Arnold Says These Are the Voyages

The name "Enterprise" is one that has a rich legacy and a long tradition in maritime and naval history.  In These Are The Voyages, author, Arnold van Beverhoudt, tells the story of more than 75 vessels named "Enterprise." This is a fascinating story that stretches from the very real 16th Century battles of the Spanish Armada to the fictional 26th Century voyages of Gene Roddenberry's starships "Enterprise."

Arnold acquaints us with a French frigate that was captured by the British Royal Navy in 1705 and became the first HMS Enterprise. In 1775, the first American "Enterprise" helped to ward off the British during the Revolutionary War. In the early 1800s, the schooner USS Enterprise and her crew fought valiantly against French privateers, the ruthless Barbary pirates of the Mediterranean, the powerful ships of the Royal Navy, and the crafty pirates of the Caribbean. 

The story continues with tales of other vessels named "Enterprise" that explored the frozen Northwest Passage, steamed the seas and rivers of the United States, Canada, Australia, and India for commercial trade, fought valiant battles during World War II, and sailed the oceans of the world for more than 50 years under nuclear power in defense of freedom. But the story of the name "Enterprise" doesn't end there. There were also hydrogen-filled balloons, Goodyear blimps, a NASA space shuttle, and a privately-owned spaceship named "Enterprise." In the fictional world of television and motion pictures, there have also been starships that carried the name "USS Enterprise" into the deepest reaches of space.

In addition to a 130-page narrative history of vessels named Enterprise, These Are The Voyages devotes about 35 pages to appendices.