Battleship Books

I did like the narrative and it gave me a glimpse into what went on inside the Bismarck and her crew. Many of the photograhs were a first for me. I especially liked Appendix D, "The Rudder Damage: Were all Possibilities of Repair Exhausted?". Apparently the Bismarck was doomed from the start, but this may have been hindsight on the part of the author.

As for Appendix F "A Break in the Code", the tome was written before information was released indicating that the British were indeed monitoring most, if not all, communications of the Kriegsmarine. I refer to the two volumes of "Hitler's U-Boat War" by Clay Blair. The Americans were also monitoring the movements of the Bismarck, possibly in violation of international law.

The only reason I gave the book 4 stars is because the author related his opinions on the politics and his superiors possibly after the war. I wonder how he thought during the war. Too many apologies for the Nazi regime for my taste. I agree that the regime was inefficient. This may have been common among many authors who were involved on the German side looking back.

I would recommend this book in addition to the several books that have been written on the Bismarck in the last few decades.

V. Mullenheim-Rechberg executes brilliantly where others have failed. This is one memoir where the author maintains a confident balance between his own personal history and the larger event in which he took part.

Make no mistake--this is his story, yet one where the ship and its crew reamin the focus. An understanding that he was but one, small aspect of each seems to guide his writing throughout. Moreover, he is careful to call out what he can only qualify as recollection and what he has culled from the established historical record. The result is a practically seamless recounting that should satisfy readers who seek personal insights into the short operational history of the Bismarck and those who crave details on the ship's construction, crew composition, and blow-by-blow accounts of Dennmark Strait and the final attack that lead to its ultimate fate.

His chapter describing the last minutes as the crew abandoned ship take on a downright cinematic feel. The clarity there is of moments he could not shake and of people he would not forget. It's deeply personal, yet he provides both himself and the reader emotional breathing space by weaving in views of the operational action around the ship itself. This intensifies every personally-infused vignette that he presents and ensures that none are lost in the wash of mass human loss.

The author makes particularly handy work of his footnotes, sometimes using them to personally answer some of what he believes are significant misnomers about the ship's history--and his own. The footnotes are clearly -his- space, and he does not hesitate to answer some of what he feels are personal attacks that various other authors have made on his character and conduct. Still, he shies away from pettiness and cheap indignancy here. His tone is measured throughout, and he exactingly cites the sources that fuel his commentary--leaving the reader a chance to further explore the issues. After all, he was a lawyer and diplomat after the war. It shows.

Recommended highly for those who enjoy their history presented in a narrative fashion.

The author, and one time adjutant to Captain Lindermann, the commanding officer of the Bismarck, reveals the real mission of the battleship which is a new concept to most. It was very exciting to read the details from the beginning of the battleship including the sailors and officers, the training, and sailing to the Atlantic. Although it would have been nice if even more details could have been included, but perhaps space and memory prevented it. The author did mention that most of his experiences and service had to be written from memory since he was prevented from recording classified and secret information. Particularly interesting is his description and feelings of being a POW inside the POW camps; his repatriation, a person returning to his defeated homeland, once a proud nation, and how a former POW can fit into the new and recovering society. Lacking many technical details that we would liked to have read about, this is still an excellent book. To be able to read about the battleship from the German side of the ship and war, is invaluable. Excellent book and highly recommended.

