Books

Battleship Missouri: An Illustrated History

Average customer rating:

Outstanding accuracy of dates & places
Superb Documentary

Battleship Missouri: An Illustrated History
Paul Stillwell
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1557507805

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding accuracy of dates & places.......1998-06-25

I was part of the original crew aboard the Missouri from Commissioning Day, June 11, 1944 until March, 1946 as a Radioman in the CR Division. Paul Stillwell did an outstanding job of giving an accurate account of dates and places involving the USS Missouri from the first bolt installed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard until the present time. I use this book quite often to refresh my memory of the exact dates of various things that happened while I was aboard. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing an accurate history of the USS Missouri = BB63.

Superb Documentary.......1997-04-23

Perhaps I am a bit prejudice since I am also one of the contributors to the book. Before retiring from Civil Service (Navy) I was the configuration manager for the reactivations of the four Battleships. I was familiar with the author's previous works and was very impressed with his attention to the personal stories of the ships. After retirement, I was then free to provide the author any and all personal knowledge of the ship's reactivation period at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Paul selected the best memories I documented and included them superbly into the book. The author does not go into the technical aspects as to how a Battleship is built, leaving that up to other authors more inclined to include how many rivets were driven, etc. Though I wish he had the space to include the TRUE story of the origin of the cracked armor panel in the turret of barbette III. No, it was NOT caused by the grounding in Hampton Roads but was a heat treating surface fracture that occured during manufacture. But technical manuals are not the author's style and I am glad they are not. After all, a ship is really the culmination of dedicated and skilled human beings who built her and the ship's success is the dedication and bravery of the men who sailed her. Paul Stillwell brings this human interest across very well. And, I'm sorry, but I did not buy the book. I was sent an autographed copy by the author which I will treasure forever. Richard A. Landgraff. DREADNAUGHT CONSULTING. Long Beach, Ca.

The Battleship "Yamato" (Anatomy of the Ship)

Average customer rating:

Excellent reference book
The definitive work
An excellent book of line drawings ! (010)
Painstakingly reverse-engineered drawings
A fine book, but not sure why I got it now.

The Battleship "Yamato" (Anatomy of the Ship)
Janusz Skulski
Manufacturer: Conway Maritime Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0851779409

Book Description

This richly detailed tribute to the legendary Yamato is now back in print by popular demand. Equipped with the largest guns and heaviest armor and having the greatest displacement of any ship ever built, the Yamato proved to be a formidable opponent to the U.S. Pacific Fleet in World War II. This classic in the Anatomy of the Ship series contains a full description of the design and construction of the battleship including wartime modifications, and a career history. This is followed by a substantial pictorial section with rare onboard views of Yamato and her sister ship, a comprehensive portfolio of more than 600 perspective and three-view drawings, and 30 photographs. Such a handsome and thorough work is guaranteed to impress modelmakers, ship enthusiasts, and naval historians.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent reference book.......2007-06-13

Fills a void in reference material on the Yamato.

The definitive work.......2007-05-12

For those interested in warships in general, this is a fascinating pictorial of one of the premier capital ships of WWII. For scholars of YAMATO, and particularly those who want to model her, it is simply imperative that you own it. In fact, it is impossible to build a highly detailed model of this ship without this book - don't try to without it.

An excellent book of line drawings ! (010).......2006-06-22

Unlike most books on warships, which tend to focus on areas such as it's service history and technical specifications, which this book does cover, here is a fantastic collection of line drawings. I have several books featuring comprehensive line drawings of aircraft, but I had never seen such a book dedicated to a ship before. The author, a Polish modelmaker by the name of Janusz Skulski, has produced a book of such depth it will astound you. The 3-view plans are accompanied by great descriptive keys, and range from the entire hull and superstructure, liteally right down to individual nuts and bolts. The technical specifications are detailed and the photos, while necessarily brief because hardly any were ever taken of the Yamato, are very imformative. I can not stress enough how impressed I was with the level of detail, it was like looking at the original blueprints!

A top read!

Painstakingly reverse-engineered drawings.......2004-07-30

The Anatomy series will be very familiar with naval history enthusiasts. What makes this special is that all drawings and pictures of these huge ships were ordered destroyed just before the Japanese surrender. Thus the pictorial section is understandably a little briefer than usual, while the drawings section contains many that were painstakingly reverse engineered from the study of photos.

In summary, a notch below the Anatomy of the Dreadnought, but a super effort given the lack of source materials.

A fine book, but not sure why I got it now........2004-02-13

OK, now that I have this book, I'm not sure why I got it. Maybe I should sell it since it seems to have gone out of print again and the used versions have skyrocketed in price! My copy is still in mint condition (barely opened!).

The book is mainly composed of engineering draft quality line drawings of the various parts of the Yamato (some 159 pages), with breakdowns of virtually every external part of the ship conceivable (e.g., masts, gun turret machinery, steam pipe vents, tackle, etc.). Nothing about the innards of the ship.

There's 8 pages of photographs, and sixteen pages of text describing the Yamato's history and construction.

A great book for model builders and Ultra-Enthusiasts of battleships!

Book Description

This lavishly-illustrated volume, first published in 1976 and back by popular demand, presents the full story of the design and construction of every British battleship and battlecruiser class that served in World War II--from the Queen Elizabeth class to the Vanguard. Noted authors Alan Raven and John Roberts include a comprehensive review of each ship's initial configuration and refits as well as developments in weapons, gunnery, fire control, radar, protection, and propulsion. There are also sections devoted to combat actions involving British battleships and comparisons with battleships of other navies. Six hundred photographs and illustrations, including sixteen fold-out pages, complement the authoritative history of the vessels. 436 pages. 300 photographs. 300 illustrations. Hardcover. 9 x 11 inches.

Customer Reviews:

Essential reading.......2007-03-19

Splendid book. Had it ever since it apeared on the market, and find it continuously useful. US Naval Institute SHOULD consider reprinting it with utmost despatch. In the plethora of their titles that border at times on nonsense, this one stands out as a book of value to professionals and amateurs alike, and remains among the outstanding issues on the subject. As per RN's pipe: "Wakey, wakey, USNI, rise and shine, the sun is scotching the eyes out of your head...etc."

