPS....is the complete history of the short and medium range maritime Coast Radio Stations of Great Britain, including the stations in Ireland and the Channel Islands. The book takes us back to the pioneering days of wireless communication, with details of early experiments undertaken by Marconi and his peers. The introduction and development of the Coast Radio Station network, initially undertaken by Marconi and Lloyd's, and subsequently the British Post Office, is covered in detail. The role of the stations during World War I and World War II is explored, as well as the introduction of new services, equipment, and expansion throughout the 1960s and 1970s. As satellite communication technology took over in the 1980s, the network declined, the remote control of stations was introduced, and the service eventually closed in 2000. The history of each station is recalled, with photographs, diagrams, press articles and fond memories of both staff and sea-going Radio Officers adding to the technical information and historical timeline. Various appendices illustrate the development of the network from the 1920s to the 1990s, including details of wartime activities and a transcript of the last few minutes of Morse code operation in 1997. The devastating Humber Radio flood of 1952 is covered in detail, together with details of Coast Station involvement in the 'Princess Victoria', 'Herald of Free Enterprise' and 'Piper Alpha' disasters, all of which made national and international headlines. Much use has been made of press and magazine articles of the time, which in many cases provide an evocative and fascinating glimpse into what was at the time a revolutionary service. Many of the extracts have been left unedited so that the full impact of each article may be maintained.

It might be hard to imagine the life of a radio officer more than fifty years ago, while flying a plane or travelling on ships (such as the Royal Navy’s HMS Bounty) across vast stretches of sea, navigating to far-flung destinations. Author Spurgeon “Spud” G. Roscoe lived that life from the age of seventeen, learning the breadth and depth of telecommunications, which steadily evolved from flags and Morse code to more sophisticated systems. In Radio History Short Stories, Roscoe shares his unmatched stories of his life and work with wry humour and encyclopedic knowledge. The tales in this book are certainly entertaining in their vibrant detail. But more than that, they serve to preserve the complex and little-known history of the radio operator. Written as somewhat of a memoir, while delving into some fictional accounts, Radio History Short Stories is a companion book to Roscoe’s previously published nonfiction work, Radio History Ship to Shore, a treatise on ships’ navigational aids and communications systems over the centuries.

With more than 60 essays, A Companion to American MilitaryHistory presents a comprehensive analysis of the historiographyof United States military history from the colonial era to thepresent. Covers the entire spectrum of US history from the Indian andimperial conflicts of the seventeenth century to the battles inAfghanistan and Iraq Features an unprecedented breadth of coverage from eminentmilitary historians and emerging scholars, including little studiedtopics such as the military and music, military ethics, care of thedead, and sports Surveys and evaluates the best scholarship on every importantera and topic Summarizes current debates and identifies areas whereconflicting interpretations are in need of further study