FIRST THOUGHTS: EMOTIONAL WAR DRAMA OF LEGENDARY STATUS

The Bismarck, like the Titanic before her, went down on her maiden voyage in the North Atlantic with a great loss of life. Though both ships went on to become legends, the Bismarck was one that went down via the concerted effort of a large portion of the British fleet. Due to its being the flagship of the third reich and symbol of its 'superior' achievement the mission to destroy the Bismarck was a vital necessity to the British and a desperate race for survival for its German crew. In the end, there is little to feel good about the sinking of a vessel with over two thousand men aboard, only 115 whom were saved. Worse still, this tragedy followed the sinking of the Hood by the Bismarck just several days earlier with just a handful of survivors from the Hood. All in all a very nasty business, but an epic piece of real human history.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor's Story (Bluejacket Books)
by Burkard Baron Von Mullenheim-Rechberg, is another fine 'Naval Institute Press Publication' and a terrific account of the Bismarck's short life. The author, Burkard Baron Von Mullenheim-Rechberg was first, Captain Lindemann's adjutant and later the gunnery officer in charge of the aft range-finder. His rank was 'Oberleutnant zur See', or the equivalent of Lieutenant, in the US Navy. Von Mullenheim-Rechberg was on board before the beginning and was there after the end to become a prisoner-of-war. Both before and after are included in his expanded accounts in this "THE NEW AND EXPANDED EDITION - 1990".

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT:

Von Mullenheim-Rechberg takes us on-board the Bismarck as he is introduced to his new commanding officer, Captain Lindemann. It is 1940 and he is the Captain's adjutant as fitting out and trials get under way for the newly launched super-dreadnought. These prelimary maneuvers are included in detail. Von Mullenheim-Rechberg does give us insights into his Captain, Lindemann, Admiral Lutjens [fleet commander] and something about Adolf Hitler who did visit the ship. All three men will play an important role in the story that unfolds.

BUT THE STORY DOESN'T END THERE -

A lot happened to the Bismarck its crew, the Hood, and the world in less than a week, and much of it is covered within this volume, first hand.

The author, and one time adjutant to Captain Lindermann, the commanding officer of the Bismarck, reveals the real mission of the battleship which is a new concept to most. It was very exciting to read the details from the beginning of the battleship including the sailors and officers, the training, and sailing to the Atlantic. Although it would have been nice if even more details could have been included, but perhaps space and memory prevented it. The author did mention that most of his experiences and service had to be written from memory since he was prevented from recording classified and secret information. Particularly interesting is his description and feelings of being a POW inside the POW camps; his repatriation, a person returning to his defeated homeland, once a proud nation, and how a former POW can fit into the new and recovering society. Lacking many technical details that we would liked to have read about, this is still an excellent book. To be able to read about the battleship from the German side of the ship and war, is invaluable. Excellent book and highly recommended.

"Ours is the signal honor of being the nation's bulwark. One day we must prove ourselves worthy."

Requiem for Battleship Yamato is about sacrifice-immolation on the altar of national survival. It was written not to needlessly lionize the wanton sacrifice of combatants in order to bring to an end what one historian called "a war to establish and revive the stature of man." Instead, it was written, and properly so, as catharsis: Yoshida Mitsuru, as a 20-year old ensign on the bridge of the Yamato during its final voyage, had witnessed War, and thus wished that future generations would no longer be called upon to "prove themselves worthy," and to bear the burden of armed conflict.

Yoshida's prose satisfactorily captures the spirit on board the Yamato prior to its climactic encounter. Yet there is no way to adequately describe what the men of the Yamato went through during the ship's final hours. One author called it "a glorious way to die." Alternatively, the battle could be described as a nautical siege, a maritime battle of Troy. There is no apotheosis in death; death is merely a release from duty. During the battle, one man struggles to keep the deck clean by throwing overboard limbs severed by bomb shrapnel or machine-gun fire. Below decks, men grapple with the bodies of their comrades; once-inviting hot tubs (the Yamato has several of them, we are told) are filled to the brim with the ranks of the dead. In the bridge, officers are mowed down by machine-gun bullets. There is no sanctuary aboard the most massive dreadnought ever constructed.

This is a highly readable book, redolent with poignant memories, written by a man who had the courage to confront his phantoms. Through Yoshida's book, many souls who fought during the Pacific War found a voice.

"Three thousand corpses, still entombed today. What were their thoughts as they died?"