The Best RN BB Resource Available.......2006-07-15

After many years, I recently had the opportunity and aquired this book. Simply stated - what a treasure!!!!

This work is the most outstanding & comprehensive work on Royal Navy battleship development from the Queen Elizabeth class to HMS Vanguard published IMHO.

This work has many pictures and line drawings I have never seen before. Additionally, it covers the refits and rebuilds of each class of ship from world war 1 through when Vanguard was ultimately scrapped (1960).

If you have a chance to obtain one, get it!!

UNEQUIVOCALLY THE BEST & MOST USEFUL BATTLESHIP REFERENCE I HAVE EVER READ.......2006-06-08

FIRST THOUGHTS: THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 1st EDITION - VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED [THANK GOODNESS]

Everything I wanted to see on the subject is covered, and quite well. True, this isn't a reader or an operational history of any one ship, but there are plenty of good reads on those subjects. This book stays very focused on its mission.

IN A NUTSHELL - WHAT IS THIS BOOK'S MISSION?

Starting with the Queen Elizabeth Class of 1912 and terminating with the Vanguard of 1946, every British Battleship that participated in, or was built during, World War 2 is given a comprehensive review. Each class of Battleship represents a chapter, and each of these chapters covers [AT LEAST] the following topics;

--* The original configuration and refits as well as developments in weapons/ordnance, gunnery, fire control, radar, stability, armored protection [including underwater] and propulsion.

BUT IT IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A MULTIPLE ANATOMY OF A SHIP --

The impact of the Washington and London treaties were examined from the perspective of their effect on Battleship designs, strategies and efficiencies. Also, the effect of what other countries were reported to be doing or planning in the field of Battleship development was shown to have altered the evolution of the late treaty designed Battleships. All of this was very concisely examined with great detail. Naturally this neatly leads to an examination of the political and naval considerations that led to the King George the 5th design. Quite a trick to have done it so well!

The modernization of the battlefleet is a also examined and we get a close view of to what extent ships were rebuilt in the 1920s and 1930s. The Warspite, of the Queen Elizabeth class is one such example, but the refits and modernizations of every ship was detailed.

The last chapter on Battleship 'types' was devoted to the last British Battleship; THE VANGUARD [CHAPTER 15]. A very interesting ship that unfortunately was not finished until 1946. Nevertheless, studying and then comparing this ship to the earlier 'Queen Elizabeth" types gives a vivid and understandable evolution of Battleship design and theory.

MORE THAN JUST THE SHIPS 'AS BUILT' -

In each chapter's discussion, many alternative designs, as well as, the reasons for choicing one design over another is lucidly explored. Some people may feel this is extraneous, however, this excercise gives the reader a better grasp of what determines how well a Battleship will function according to both its anticipated roles, and reality. For instance, the requirement for air-defences was something that was indeed planned for on an ongoing and increasing basis since before world war 1 in the original 'Royal Sovereign' designs. However, until the second world war demonstrated the actual requirements, air-defense system designs were inadequate, having designs based on earlier assumptions that continuously underestimated the effectiveness of aircraft against heavy ships.

THE LAST 3 CHAPTERS [BELOW] DEAL WITH THE OUTCOME OF BATTLESHIP EVOLUTION

"THE WAR" [CHAPTER 16]: BRITISH 'BATTLESHIP SPECIFIC' ACTIONS IN WORLD WAR 2

These include actions in the following theatres;

-* "HOME WATERS & THE ATLANTIC - 1939-1944"

-* "THE MEDITERRANEAN - 1939-1943"

-* "THE FAR EAST - 1941-1942"

-* "SHORE SUPPORT - 1940-1945"

"CAUSE & EFFECT" [CHAPTER 17]

-* "HEAVY ORDNANCE"
-* "LONG RANGE ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENCE"
-* "CLOSE RANGE ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENCE"
-* "RADAR"
-* "RADAR DEVELOPMENTS FROM 1942"
-* "ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN RADAR"
-* "DIRECTION FINDING EQUIPMENT"
-* "CAMOUFLAGE"
-* "AIRCRAFT"
-* "MACHINERY"
-* "ELECTRICAL SUPPLY AND FITTINGS"
-* "DAMAGE-CONTROL"
-* "WEATHER DAMAGE"

"AT WHAT PRICE" [CHAPTER 18]

-* "GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS"

-* "COMPARISON WITH FOREIGN SHIPS"

-* "ULTIMATE FATES OF BRITISH BATTLESHIPS"

BOTTOM LINE: THE VERY BEST BOOK ON SHIP DESIGN I HAVE EVER READ

The most fitting thing I can say about this text, is simply this: "BRITISH BATTLESHIPS OF WORLD WAR 2" is detailed enough for anyone yet, written in such an organized and coherent manner that anyone with ample reading comprehension can draw a great deal of insight from it, without having previous experience in military history or warships. The "Appendices" and "Explanatory Notes" at the beginning and end of the book provide much of the needed background info and explainations of jargon that many readers might need to enhance their comprehension.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: ALL OF THEIR BOOKS ARE QUITE GOOD

Alan Raven and John Roberts have written some of the most awesome naval history books separately and together including; "BATTLESHIP DREADNOUGHT : Revised Edition "Anatomy of the Ship", "Die britischen Schlachtschiffe des Zweiten Weltkrieges", "Aircraft Carrier 'Intrepid'", "Battlecruisers", "Essex-Class Carriers (Warship Design Histories)". This book, however, is by far their best and is similar in scope and quality to Norman Friedman's "U.S. BATTLESHIPS, AN ILLUSTRATED DESIGN HISTORY", which Alan Raven contributed 'ship plans' to!

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

-* "U.S. BATTLESHIPS, AN ILLUSTRATED DESIGN HISTORY", NORMAN FRIEDMAN with 'Ship Plans' by Alan Raven.

-* "THE BATTLESHIP DREADNOUGHT [ANATOMY OF THE SHIP], John Roberts

Excellent for naval buffs, wargamers.......2004-06-25

For each class of ships covered, has extensive discussion of design evolution. Ship modification history is well treated - modifications are grouped into decade-long periods, in which ships got refreshed with bulges, AA armament, better rangefinders etc.

