Mr. Blackley, an independent scholar based in Ohio, has an MA in history (cum laude) from Norwich University. He has presented at the McMullen Naval History Symposium, and his work has appeared in Naval Review.

Articles by Andrew Blackley

HMS Dreadnought (inset) was the showpiece of British naval supremacy—the perfect target for six friends hoping to prank the Royal Navy.

The Dreadnought Hoax

By Andrew K. Blackley
June 2024
How a gang of merry pranksters dressed up as comic-opera “Abyssinian royals” and bamboozled the Royal Navy into a red-carpet tour of the pride of the fleet.
In support of landings in the Marshall Islands, F4U Corsairs make a low-level strafing run on the lookout for ground targets. A downed Japanese Zero lies decaying on the beach below, and U.S. Navy vessels in the distance bombard enemy positions. The assault on the Marshalls in January–February 1944 was hailed as “probably the most perfect operation of its kind in the war.”

A Double-Edged Sword

By Andrew K. Blackley
February 2024
The First Prize winner in the 2023 CNO Naval History Essay Contest looks at the numerous Pacific island bases and airfields left over from World War II—and the potential threat ...
ships

Toward a New Navalism

By Andrew K. Blackley
December 2021
Second Prize, CNO Naval History Essay Contest, Professional Historian Category, Sponsored by General Dynamics. The Navy must broaden its message to educate American taxpayers on the importance of sea power.