In the 1950's and 60's, Japanese memoirs of the Pacific War flooded forth from the publishers. Saburo Sakai's "Samurai", Hara's "Japanese Destroyer Captain," Mochitsura Hashimoto's "Sunk!" are just the tip of the spear. But Yoshida's "Requiem for Battleship Yamato" is simply in a class by itself. The youngest officer on board the mighty battleship, he was present when the giant was ordered on her suicide sortie. Escorted by the anti-aircraft cruiser Yahagi and numerous destroyers in April 1945, Yamato's mission was sublimely ridiculous: sail down toward the Ryuku Islands (where a massive American task force was staging the invasion of Okinawa), attack the landing force, beach itself, expend all weapons and ammunition, then the surviving crew members would join the garrison in Okinawa's defense. It was no surprise that the force didn't even make it halfway before being annihilated by U.S. planes. Yoshida's book is poetic and is beautifully translated by Richard Minnear who also provides a superb introduction as well. Yoshida's account of the American air attacks which inevitably shattered the Yamato, the Yahagi and most of the escorting destroyers come off as not combat, but high slaughter. Veterans who survived idiotic orders and suicide charges will find a spiritual brother in Yoshida. Don't be surprised if you have a tear in your eye for the brave crews of these ships as you close this book for the last time.

Written as a tribute to his shipmates, "Requiem" is also a powerful anti-war book.

young, naive and inexperienced the author chronicles his one and only combat mission. relating his service on the japanese battleship 'yamato' author mitsuru gives perspective not only on what he does but on what he feels. fortunately for the reader mitsuru is an articulate writer who has had the opportunity to rewrite his recollections numerous times over the years before settling on this 'definitive' edition. the book runs as a subtle parallel of stories between the events happening around the author during war and what he thinks and feels as he faces his own mortality. an excellent perspective of man in conflict.
also worth noting is the outstanding translation and introduction by richard minear.

Although perhaps unsurprising given the scale of Japan's losses and the bitterness of defeat, the fact remains that there are relatively few accounts of the war by those who fought with the Imperial Forces, and even fewer available in English.

For this reason alone `Requiem for Battleship Yamato' would command attention even if it were only an average work. But it is not an average work; it is a classic in the truest sense of this much abused word, which must be placed alongside books such as `The Last Enemy' by Richard Hillary.

Written in a spare, almost poetic style, `Requiem' tells the story of the Yamato's last doomed sortie from the viewpoint of one of her junior officers. Alongside glimpses of life on board the great battleship, we gain an insight into the thoughts and personal lives of her crew as they prepare for what most realise will be a mission from which there will be no return.

As the tension mounts and enemy forces close in for the inevitable kill, Yoshida provides a moving commentary on the Yamato's last days and hours, with poignant vignettes of such figures as the force commander Vice Admiral Ito, who had correctly appreciated the futility of the mission yet carried out his task with calm resolution.

With the Yamato entering her final death agony, Yoshida gives us harrowing descriptions of the effects of explosives and steel on human flesh - a timely reminder in this age of glossy propaganda of the true face of battle. Then there is the homecoming, with Yoshida's personal struggle to come to terms with the meaning of his survival while so many of his comrades are dead.

No review of this book would be complete without acknowledging the outstanding work of its translator, Richard Minear, who has also provided an excellent introduction. Thanks to his efforts, this work will not only be read with profit by the military historian, but anyone who seeks to broaden his understanding of the human condition.

This book is not for readers searching for details of battle, or apologies for participating in the miltary adventure against the US. Yoshida Mitsuru was an unlikely survivor of a suicide mission.

Some of the reviewers have found this book morbid, and focused on death. Mitsuru attempts to describe his feelings and unaswered question that haunted him for the rest of his life. Why was he saved, when so many other died? Was there a purpose to his life, and the life of his dead shipmates. These are questions that all men ask to some extent, but for those caught in a war, life and death are close and constant companions.

The normal thoughts of young men towards life and the future are put aside as their ship plows forward on a suicide mission.

Do not buy or read this book if you are not prepared to think about the personal cost of war. Some have described this as an anti-war book. I do not believe that is a correct description. This book is written by someone whose education and social standing required him to enter the Navy, and go to war. I view this work as a refection of an eyewitness and wounded survivor. Such an experience at such a young age makes one an expert on the war experience, not the root causes of war or their justifications.

Most men who shared Mitsuru's experience do not write, or even disuss their experiences. For some, just the thoughts of their experience is unbearable and the reason some end their days in mental hospitals.