There is much discussion of the advancing naval technologies, and their impact on the fighting value of the ships. This kind of treatment, written in a single volume comparing apples to apples, is of great background value to wargamers and those interested in game design.

There are other books available that more thoroughly cover the WW1 period of some of these ships.

A more thorough set of photos and drawings accompany the text in the Anatomy series, but these books cover only one vessel each, and not all these classes are represented in that series.

Compared with "Allied Battleships" by Garzke and Dulin, they intersect on coverage only with the KGVs and the Vanguard, so a buyer would choose on the basis of interest in British ships only vs French, Russian and Dutch ships.

The Best Reference BUT.............2003-10-17

As many have mentioned before, this is the best reference book on its subject. HOWEVER, inquire before ordering. According to NIP this book is not being reprinted as scheduled.

DREADNOUGHT GUNNERY AT THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND: FIRE CONTROL AND THE ROYAL NAVY 1892-1919 (Cass Series--Naval Policy and History)

Average customer rating:

Excellent work
Detailed Analysis of Fire Control & Tactics at Jutland
Rare history of fire control; expensive

DREADNOUGHT GUNNERY AT THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND: FIRE CONTROL AND THE ROYAL NAVY 1892-1919 (Cass Series--Naval Policy and History)
John Brooks
Manufacturer: RoutledgeFalmer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

World War I | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0714657026

Book Description

In 1913, the Admiralty rejected Arthur Pollen's Argo system for the Dreyer fire control tables. Many naval historians now believe that, consequently, British dreadnoughts were fitted with a system that, despite being partly plagiarized from Pollen's, was inferior: and that the Dreyer Tables were a contributory cause in the sinking of Indefatigable and Queen Mary at Jutland. This book provides new and revisionist accounts of the Dreyer/Pollen controversy, and of gunnery at Jutland. In fire control, as with other technologies, the Royal Navy had been open, though not uncritically, to innovations. The Dreyer Tables were better suited to action conditions (particularly those at Jutland). Beatty's losses were the result mainly of deficient tactics and training: and his battle cruisers would have been even more disadvantaged had they been equipped by Argo.

After a foreword by Professor Andrew Lambert, the book reviews critically recent studies of fire control, and describes the essentials of naval gunnery inthe dreadnought era. It follows the development of the Pollen and Dreyer systems, refutes the charges of plagiarism and explains Argo's rejection. It outlines the German fire control system: and uses contemporary sources in a critical reassessment of Beatty's tactics throughout the Battle of Jutland.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent work.......2006-08-09

This book is one of the best descriptions of the process of developing a new technology that I have ever read. As a project manager it was enlightening to see the path other tech projects have taken and how the interacting factors of cost, technology and personalities affect the final outcome, as well as the more obvious ones of actual technical merit. It is also wonderful to see such a well reaseached and even handed examination of the question of fire control development in the pre-WW1 Royal Navy.

Detailed Analysis of Fire Control & Tactics at Jutland.......2005-12-08

In the long history of the big gun battleship, there was really only one battle between two nearly equal navies - Jutland. While the British was nominally the victor, both sides had enough success to claim victory. The German fleet did not venture out to sea again.

Although this battle took place almost 90 years ago, it is surprising to find that arguments of a technical nature are still being refreshed. One such argument has revolved around the fire control mechanism used by the Royal Navy at that time. It is clear that the Germans did better shooting, scoring 34 hits on British ships while the British bot some 11 hits on the Germans.

There were two competing fire control systems in the Royal Navy. One Developed by Arthur Pollen, a civilian, the other by Frederic Dreyer, a serving naval officer. The Navy selected the Dreyer system. This book is by John Brooks, a computer expert who was able to apply modern systems analysis technics to the two systems. He also analyzed the tactics used by the commanders to present a rather new conclusion about the battle.

Other recent research, not mentioned in this book is that the British fuzes were inferior and that several German ships returned to port with unexploded British shells embedded in them.

Rare history of fire control; expensive.......2005-09-26

Brooks' premise in this book is an argument contrary to the prevailing view that Pollen's clocks were superior to Dreyer's, and that this contributed to the poor results obtained at Jutland. If you have never heard of Pollen (or Argo) or Dreyer, then this book is not for you.

To properly tell this story, Brooks goes into some detail about the complexities of long range gunnery, target prediction and so on. His refutation necessarily hinges on the dates of specific proposals, prototypes and tests. We are treated to a detailed description of exactly how fire control improved year-by-year between 1900 and 1918 - this is fabulous stuff for wargamers. This also gives him an excuse to delve into the Jutland controversy, in which chapter he portrays Beatty as an heroic figure but a hopeless tactician, and responsible for the defeat of his squadron.

The primary thrust of the book, though, is of secondary interest to me, namely, who of the protagonists Pollen and Dreyer stole what from whom. Both gifted individuals, Brooks describes them as being flawed characters, and he does so at great length including what must be every commercial transaction between Pollen and the Admiralty.

The book could use a few more diagrams. The ones included are pretty good although mostly they appear to be taken from either original blueprints or training manuals.

We now come to the question of value. If you are reading this review then you must be a battleship, Jutland or naval history nut (like me). We should be grateful that fresh works like this are even being published. Nevertheless, considering the price, I did something of a double-take when I beheld the smallness of the volume. While the content is a 5-star experience, I feel compelled to withhold a star on grounds of value.

U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History

Average customer rating:

Plenty of raw data to chew on.
THE BEST VOLUME COVERING THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF U.S. BATTLESHIP DEVELOPMENT
US Battleships: An Illustrated History
Full of detail and unexpected nuggets
A very fine addition to your library

U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History
Norman Friedman
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History

ASIN: 0870217151

Customer Reviews:

Plenty of raw data to chew on........2007-06-08

Better diagrams with arrows pointing to features would be
most helpful. Photos with overlayed arrows would help too.
Author assumes reader has more knowledge than me. I'm just
a beginner and need more help in understanding the complex
nature of the ships.
The information in the book is all grade A material but just
a bit over my head the way it is presented.
If my interest persists I will someday give the book a higher
recommendation.

