Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy, (Paperback)

from

Six Frigates is Ian Toll's first book, published in 2006. It recounts the history of the first US Navy war ships, commissioned to fight Barbary Coast pirates and then to be dismantled once the job was done. Events intervened like the War of 1812 and of course the US Navy was never decommissioned....

from Razinha

A thoroughly enjoyable and educational book, Ian Toll easily mixes historical narrative of facts relating to the early days of the true US Navy with thrilling accounts of significant engagements from the Tripolitan and 1812 Wars. Calling on a tremendous wealth of resources from the Navy's chronic...

from setnahkt

An interesting take on the War of 1812. The author, Ian Toll, is a financial analyst and focuses on the economic and political aspects of the founding of the US Navy. Toll starts with the debates over the correct approach to the Barbary Pirates (“Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute!...

from rcsj

A fascinating history of the US Navy's earliest days. I truly enjoyed all of the historical detail surrounding the construction of the US Navy's first frigates and their subsequent battles. The book does much to establish the early US Navy as a successful organization that managed to produce impo...

from LisaMaria_C

The subtitle, "The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy" is a misnomer. The Continental Navy established during the American Revolution gets short shrift. Toll in a few lines disposes of sad tale of 13 frigates, 11 of which were destroyed or captured by the British in the course of the R...