Books like The pirate coast by Richard Zacks

Two divers risk everything to solve a World War II mystery in the depths of the Atlantic.

A fresh seminary graduate, Father Christopher is transported to the Golden Age of Piracy, where he must navigate life as a buccaneer on Caribbean waters in pursuit of Spanish treasure.

Examines the history of the Barbary pirates, and discusses their relationship with the United States Navy in the early years of the country's entry into the shipping trade.

Starting in the Adams administration and continuing through to the end of the War of 1812, *Six Frigates* is a well researched and very readable history of the Navy of the United States. Begun in the shadow of the British Royal Navy that was thought to be unbeatable, the American Navy faced challenges of every kind. The navy grew as the country grew, by fits and starts, by rising to challenges (The Barbary pirates, Britain and France) and learning from mistakes. Toll's narrative covers the political, economic, social and technical challenges that faced shipbuilders, sailors, captains and congressmen that managed the development and operation of the fleet. From the last chapter: “What was remembered and cherished about 1812, above all, was the fact that America's tiny fleet had shocked and humbled the mightiest navy the world had every known.” This was the most significant outcome of the War of 1812, which is often overlooked by Americans and British alike. The United States, by it's naval victories and dogged insistence that it would not give in to being pushed around by anyone, won the respect if not the admiration of the powers of Europe. After 1815, the United States moved themselves out of the status of 'bloody colonials' and were recognized as a power to be reckoned with. It is also worth noting, as Toll does, that “it was only after the War of 1812 that Americans began speaking of the United States in the singular rather than the plural”. The War of 1812 helped to define America's sense of itself, and that would not have happened without the construction of Six Frigates.

Robert Leckie's memoir of his service as a United States Marine during the Pacific campaigns of World War II, detailing training, battles on Guadalcanal, New Britain, and Peleliu, and reflecting on the brutal reality of war.