THE BEST VOLUME COVERING THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF U.S. BATTLESHIP DEVELOPMENT.......2006-06-08

FIRST THOUGHTS: SIMILAR TO "BRITISH BATTLESHIPS OF WW2", by RAVEN & ROBERTS

Very similar in scope and organizational structure to Alan Raven's and John Robert's, "British Battleships of World War 2". Incidentally, Alan Raven is co-credited with supplying the 'ship plans' for this book. Naturally, this book covers an entirely different fleet, so the two volumes are ideal companions on my bookshelf.

IN A NUTSHELL: CONCISE + DETAILED + INTERESTING + ILLUSTRATED = HIGH UTILITY

This interesting design history includes 'all' U.S. Battleship designs [as well as proposed designs and proposed classes]. This history begins [actually begins on page 405 - appendix 1] with the civil war and post civil war monitors. From chapter 1, "THE PRE-DREADNOUGHTS", through chapter 15, "THE MONTANA CLASS", the book proceeds in linear fashion, with new chapter introducing and examing a new and improved [hopefully] class of Battleships.

NOT JUST THE FINISHED GOODS -

In each chapter's discussion, many alternative designs, as well as, the reasons for choicing one design over another is lucidly explored. Some people may feel this is extraneous, however, this excercise gives the reader a better grasp of what determines how well a Battleship will function according to both its anticipated roles, and reality. For instance, the requirement for air-defences was something that was indeed planned for on an ongoing and increasing basis since world war 1. However, until the second world war demonstrated the actual requirements, air-defense system designs were inadequate, having designs based on earlier assumptions that continuously underestimated the effectiveness of aircraft against heavy ships.

BOTTOM LINE: NORMAN FRIEDMAN & THE NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS = CLASSIC MUST HAVE VOLUME

"U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History", by Norman Friedman skillfully and palatably provide the reader with the insight to grasp, 'WHAT THE BATTLESHIPS' PURPOSE IS', 'HOW BATTLESHIPS FUNCTION', and 'THE COMPONENTS THAT PRODUCE THAT FUNCTION'. In essence, after reading this book carefully, the reader armed with an enhanced grasp of the topics, may find an interest in designing ships and reading a lot more on the subject.

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

-* "BRITISH BATTLESHIPS OF WORLD WAR 2", by Alan Raven and John Roberts, 1976

-* "U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, AN ILLUSTRATED DESIGN HISTORY", NORMAN FRIEDMAN, 1983

US Battleships: An Illustrated History.......2006-02-25

This is the most comprehensive volume on the history of the American Battleship I have ever read. The plates are very descriptive and informative and the subject matter is covered in depth with detail I had never read before.

I would say this is best volume on the subject.

Les Williamson

Full of detail and unexpected nuggets.......2004-08-02

This is a comprehensive, large volume, with extensive text, line drawings (by Alan Raven) and photos. The prospective purchaser should be aware that a generous portion of the book is given to detailing large numbers of alternative designs - if you are interested only in ships actually built then you might skip over these sections.

Friedman is a fine author, deeply studied in naval affairs and an entertaining read.

A very fine addition to your library.......2003-09-15

I both scratch build models and study US Naval history. This book gives excellent reasons why the US rebuilt its seapower after the 20 suspension of Naval building following the American Civil War.

One of the best parts of this book is Dr. Friedman includes are the "post civil war" monitors in the design history. Monitors are not battleships in a proper sense. However, Dr. Friedman's giving them a seperate chapter does show that he concluded, correctly, that the Monitors were considered capital ships up until the time of the Spanish-American war.

Furthermore, Dr. Friedman pulls no punches regarding the short comings of American ships. In words, American ships are slow and were often 2rd class in design. But, he defends the reasons why the US Navy kept the old triple expansion steam engine rather than going over to the HMS Dreadnought type steam turbines. American ships had severe design limitations imposed by the US Congress and the operational requirements of having to steam far distances to the Southern Pacific area. So, American ships were designed for long distances and economy, not speed. No other navy in the world had such different design requirements forced upon them. The fact of the matter is a small battleship, such as the c. 1910 era USS Michigan, had a greater range than most Royal Navy ships of the same era on much less tonnage. But, the cost of this is the USS Michigan could only steam at 18 knots rather than the 22 knots the typical post Dreadnought Class British Battleship.

Dr. Friedman goes into detail about the problems of the last ten America battleships. The North Carolina class had a bad vibration problem. On paper they looked better than the British KGV class. However, the NC class had vibration problems and powder handling would have been deemed unacceptable by the Royal Navy. Indeed, the powder problems come to haunt America in 1989. The Alabama class was excessively crampted by any standard and that class was seen merely as a war expedient. The Iowa nearly failed as a design because the turret design was not reconciled with the hull design. Bluntly, the turret almost didn't fit on the Iowa and this nearly led to the failure of the class. Also, a torpedo hit on the North Carolina led the US Navy to nearly "blister" the Iowa class. However, the fast battleship's speed would have fallen to 30 knots: the US navy was unwilling to give up the speed for protection.

From a ship scratch building point-of-view, there are few other better publicans than this one. Presently, this writer is working on the USS Kearsarge, launched c. 1900 and modeling fit will be from 1912. Dr. Friedman give reasons for the Kearsarge's ununusual design (and why no other nation followed it) and then why the ship was rebuilt in the 1912 era.

This reviewer didn't mind the lact of follow-up to the end-of-the-battleships. The battleships in 1980 were seen as an inexpensive way to bring back massive firepower into the US Navy. However, the 1989 explosion in the US Iowa was caused by poor powder handling techniques. Also, American logistics could not afford the maintenance costs of the battleships. In addition, technology had passed the guns of the battleships. Modular type warships using evolved US Army MRLS rocket systems may be the future of ship-to-shore attack (litorial conflict). The US Naval Institute publication, "Proceedings" had an extensive article on the demise of return of the Battleship in 2000. Dr. Friedman could only follow up the rebuilding battleships in the 1980s era with the nearly as quick exit of the battleship in the post Gulf War era.

This reviewer is not a US Navy Veteran. However, I have done a fair amount of study of American sea power. Dr. Friedman sets the standard for writing on American Naval Ship design. This review owns four of Dr. Friedmans "Illustrated" series and has read every one of them.

