News

25 September 2024

Last week I had the privilege of speaking (virtually) with the Monmouth County Historical Association. I’m both shocked and grateful that 117 people logged in to listen and ask questions about such niche events off the Jersey shore. The MCHA was nice enough to publish the talk on YouTube for those that are interested, but be warned, this may take you back to a college history class. There are more talks in the works for 2025 and details will be posted when it gets closer to the anticipated dates.

5 September 2024

This week I’ll be appearing on the “History of the Great War” podcast, it airs on September 8th. I’m curious to see what's included as Wesley's questions were excellent and required lengthy explanations. You can tune in HERE. Additionally, on September 17th, I’ll be doing a virtual presentation with the Monmouth Country Historical Association. I’m going to be putting particular emphasis on debunking myths and exploring the events specifically off the NJ coastline in 1918.

19 July 2024

Today I happened to be glancing at “The Tattooed Historian’s” YouTube channel and saw that he gave Reaping the Whirlwind a phenomenal review. I'm particularly grateful that he expounded on how important it is to read about WWI history beyond the trenches. Naval history is a very niche audience, particularly from 1914-1918. The YouTube video can be found at the link below, please give it a look and subscribe to his channel.

28 June 2024

At the suggestion of the board, I recently did a presentation at the NJACC in Kenilworth, NJ. Initially I was hesitant because of the club’s specific focus on antique weapons, but I tailored the talk around the armament of the U-Kreuzers and the equipment used by the submarines’ prize crews. It actually wound up being one of the best talks I’ve had to date and the audience had a lot of great questions afterwards. The star of the talk was the Zeiss Zielfernrohr I brought along to display. This would have been mounted on the 15cm deck guns of the U-139/U-151/U-117 class U-boats and even being 106 years old, still is an amazing optical instrument. There’s still one more talk scheduled for this year (see the EVENTS page) that will be held virtually. If you or your organization would be interested in hosting a discussion on WWI U-boats, particularly those operating off the East Coast, please get in touch with me via the CONTACT page.

14 March 2024

View of where my talk will be next month, see EVENTS page:

It was nice to visit Philly and the USS Olympia again as the last time I was there was during the pandemic. It just wasn’t the same. I look forward to seeing everyone down there in April!

22 January 2024

Happy new year! While 2023 was quite eventful. I’m happy to say that there are some really exciting programs confirmed for 2024 - notably a lecture at the USS Olympia in Philadelphia (see the EVENTS page).

Additionally, reviews for Reaping the Whirlwind continue to come in. The latest coming from the Haze Grey History, check it out HERE.

17 December 2023

Reaping the Whirlwind made it to the Bookauthority rankings

"Reaping the Whirlwind: The U-boat War off North America during World War I", made it to BookAuthority's rather dubious “Best New World War I Books” and “Best World War I Books of All Time” rankings. I have a feeling this has more to do with an algorithm based on online reviews, but I’ll take it.

12 November 2023

There were two talks last week, specifically covering U-boat attacks off New Jersey in 1918 - both were fantastic. I’d like to thank the Sayreville Historical Society and the New Jersey Maritime Museum for allowing me to be a guest speaker. The Winter Presentation event by the NJMM actually sold out shortly after being announced and was attended by over 80 people. I’m shocked there was such an interest in such a niche topic. The next event is also in NJ and will be a book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Holmdel, see the EVENTS page for more info.

30 October 2023

Another review has turned up, this time from the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, of all places. Also, an additional book signing event has been confirmed for Black Friday weekend, it has been added to the Events page.

10 October 2023

It appears reviews are slowly trickling in for Reaping the Whirlwind. Today, a fantastic review from “Monmouth Timeline” was posted. You can find the review HERE

30 September 2023

November is shaping up to be a busy month! So far there are two confirmed speaking dates (see “Events”) and a book signing in the works. Reminder: my Instagram feeds get updated much more frequently, if you don’t already follow me on Instagram you can find me at @u boat history and @the zeppelin war

29 September 2023

My book, Reaping the Whirlwind: The U-Boat War off North America During WWI, is now available in both hardcover AND digital format on Kindle for all you heathens out there.

"During the attack von Arnauld was at the periscope, the 1.AO was under the tower hatch and the Obersteuermann and the combat helmsman were in the turret. After looking through the periscope, the 1.AO remarked, 'Damn close.' The commander replie
SM UB-73 in Brest following the war. SM UB-73 served in the North Sea from November 1917 to 1918 and was surrendered to the French. Her career was unremarkable (just over 18,000 tons sunk in 6 patrols), but her camouflage paint is incredible. I po
SM U-29 (Kplt. Weddigen) as seen from the deck of the British cargo ship, "Headlands" (2988 GRT) in 1915. The steamer, carrying fruit from Marseille to Bristol, was sunk ≈ 8 miles south of the Scilly Islands. According to a survivor
Period postcard titled "U-boat peace." Its caption translates to: "Just have patience, we'll bring you peace."
No, you aren't seeing things, nor have I lost my mind. These are all items relating to the surface fleet of the Kaiserliche Marine, specifically the Helgoland-class dreadnought, SMS Thüringen. So what are they doing on an account about "U-b
View of the forward mine chutes on SM UC-77 sometime in 1917. * Yes I posted this image earlier and accidentally deleted it (stupid) when I wanted to edit it. I'm not retyping the whole caption again...
Another shot of Vulkan Werke in Hamburg in early 1918 that does a much better job of showing U-boats under construction. In this case, we can see two UEII-type minelayers (U-118 and U-120) and two U-139-class U-cruisers (U-145 and U-146) in various
Photo from my collection with a misidentified caption. The publisher claimed this was SM UB-17, but this definitely isn't a UBI submarine or even one converted to a minelayer. Instead, I believe it's UB-29, a UBII boat commissioned in 1916 and lost