When naval historians were public celebrities

When was the golden age of naval history and naval historians?

The Mahan-and-Corbett era was the peak of public fame, though later naval historiography may be better scholarship.

The golden age of naval history depends on whether the measure is public celebrity or scholarly quality. Alfred Thayer Mahan and Julian Corbett became prominent public figures beyond specialist circles. Later naval historiography may be more rigorous and extensive without producing authors of comparable fame. The answer invites readers to distinguish a discipline's intellectual development from the cultural status of its best-known practitioners.