No reader of Dr. Friedman will come away disappointed. Dr. Friedman is an excellent writer.

Book Description

This volume is the definitive guide to one of the great surviving battleships of World War II, visited by thousands of tourists each year at its berth near Houston. Filled with contemporary photographs of the ship from stem to stern, as well as historical shots, Battleship Texas will fascinate anyone interested in naval history and in one of Texas' best-loved state park attractions.

Customer Reviews:

More discussion of diagrams.......2002-10-23

A fabulous and interesting book about a fascinating part of history. Much of the artistry is actually in the pictures, diagrams, and text themselves.

Mr. Powers actually got some of the original Navy blueprints from the ship's construction, and this was the source of the drawings in the book. Occasional compromises were made in the amount of detail the diagrams offer due to space constraints.

Nonetheless this is a beautiful and fascinating way to learn more about this historic ship.

Great Pictures.......2002-07-23

The reason to buy this book is the excelent photographs of the details of the ship. As a B&W picture book, it is excelent.

The text is generally weak with a number of technical errors. The author comes across as a fawning admirer rather an expert.

The book could have been much improved with more complete diagrams of the ship. (Has plans but not of the superstructure or lower decks.)

Superb photography.......1997-03-28

The Battleship Texas, now a museum, is a great attraction for tourists to the San Jacinto Monument and Battlegrounds near Houston, Texas.

Normal tourists wander through the ship, shoot a few pictures and leave.

Hugh Power, who lives on Galveston Island nearby, fell in love with the ship, its history and photo opportunity. He spent, to my knowledge, 3 years photographing every nook and cranny of the Battleship.

He took pictures morning and evening, at noon, with and without flash, from this angle and that. He spent hours in his darkroom developing the pictures, experimenting with different exposures and using all the tricks in the trade to create black & white art.

Book Description

Translated by Geoffrey Brooks.

The Deutschland, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee were revolutionary warships when they first appeared in the 1930s and proved formidable opponents of the Allies in World War II. This valuable reference book, using the same successful format as companion volumes on the battleships of the Bismarck and Scharnhorst classes, traces the development of the Deutschland class and charts its wartime career. Detailed statistical information is included along with the career history of each vessel, and supplemented with extracts from the ships' logs and official battle reports. Supporting the text throughout are illustrations of technical plans, camouflage drawings, maps, and hundreds of previously unpublished photographs.

With the displacement of a cruiser and the armament of a battleship, these pocket battleships proved their worth in World War II, according to the author, a World War II veteran of the Kriegsmarine. The Deutschland operated against merchant ships in the Atlantic and, renamed Lutzow, undertook anti-convoy operations in the Arctic before being scuttled in 1945 to prevent her falling into the hands of the Soviets. The Admiral Scheer raided the South Atlantic and was then relegated to the Baltic before serving as floating artillery against the Red Army in 1945. The Admiral Graf Spee had the most dramatic career of the class, raiding the South Atlantic before being scuttled off Montevideo.

Customer Reviews:

Good pictures and text, mediocre drawings...........2001-12-03

This is a must have if you are building a Lutzow/Deutschland Class model and need good picture references. Fairly good text and statistics. The only drawback are the line drawings which are far too small in scale (you need a magnifying glass) to be of any use and the camouflage drawings which are done in black and white and are also of limited use. Otherwise, tons of very useful black and white photos...

Average customer rating:

Very good look of all the world's battleships in WWII
Whitley being Whitley
Best book on Battleships
Awfully brief for an Encylcopedia
A Pretty Good Effort

Battleships of World War Two
M.J. Whitley
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld Military
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0304359572

Book Description

Encyclopedic in scope, this single-volume reference is devoted to the one hundred battleships that served or were under construction in World War II. The handsome work details and illustrates the design and construction of each class of battleship with complete histories for each ship.

Customer Reviews:

Very good look of all the world's battleships in WWII.......2006-08-08

This book gives two tales that justify some of the stars. First, you can use this book for proof of when the USA goes up to Chile and asks to purchase their only battleship, the "Almirante Latorre", to make good the losses of Pear Harbor after December 7, 1941. That's sort of weird because that battleship is not really much better than a "Texas" class ship. Second, Germany sinks the last battleship of WWII. The Russians were given an Italian battleship, the "Guido Cesare", as part of the war prizes given out after WWII. In 1955 the ex-Italian Soviet battleship, now called "Novorossik" sets off a German mine from WWII, started taking a list, the Soviets send in new sailors to hand pump out the ship, it rolls over, and was loss with a fantastic amount of life. Over 500 Soviet sailors died when the Novorossik sank in October of 1955.

Yes, the book has simple drawings of the battleships. But, it does a fairly good job of showing the simple lines of the ships. I scaled some of the drawings, the Graf Spee is about 1/1150 scale. The larger battleships scale out even smaller. You will have to use other books, like the Osprey book on Pocket battleships, if you want specific and detailed information on a particular ship.

Neither the German or Greek pre-dreadnoughts of WWII are in this book. The author gives a good reason why with an explanation of the USS Arkansas battleship. The Wyoming is a sistership of Arkansas. However, Wyoming was removed as a battleship in compliance with the Washington treaty of 1933. So she was not a battleship and her service life was of no matter in this book. The German and Greek pre-dreadnoughts were either training ships or fire support ships, not true battleships. Thus they are not a subject of this book.

However, I liked this book. It gives a good break down of the size of the ships, their tonnages, and the arms. Also, as in the case of the extensively rebuilt American ships, it gives rebuilt figures for tonnages, speed, range, and arms. One of the more interesting tales was a Soviet battleship was rebuilt to burn wood. Yes, while British and American ships burned oil in WWII a Soviet ship was modified to burn wood because all the Soviet coal was needed for their war effort. In addition, this book gives the reasons for the ships losses or their fates. The USS Texas and some other American ships are turned into war memorials. Last, it gives the fate of all the ships. The vast majority are scrapped from about 1947 until 1959. Since the book was written in '97 the USS Missouri and USS New Jersey have become war memorials. Iowa and Wisconsin will become museums but just where has not quite been decided as of the date of this review.

