"George Washington's Secret Navy" has been the happy recipient of two awards this year which speak both to the book's scholarship and the fact that it is a fun story to read. The first is the Rodney Houghton Award, given by the National Maritime Historical Society for the best article of the year in its popular "Sea History Magazine." This particular article was an excerpt from "George Washington's Secret Navy" telling the story of naval battle that took place in Machias, Maine, in 1775, the "Lexington and Concord of the Sea." 
   The second award given to the book is the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, presented by the Naval Order of the United States to the author "who by his published writings has made a substantial contribution to the preservation of the history and traditions of the United States Navy." The Morison Award is one of the country's top honors given to maritime authors. Past recipients have included David McCullough and Patrick O'Brian.