When Mitsuru wrote the first draft of this book, it fell under the authority and censorship of the American Occupation, which did not approve of the text.

Which brings up the question not posed directly by this book. What "truths" were censored during the official investigations surrounding Pearl Harbor, the Bataan Death March, and other matters that impacted on the ledgends and careers of Americans of that time?

Nice detailed reference on the battleship Arizona. Detailed history. Very useful collection of pictures. Great reference for modelers.

When the pacage arrived from Amazon, I did realise that it would be such a big book just on one Battleship! The detail for any history buff, model maker is great. A good purchase but you will need a reading table to hold it!

Mr. Stillwell has brought BB-39 to life in a way that hasn't been matched by anyone else who has attempted. His rendering of the life of the ship from her birth in the NY Navy yards to her death in the waters of Pearl Harbor is amazing in its clarity & detail.

OK, some detail might be lacking for the technical buffs but his description of the construction, manning, & day-to-day operation of a US naval vessel in the 1st half of the 20th century is superlative. He blends both the hardware & the human element so that Arizona & her crew leap off the pages as a living, breathing combination of steel & flesh.

Highly recommended for those who are interested in the Arizona herself & for anyone who would like to know many of the hows & whys of US Naval operations between the wars.

PS: Scale modelers invariably recommend "Battleship Arizona" as -the- definitive work to those who are researching details of BB-39 for their own modeling projects.

IN A NUTSHELL: AN ILLUSTRATED READER THAT INCLUDES TECHNICAL APPENDICES

One could say that the above says it all.

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: THE LIFE & DEATH OF THE ARIZONA AND HER CREWS

In great detail, this book begins as the ship's keel is laid, [16 MARCH 1914] with a picture of FDR who was on hand as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for the ceremony. It ends with the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Included, after the end of the book, are 5 appendices that include all the information that modelers and naval history enthusiasts will be seeking.

FOR THOSE READERS THAT ARE A LITTLE IMPATIENT - -

The first seven chapters of the book is about the peacetime life aboard one of the U.S. Navy's super-dreadnoughts. It is an interesting and well illustrated historical reader.

This changes abruptly for Chapter 8, "DAY OF INFAMY" which details a basic reconstruction of the morning of December 7, 1941, as it pertains to the Battleship Arizona. Highlighted most of all are the individual acts of heroism and the selflessness of many of the crew in their desperate efforts to save their fellow crewmen, their ship and themselves. Also included is a sketch which illustrates where the damage to the ship occurred, which is a huge aid in understanding what happened so quickly to the Arizona on December 7, 1941. This is short, seemingly all too short, but one must realize that the Arizona's magazines' exploded only about 10 minutes after the attack began. 1177 men of the Arizona's crew were killed in that short time with only 337 survivors, many of whom were on leave so they were not there at the time. In other words, about 85% of the crew on-board were killed in basically ten minutes. Nevertheless, the detail is quite accurate and more importantly, easy to follow and appreciate.

Chapter 9, "AFTERMATH" is pretty gruesome in some places, but this is after all a rather gruesome real life disaster. This chapter does include the attempted salvaging of the Arizona and some stories about the men who remained on board [forever in most cases].

THE APPENDICES: HISTORIAN & MODELERS HEAVEN

- APPENDIX 1 - CHRONOLOGY from 1916 - 1941, 42 pages includes a great deal of day to day missions and events of interest.

- APPENDIX 2 - COMMANDING OFFICERS - DATES INCLUDED

- APPENDIX 3 - CREW LIST - 7 DECEMBER 1941, includes fatalities and survivors separately of both the Navy and Marine Corp. Includes summary at the end.

- APPENDIX 4 - A SAILOR'S LETTERS - SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

- APPENDIX 5 - SHIP'S DATA, include detailed specs with individual breakdown of the weights of different components of the ship [eg. armor, machinery, hull etc.] both originally and after the modernization in 1931.

Within Appendix 5 there are numerous sketches [1:600 scale] which are probably copies of the ships blueprints. These are detailed to show individual compartments and components and are labeled. The alterations that were made to the ship over time have been included. A very important addition.