M. J. Whitley does a wonderful job following the American battleship development of pre-1935. The Pennsylvania to the New Mexico class are all very close in lines. Whitley does a masterful job showing how these ships are all evolved from one another. Indeed, the true ships that are the genesis of all American battleships are the Nevada class.

Whitley also shows the aborted German "H" class battleship, kind of like a super Bismarck class ship with 16" guns. This is done with both the British and the Soviets. However, since the American Montana class is never laid down it's not the subject of analysis of this book.

I use this book as a general reference tool. It has a nice and compact write up of all the world's battleships in world war two. It has the service records of the ships, modifications made in their use, and general write up of their designs.

This book is worth it's four stars if you can find it on discount or at your local used book store. I didn't pay much for the book and it now is a useful part of my library. A useful reference book is what we collectors want.

Whitley being Whitley.......2001-11-11

I love the way Whitley compresses it all into one volume that won't chew a hole in your wallet. This is not the last word in battleship references, but it's among the best first words you can find. The one weakness is in its illustrations. Modelers can pass this one by. The line drawings look like the author did them himself, out of necessity--which is actually the case. And there are no armor schematics. However, Whitley goes beyond where other references (like Conway's) grind to a halt, and he goes to the trouble of describing the armor layout rather than simply slapping statistics onto the page. What it lacks in detail, it makes up for with its handiness and broad scope. I'm aware of its limitations, especially where the author was trying to pry information out of Russian and Japanese sources, but I find myself getting plenty of use out of it.

Best book on Battleships.......2000-08-25

This is clearly the best book I have seen on battleships. The content level compared to cost was good enough that I ordered the authors books on cruisers and destroyers without seeing them.

Awfully brief for an Encylcopedia.......2000-07-20

M. J. Whitley does his best to describe the world's capital ships of the WWII era but just does not devote enough material to adequately cover the rebuilt ships from the WWI era, the new designs laid down and completed in the 1930's and 1940's, and the designs planned but not laid down or completed. As with his book on Aircraft Carrier Development, the line drawings are crude and not particuarly accurate. Mr. Whitley includes descriptions of the Soviet dreadnoughts laid down in 1938-39-40 (Sovietskii Soyuz class) but indicates nothing about the U. S. Montana class, which were the first US design to be wider than the locks of the Panama Canal. Overall, the material contained here can be found to much better effect in other references.

A Pretty Good Effort.......1999-12-26

Battleships of World War Two : An International Encyclopedia by Whitley is actually pretty good, especially compared to some of his other efforts. There seem to be fewer editorial errors compared to his book on cruisers and all in all the historical information is useful. Modelers should note that the drawings are pretty useless, which is consistent with the books in this series.

Book Description

Late in the morning of May 27th, 1941, the German battleship Bismarck was sunk by an overwhelming British armada in a fierce battle that lasted ninety minutes. Admiral Günther Lütjens, Captain Ernst Lindemann and 2,206 men of her crew were lost; only 115 survived.

Five days earlier, at 5:00 p.m. on May 22nd, an RAF reconnaissance plane flying low off the coast of Norway spotted four large warships in the sea below. At 32,000 tons apiece, the sight of the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau was shocking enough; even more so was the sight of the 42,000-ton sister ships— the pride of the German navy—Bismarck and Tirpitz, ships shrouded in myth, awesome and mysterious behemoth's of destruction. Their purpose in these waters was obvious and chilling: the German navy was sending this powerful four- battleship task force to seize control of the North Atlantic sea lanes. What was at stake in the late spring of 1941 was nothing less than the survival of a free Britain. With almost all of Europe under Hitler's thumb, and the United States still frustratingly neutral, Britain alone was left to fight Germany. The only hope lay in the convoy route across the North Atlantic to the United States—the "arsenal of democracy"—and the promise of its vast industrial might and agricultural bounty. The fate of Britain and the United States—the fate of the free world—hung in the balance as the German flotilla made for the open seas. All knew that the destruction of the Bismarck would be a dramatic turning point in the war.

Noted historians Bercuson and Herwig have uncovered much new information on the Bismarck, including a close examination of the wreck itself, discovered on the ocean floor only in 1989. In addition, hitherto closed British and United States diplomatic files have been opened, revealing secret diplomatic maneuverings between Churchill and Roosevelt. This new information has allowed them to tell the full story of the Bismarck for the first time, from the key strategic decisions of the national leaders, to the gripping hour-by-hour account of the battle. This is history of the best sort, at once vivid and authoritative—the definitive account of one of the most dramatic and momentous events of the Second World War.

Customer Reviews:

Internally Inconsistant.......2007-01-28

I did not finish this book. Some paragraphs, such as about the radar equipment on the Bismarck, I read a couple of times before realizing that the problem was not my understanding, but contradictory statements in the writing.

The Sinking of Germany's Supership.......2004-03-01

In May, 1941, Germany unleashed a terror in the Atlantic; the battleship Bismarck. At over 50,000 tons and armed with 15 inch main guns, the Bismarck was the most powerful battleship afloat at the time. Germany's objective was to unleash the Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in the Atlantic through the Denmark Strait against the vulnerable British convoys making their way across the Atlantic. These convoys were usually guarded by destroyers and corvettes, which would be no match for the heavy guns of the German ships. The transports would be slaughtered.

Due to information received by Swedish spies, the British were alerted to the Germans' plans. Two British Spitfires were sent to fly over a Norwegian fijord to discover if the Bismarck was at anchor. Sure enough, the Spitfires spotted the German ships. However, the Germans were still able to proceed into the Atlantic while the British were left trying to decide how to deal with them.

The British had two cruisers stationed near the Denmark Strait, and they eventually made radar contact with the German ships. The British managed to shadow the German ships and maintain radar contact while alerting other British forces to the location of the Bismarck. Two British battleships, the Hood and Prince of Wales, set course for the Bismarck. The Hood was the pride of the British fleet. She had the same size guns as the Bismarck, but much thinner armor. The British captain made several errors which, in the end, would turn out to be fatal. Instead of allowing each ship to fight independently of one another, both were forced to move in conjunction together. This allowed the Germans to "cross the T", allowing full broadsides to bear on the British, while the British ships could only fire with their forward guns. The Germans' fire support radar was also superior to the British, and soon the Bismarck had the range. In under six minutes, the Bismarck destroyed the Hood and severely damaged the Prince of Wales. Only three men survived from the Hood.

