Noun
United States naval officer and historian (1840-1914)
Source: WordNetAlfred Thayer Mahan a capital ship—the core of any battle fleet—as a vessel able to dish out punishment against a peer navy. Source: Internet
As Alfred Thayer Mahan puts it, a conventional warship bereft of bases or a coterie of logistics ships is a "land bird" unable to fly far from home. Source: Internet