Starting a naval-history research project

How do you structure the beginning of a naval-history research project?

Start with a book worth arguing with and let its claims generate focused questions and source searches.

Start with a book on the chosen subject, preferably one that provokes disagreement. Ask what works and what fails in its argument instead of accepting its structure passively. Comparing those reactions with other works reveals questions worth testing. An argument with a book can therefore become a practical research agenda.