The chase continued for several more days and several thousand miles of ocean, with the Germans losing the British, and the British finally finding the Germans again. Other units of the Royal Navy had been following the Bismarck, and finally were close enough to launch an air attack against her. The only planes the British had available were obsolete Swordfish torpedo bombers, but they bravely took off from the aircraft carrier Ark Royal to attack the Bismarck. The Bismarck put up an umbrella of anti-aircraft fire, but the Bismarck suffered a torpedo hit in her most vital area; her steering gear. Now only able to manuver in a circle, the Bismarck became easy prey for the other pursuing warships. The following day, the British battleships attacked, and soon the Bismarck was a flaming wreck. Torpedoes finally put an end to her, and she disappeared under the waves of the Atlantic.

This book gives a very good account of the Bismarck chase. From the description of the German commanders, Admiral Lutjens and Captain Lindemann as well as the British commanders Pound and Tovey, to the sinking itself, the reader is drawn in by the excitement of the hunt. Lindemann and Lutjens never got along. Lutjens was a strict by the book commander who very rarely shared any information with anyone, while Lindemann was well-liked by his crew and loved his ship and continually feuded with Lutjens, all the while saying he would not have his ship "shot out from under him". Indeed, it was Lutjens and his constant radio messages to the German command that enabled the British to find the Bismarck in the first place.

One aspect of the book that I found intriguing was the participation by the United States in the hunt for the Bismarck. I was unaware that an American coast guard cutter could have directed British torpedo planes toward the Bismarck.

The chase and sinking are presented in great hour-by-hour detail throughout the book, as well as secret manuverings between Churchill and Roosevelt. Read this book and discover the story about one of the dramatic turning points of World War II.

The Destruction of the BISMARCK.......2003-06-21

This book is disappointing. It has factual errors and tries to interjecta "subplot," as it were, of considerable American involvement in the BISMARCK operation. An American officer was flying a patrol plane that spotted BISMARCK, and the American Coast Guard cutter MODOC encounteredBISMARCK and pursuing British ships.Some "American involvement," huh?Let me sum up: If you know nothing at all about the BISMARCK operation, there's only two books you need to read: Battleship BISMARCK: A Survivor's Story by Mullenheim-Rechberg, and Pursuit: The Chase and Sinking of the Battleship BISMARCK by Ludovic Kennedy.

great book.......2003-04-11

I have just finished this book and it rates at least 4 star.
The book covers a lot of ground including personalities, and
interesting details such as activities of secondary ships.
It informed me of some of the naval strategies and history
which added to the experience. The authors style is very readable
and I finished it in short order.

Too much speculation........2003-02-19

Although good in parts, this book has numerous problems, the most annoying of which (for me) was the intrusion of speculation into what is supposed to be a historical work. The authors over-play the US involvement in the hunt for the Bismarck - yes, Churchill was trying to bring the US in to the war, yes, FDR was doing his best to help despite opposition at home, and this is an interesting area to explore, but the US involvement in this particular episode was negligible. The Bismarck (while being tailed by British warships) was overflown by US planes and spotted by one US coastguard vessel, but the authors present no evidence of active support or even of the sightings being reported, despite implying that the coast guard cutter directed a British torpedo bomber attack. Similarly, they spend a great deal of time discussing the presence of an old US battleship patroling the western Atlantic, ignoring the fact that at its closest it was 2100 miles away and took no part in the hunt. Their attempt to suggest that it was ordered to help in the search is undermined by their tacit admission that there is no evidence of any such order. I can only conclude that the authors added this material to try to attract US readers - something the story could do by itself if they had written a better book.

Battleship Musashi: The Making and Sinking of the Worlds Biggest Battleship

Average customer rating:

Interesting construction history
Some insights but not at all complete not for the novice
NOT WHAT I EXPECTED -- BUT A PLEASANT SURPRISE NEVERTHELESS
The perspective of a young warrior.
An Interesting, if Nearly Irrelevant, Chapter of WWII in the Pacific

Battleship Musashi: The Making and Sinking of the Worlds Biggest Battleship
Akira Yoshimura
Manufacturer: Kodansha International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 4770024002

Customer Reviews:

Interesting construction history.......2007-05-18

This is the kind of book I enjoy reading--it has an immense engineering feat to be accomplished, major obstacles, security issues, and the project is critical to the nation as a whole. I'd give it 5 stars, but I still had that "if only" feeling, the kind you get when you've had just enough to get your interest but not enough to really satisfy you. I like technical details, and more would have been better. For instance, the specialized ship built to haul the guns isn't illustrated (I've never seen a picture of it) and is only barely described, but that ship was essential to the whole construction process. However, I realize that pictures and documentation of Japanese ships are rare due to document destruction at the end of the war, so if this is all there is, so be it.

One of the more jarring (but accurate) aspects of the book is how the Japanese handle security. "Questioning" a suspect involves torture and beatings, the whole Chinese community in Nagasaki is rounded up and terrorized, and the city itself is sometimes shut down with an air of casualness about it.

Some insights but not at all complete not for the novice.......2006-07-04

The title is somewhat deceptive as the text goes more into the secrecy around the building of the ship as it was a private yard who build Musashi. Details are given how they shielded the ship from foreign eyes as there were foreign owned houses with a view of the area.

