by Lawrence Martin Kaplan (Editor), Holden Allan Evans (Author)
Holden A. Evans was a progressive naval officer who, as a naval constructor in the early twentieth century, unsuccessfully led a single-handed crusade to reduce wasteful practices and improve efficiency in U.S. Navy shipyards. He was the navy's foremost expert on scientific management and came close to achieving his goals before a conservative backlash led to his resignation. In the late 1930s, when war clouds threatened to engulf Europe in another major war and the United States began increasing its military preparedness, he turned his attention again to urging improvements to the navy's still wasteful and inefficient shipyards. His memoir, One Man's Fight for a Better Navy, chronicles his controversial navy career and offers a rare insider's look into an important and often overlooked facet of the U.S. Navy's history.