Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) was a US Navy officer and historian. He served in the Navy for
nearly forty years and fought in the American Civil War. In addition he was president of the
Naval War College in Newport R.I. and wrote influential naval history and strategy books. His
most popular work The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890) established the modern US Navy
doctrine of maritime predominance: the higher the naval power of a country the greater its
global impact. His ideas of sea power influenced the organization of naval forces in many
countries. From Sail to Stream Mahan s autobiography includes his personal life story as well
as the history of US sea power in the 19th and early 20th century.