Problems with a missing blueprint and also launching of the ship are interesting but you only get bits of the actual contruction of the ship. This book is only for the enthusiast who knows a lot of the ships already and for example has read Lengerers article of the Japanese super battleship strategy.
The book gives almost nothing about the design.
The three star is for the enthusiast but for the novice the book is only a one star. The description of the sinking is acceptable but the article from Tim Thornton in Warship no 45 (jan 88) is in my opinion better. But the secrecy problems gives interesting insights in a way that I have seldom seen.
Therefor it is difficult to rate the book, for those who are not interested in the positive aspects that I have mentioned - stay away.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED -- BUT A PLEASANT SURPRISE NEVERTHELESS.......2006-04-30

IN A NUTSHELL: A TRUE STORY ABOUT THE MIND SET OF A DESPERATE JAPAN

The book is a short, easy, and an interesting read for most people acquainted with naval construction and operations. It is broken into two distinct parts; the construction of the ship [under a cloak of extreme secrecy], and its short life as one of a class of two, of the most extreme battleship designs ever constructed. Both the designs of the ships and the mindset of the navy that ordered them are interwoven and born of a need to somehow prevail over a greatly superior adversary. In that light, this book is fascinating as it reveals this rather empirically. In reading "Battleship Musashi", I felt and empathized with the Japanese of the era by witnessing [through the written accounts] some of the motivations and experiences of the Japanese people during the period. Many of the goals that were to be achieved with this new class of vessel embodied the rather unique hopes and ideas that the Japanese people had at the time, compared to westerners. This book stresses these cultural themes in the context of the construction and destruction of an incredible symbol of Japanese Imperial power.

Though I would have preferred reading more detailed accounts of the design criteria and ship operations, it was a fast and worthwhile read. In the end, the invincible Battleship Musashi shared the same fate as the rest of the Imperial Japanese Empire, and this book is a requiem to both.

The perspective of a young warrior........2006-02-18

This translated book will not satisfy anyone looking for explicit ship building details, or decriptions of a glorious naval battle.

As with all books that I have read, I found some information that I otherwise didn't have before I read the book. For starters, the Matsui was not the largest battleship, but the sister ship of the Yamato. I doubt whether anyone then or now could tell you which ship was technically the largest. The Matsui was the newer of the two, and had some equipment the Matsui did not have. I have read the two books written by former young officers who served on both, and this is more technical, but not by much.

You will learn from reading that the reason the Japanese had 18.1 inch guns rather than the 16 inch guns of US Batttleships was due to the US's requirement to defend both coasts and thus navigate the Panama Canal. Apparently, the design of the main battery guns required such breadth that 16 inches was the maximum.

This ship was built in the Nagasaki shipyard, which was the target of the second and last Atomic bomb. I have often heard anti US/nuclear propaganda that Nagasaki was not a military target. Anyone with any objective sense would have to concede that destroying a shipyard capable of building such a weapon qualifies as a military target.

Finally, the book provides an insight into the mindset of a young Japanese Naval officer. His view of the world around him was pragmatic and quite un-western. His service to his country had a religious zeal. Surrender does not carry the same stigma for Americans, as it did for the Japanese in WWII. Our leaders asked for sacrifice, but they did allow major forces to surrender when the end was inevitable. (The Philipines). The Nazi's and the military cabal of Tojo never considered surrender as an option, and prefered suicide as a military tactic.

For those who still argue about the morality of using atomic weapons against such an enemy, read this book. It may give you a different perspective of an "already defeated" enemy.

An Interesting, if Nearly Irrelevant, Chapter of WWII in the Pacific.......2006-01-07

This is a short book that chronicles the amazing construction and the practically useless battle experience of the 2nd Yamato class battleship, the HIJMS Musashi.

It is basically split up into two quite distinct sections. The first two thirds or so of the book is concerned with the construction of the Musashi in the Nagasaki shipyards and is told from the point of view of the senior engineers and shipyard leadership, and their Navy overseers. The story of the Musashi's construction and launch is rather amazing, especially because of the security paranoia of the Japanese during the late '30's. What struck me as an engineer in industry was just how familiar the organization and methods of the Nagasaki shipyard design offices were back then, with the notable exception that workers who made mistakes or gossiped about their job simply "disappeared" of course. How the engineers and the Japanese Navy managed to upgrade the Nagasaki facilities to build and launch the Musashi, to prevent it from careening across Nagasaki bay and beaching itself on the nearby opposite shore, and keep the construction and launching a complete secret even though it took place in the heart of major city made for some pretty absorbing reading at times. It's also filled with interesting little facts, such as the explanation of how the caliber of a battleship's main gun determines its necessary width. Based on this the Japanese planned to beat American battleships by mounting 9 x 18.1 inch guns on the Musashi and Yamato, while the need to traverse the Panama Canal limited their American counterparts to 9 x 16 inch guns.

The last third of the book was a little less strong, following the Musashi along its completely undistinguished operational career and told from the viewpoint of no one in particular. Nonetheless you get a clear picture of the highly paradoxical and at times anachronistic thinking of the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII, a fighting force that is normally cited for being extremely efficient, effective, and innovative. Yet the nation that showed the world how to fight with aircraft carriers in the first part of the war showed none of these qualities when it came to using their giant super-battleships, ships made useless by their own early operational innovations. For the majority of the war the Yamato and Musashi sat in Truk Lagoon and then Palau doing not much of anything. Officially they were waiting for a giant decisive gun battle with the U.S. Navy, but other than occasionally running away from air raids or briefly chasing false leads about the location of the U.S. Fleet they pretty much sat around, trying not to waste fuel. At one point the Musashi was even used as a freighter with bombs, fuel and equipment lashed to the deck, making it surely their worst designed freighter in history. This unsurprisingly came to nothing however as heavy seas started moving the cargo and it had to be thrown overboard. Nearing a couple years of service in the midst of the largest theater in the largest war of human history, the largest battleship in human history had basically consumed some fuel and thrown equipment over the sides.

Finally during the battle of the Philippine Seas the Yamato and Musashi get to at least try to take part in the long awaited massive gun to gun battle with the U.S. Navy. Unfortunately the Musashi gets picked off by American carrier aircraft. The ordeal of the survivors, like any group of men on a warship battered and sunk, is indeed truly harrowing. Their treatment at the hands of the Japanese government which wanted to hide the loss of the ship from the public was particularly shameful.

A quick and interesting read for people who want to know about the Japanese Yamato class battleships. Due to the extreme secrecy surrounding these vessels only limited information exists and you'll have to be satisfied with mere glimpses of what the full story must have been. Expectations should also be tempered by the fact that this book is a translation from a language with zero root connection to English, so don't expect Ernest Hemingway caliber prose either. Nonetheless highly enjoyable if taken for what it is.

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