The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Fall 1986, Volume 32, Number 4
Thomas L. Scharf, Editor

Book Review

United States Navy and Marine Corps Bases, Domestic.

Edited by Paolo E. Coletta. Westport, Corm.: Greenwood Press, 1985. Appendices. Bibliographies. Indexes. 740 Pages. $95.00.

The United States Navy and Marine Corps Bases, Domestic is a reference book which most individual researchers will find too expensive to purchase, but which every reference library in the region ought to acquire. It traces the history of the United States Navy and Marine Corps bases in the United States. The book provides historical information on the bases in entries arranged alphabetically by geographical location and the name of the base. In addition to description and history, the entries also include bibliographies on each entry. The volume includes excellent cross referencing, with indexes on geographical location, date, type and function. Thus, if one wants naval shipyards, or torpedo factories, or submarine bases, they can be found in the subject listing. The formal index covers place, name, and subject. San Diego area bases covered are Naval Amphibious Base at Coronado, USMC Air Station at El Centro; Naval Air Stations at Imperial Beach, North Island and Miramar; and a long list of establishments in San Diego: World War I Naval Air Patrol Base, San Diego Naval Base, Training Command, Naval Training Center, Supply Center, Medical and Dental Centers, Communications Center and the Submarine Base. The average entry is about two pages long; the bibliographies are especially helpful in that they include naval publications which may not appear in other bibliographies. United States Navy and Marine Corps Bases, Domestic is a first rate, professionally executed reference book.