BOTTOM LINE:

Paul Stillwell and "The Naval Institute Press" have another winner in this volume.

I chose to read The Illustrated History of the Battleship Arizona, written by Paul Stillwell. This is not the first book of this format that he has written The Illustrated History of the Battleship Missouri, follows the same format as well. The book started in the shipyard as the U.S.S. Arizona was being built then the author takes you through the daily routine of the ship as if you were a sailor on the great battleship. You feel as though you're in the middle of Pearl Harbor looking over the Arizona as the battle is taking place. The ship was built in 1918, and was the pride of the Pacific fleet threw out the 20's. The Arizona was featured in a Famous movie called, Here Comes the Navy. After Pearl Harbor the ship was made into a now world famous memorial.

This had been one of the best books I had ever been able to read there is so much information given on this great ship, and the pictures make the ship come alive. I would suggest this book to anyone who has an interest in ships and the way they run, or a fan of history. I have not read any other books that Paul Stillwell has written, but if they are half as good as this one I would recommend it to anyone.

First published in 1976, this book remains THE definitive technical history of all RN battleship and battlecruiser classes from World War II, invaluable to historians and model-makers alike.

The book starts with comprehensive class-by-class reviews of the ships as first built, and then deals with subsequent alterations and additions. The subject is covered in immense detail, supported by numerous photographs and highly accurate constant-scale drawings. Though expensive, this book should be sought out by anyone with a detailed interest in British capital ships of the WWII era.

The authors also published an equally comprehensive study of the various RN cruiser classes of the same era - this, again, is an essential source for enthusiasts and model-makers.

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."

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!!

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.

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

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.

Fascinating book covering the compromises involved in design and fabrication of armored ships. Well written, logically organized. Minor coverage of machinery and armament; only how these topics relate to the overall handling of design tradeoffs.
I purchased the book to augment my marine technology library, and it fills that requirement well. I intend to purchase other books by the same author (Carrier, Cruiser design) also.

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

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.

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

As a naval aviator attuned to aircraft carriers and naval aircraft, I found this book on battlships most impressive. I have always secretly admired the battleship as one of America's finest vessels, even more so than the aircraft carrier, and the information contained in this book adds even more emphasis on just how magnificent they were. It does my heart good to see the surviving Iowa's preserved as museums rather than seeing them await the scrappers torch as so many aircraft carriers have succumbed to. Great book, easy to read and understand, and I heartily recommend it.

IN A NUTSHELL: A BASEBALL CARD LIKE TREATMENT FOR EVERY BATTLESHIP

Every American Battleship BB-1 to BB-71, which includes ships that were designed and never built or laid down but never completed, has its page along with a picture or illustration and some important stats, characteristics and highlights.

Owing to the concise structure of the book, there is a repeating format making ship to ship comparisons easy and quick, but this is not a reader, and so everything presented is in point form. Think of each page as a baseball card and the picture is the player or in this case, the ship. The stats and everything you would have to know is there for every ship in exactly the same way and there are pictures to.

SPECIFICS: THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL FIND FOR EACH SHIP + PHOTO or DIAGRAM

* THE FIRST COMMANDING OFFICER
* AUTHORIZED DATE
* KEEL LAID - LAUNCHED - COMMISSIONED - SPONSORED
* DISPLACEMENT STD. TONS - DISPLACEMENT FULL LOAD TONS
* DESIGN CREW COMPLEMENT
* MAIN GUNS - SECONDARY GUNS
* CONSTRUCTION COSTS
* ARMOR
* LENGTH OVERALL - MAIN DRAUGHT
* EXTREME BEAM
* TORPEDO TUBES
* CATAPULT
* BUILDER - ORIGINAL ENGINE MFG. - ORIGINAL BOILER MFG.
* ORIGINAL FUEL - DRIVE
* SISTERS
* DESIGNED SPEED - DESIGNED HORSEPOWER
* DESIGN COMMENTS
* HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS [this is most expanded comment depending on war record
* DATE DECOMMISSIONED
* COMMENDATIONS [battle stars]
* FINAL DISPOSITION

Before the stat-sheets outlined above, there are three interesting chapters titled, "CONSTRUCTION HISTORY", OPERATIONAL HISTORY", and "EPILOGUE". The Epilogue ends with a full page table titled,"UNITED STATES NAVAL ORDNANCE - 1895-1994" About these three chapters, all I'll say is that they are concise and full of usefully organized info, but I wish there was more.

