Commander John D. Alden, USN (ret.) is a
retired U.S. Navy commander and World War II veteran, has written five books published by the Naval Institute Press and numerous
articles for Proceedings and Naval History magazines and other journals. John D. Alden is the author of
American Steel Navy: A Photographic History of the U.S. Navy from the Introduction of the Steel Hull in 1883 to the Cruise
of the Great White Fleet; The Fleet Submarine in the United States Navy: A Design and Construction History; Salvage
Man: Edward Ellsberg and the U.S. Navy; Flush Decks and Four Pipes; and, U.S. Submarine Attacks During World War II: Including
Allied Submarine Attacks in the Pacific Theater. John D. Alden is also noted as the co-author of The USS
Puffer in World War II.
According
to the book description of American Steel Navy: A Photographic History of the U.S. Navy from the Introduction
of the Steel Hull in 1883 to the Cruise of the Great White Fleet, “This classic study tracks the development
of the modern U.S. Navy from its first steel ships to its emergence as a mature fighting force known as the Great White Fleet.
First published in 1972, the book continues to be in demand because of its outstanding photographic coverage of the ships
and men of the early modern Navy and the author s thorough coverage of the Navy s transition from wood and sail to steel and
steam. Appendices include outline plans of the major ships and biographical sketches of the important people involved. Anyone
with an interest in the U.S. Navy s development between 1883 and 1907 and the cruise of the Great White Fleet will enjoy this
fine book.”
According
to a reader of Flush Decks and Four Pipes, “John D. Alden is a retired U. S. Navy Commander
with an eye for detail and the ability to make Naval history come alive. In his book Flush Decks and Four Pipes,
Mr. Alden examines the early class of U.S. destroyers known as 'four pipers' or 'four stackers'. He follows
them from their inception in 1917 through all their service, including World War II. Not only that, Mr. Alden provides a record
of each of the 273 four stackers (indexed by hull number and name), including its commissioning and decommissioning dates
and its ultimate fate.
The
book is filled with black and white photographs and stories of particular four stackers, including illustrations of several
that were overhauled or converted as time went by. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the old four piper
destroyers. The only thing it lacks are some color plates which would help modelers and others to visualize paint schemes.”
According to the
description of The Fleet Submarine in the United States Navy: A Design and Construction History,
“This book has long been considered the definitive study of the fleet submarine, one of the most successful types of
warships ever built. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the submarine's design, construction, and development. The
author traces its metamorphosis from the T and V classes through wartime boats and postwar Guppy and other conversions up
to the 1980s. Dozens of rare photos, profile line drawings, a detailed type plan, and statistical appendixes complement the
text in this large format book. The book's wealth of technical data is offered in a frame of historical reference that
will appeal to the general reader and World War II history buffs as well as serious students of the submarine.”
According to a reader
of U.S. Submarine Attacks During World War II: Including Allied Submarine Attacks in the Pacific Theater,
“A good book for the researcher. No stories just the facts. The text is laid out like a computer file. From the beginnning
of WWII until the end, each engagement by a USN submarine is documented. Location, date and time, method of attack, shots
fired, target type and size, and result. Japanese confirmation, if known, is also noted.”