George Daughn talked about his book If by Sea: The Forging of the American Navy, from the Revolution to the War of 1812. He contended that several Founding Fathers rejected the creation of a navy as overly expensive and increasing the likelihood that the U.S. would be drawn into the military conflicts of other nations. He said that these criticisms ended after the Navy proved its value in the War of 1812. Mr. Daughn then answered questions from members of the audience.