BONUS HERE: INCLUDES MANY INTERESTING SHIPS THAT WERE NEVER COMPLETED

The South Dakota class of 1917 [BB49-54] which was designed and never built is included here as is the Montana Class [BB67-71]. Other ships and prototypes that were never completed are also included.

BOTTOM LINE: PERFECT FOR FAST HANDY REFERENCE

I pull this reference out frequently while I am reading other books when I want to know something quick about a ship. What size main guns and how many the ship had. What kind of propulsion system. What battles the ship might have been in, etc..

There is also a picture from the Bikini Atomic test on "Baker day", July 25 1946, just a moment after the detonation. The sight of the Arkansas [BB-33] frozen in a VERTICAL POSITION, perpendicular to the ocean, is a rather sobering sight and quickly tells the story of what happened to the Battleship era.

What "American Battleships" does best is to simply keep a huge topic within a manageable scope and in a highly useful format. Most people will find most of what they want in this edition and they'll find it fast and in a format that makes comparison very easy. Best of all, this book is available at a very affordable price for a well illustrated text of this kind, and on glossy paper as well.


ALSO RECOMMENDED U.S. BATTLESHIPS [an illustrated design history, Norman Friedman, 1985]

I got this book from Amazon.com on discount. So, it was a good value. For less than $10 (including shipping) I got a book with lots of good information. This book gives a complete break down of Battleship classes. Example: The USS Michigan is of the South Carolina Class. The USS New Jersey is of the Iowa class.

Also, this book has a wonderful break down of the number of battleships in service by a decade breakdown from 1900 to 2000. The USA had 30 Battleships in service during 1910. We only had 23 in service in 1945. It was 0 in 1960.

This is a good value for the money. I build Battleshps. So, I needed a quick reference. I have been happy with the purchase.

So, fellow Battleship fan, this book is worth your money.

This book contains detailed info on every battleship that sailed under the american flag. One good thing about this book is that it includes at least one photo of each ship. Considering that some of these ships were built a long time ago, this is quite an accomplishment. A must have for fans of capital ships.

"American Battleships" (2001) is a well-researched and informative 110-page paperback. This text, destined to become a classic for naval research, offers at least one black and white photo and a list of vital statistics for every US battleship from the late 19th century prototypes (USS Maine and USS Texas), to BB-71 USS Louisiana (cancelled in 1943). Actually, author Max Newhart explains, BB-64 USS Wisconsin is the final US battlewagon launched (seven additional ships where commissioned but later canceled due to Cold War expenses and constraints).

Newhart begins the book with an informative chapter about the battleship's construction history. He explains that these floating cities grew in size with the commission of each new battleship class (crew compliments grew from 380 in 1889 to 1943's 2700!). He speaks to the US Navy's battleship presence in every ocean and every major port. He describes each World War II Reserve Fleet's composition (naming each battleship in those groups). Of particular interest are the latest battleships' post-war service across the globe (BB-62 USS New Jersey served in the 1983 Beirut Crisis, BB-63 USS Missouri and BB-64 USS Wisconsin saw action in 1991's Desert Storm).

The best portion of this book is each battleship's statistical explanation. Newhart lists each ship's facts and figures (launch date, displacement tons, crew compliment, gun calibers, construction costs, etc.) from naval records. This data is fascinating. The main guns on these war ships went from 4-10' 35 calibers in 1889 to the 1980s 8-MK 143 Tomahawks and ABL's 40 MK! (These powerful ships make one reappreciate "shock and awe".) Is it any wonder that history's mightiest navy has sailed under the Stars and Stripes?

The original photos show these big ships in harbor, at war, and after battle. They alone are worth the cost of this book. Newhart's writing style is easy and instructive. He will teach you about American battleships. This is a remarkable book and recommended to everyone.

This volume measures up to the superb standards of the Anatomy of a Ship series, and it is high time we had such a comprehensive and attractive guide to HMS Dreadnought, the prototype for all 20th century battleships. The book includes a narrative history of the ship and description of its features, full technical data, and superb drawings of virtually every detail of the ship's construction and equipment. The one request I would ask only for more interior photos. Highly recommended to historians, naval buffs and serious modellers.

The book can be broken into three parts, the first is relatively brief and gives the background to how the ship came about, its costs, major issues etc.
There then follows an extensive collection of photograhs showing the ship during it's construction.
The remainder of the book (probably about 60% of it) consists of plans and construction drawings of the ship. These provide a wealth of detail on all aspects of the ship ranging from construction of the ships boilers to the attachment arrangement of steel girders.
If you want to see how an early dreadnought is put together you'll love this book. However it doesn't give the designers reasoning for the decisions made (or the issues they had to resolve). Therefore if you want to know what was built it's a good chioce; if you want to know why they built it the way they did you'll need to look elsewhere (Battleship Design & Development 1905-1945 by Friedman gives a much more detailed assessment of the conflicting engineering issues facing any battleship designer).

I purchased this book for two reasons. First, I make models of ships. This book is an invaluable reference manual. The detail will actually go into the internal layout of the ship. Crew cabins and sleeping area will show up on the details. The very excellent plans of the ship are worth $30 to $40 dollars at any shop that sells ship plans. That is worth the price of the book.

Conversely, I was a little surprised at the write up of the operation of the ship. Dreadnought had no economical cruise speed. So, unlike other ships of her time period, like the USS Michigan, she was never economical to operate. Dreadnough had no design flaws. Thus, she was the working prototype for all British Great War ships. In design she was perfect.

I was very happy with the pictures of the ship. I had never seen most of the pictures before. The level of detail in these pictures gives a good picture of the set up of the ship.

This book is not a operational history. That is somewhat a regret. However, people wanting an operational history of the ship should read Robert Massey's excellent "Castles of Steel".

This book is total truth in advertising, it is a study of the ship. It is a total look at the Dreadnought. The book is vital for model builders and is a great reference for any student of history.

5 Stars.

In a nutshell this book is detailed blueprints for the HMS Dreadnought. There is a small amount of text at the beginning, as well as unusually in depth statistical details such as how much the ship cost to be built as well.

The majority of the book after that first chapter are all schematics. You will see deck by deck plans for every toom in the ship, with many rooms even more detailed in their own chapters. Who would have guessed the ship's prison was in the same room as the toilets at the rear of the ship? Did you know that the ammunition bunkers have air conditioning to keep the gunpowder/cordite a consistant temperature for consistant gunnery? Did you know that the boiler rooms have air forced into them in the steam age equivalent of turbo charging?

Where the book does fall flat however is explaining all these details. You had better already have a good idea of what the components of a battleship are, because the schematics do not explain what it is you are looking at.

I still give it a 5 out of 5 because you will not find this level of detail in any other book.

Naval history enthusiasts will be familiar with this series, each book being organized into a written section covering history and design data, then a pictorial, followed by immensely detailed drawings.

The Anatomy series is written to a 5-star standard. However, allow me to suggest this book to be a notch above the Hood, Yamato, and Warspite volumes, into 5 1/2 star territory.

This publication deals with the final series of American battleship classes: N. Carolina, S. Dakota, Iowa, still born Montana plus the Alaska heavy cruiser. I found the book useful because it featured hull frame lines, other references do not deliver this data. Additionally it features deck by deck layouts, that's just plain interesting stuff. Pictures were informative. The chapter about gun turret accidents was neat, horrible end for those crewmembers but very insightful. My only beef was that the S. Dakota class drawings only dealt with S. Dakota, which had a different configuration from her three sisters. The S. Dakota's exhibited the greatest variety in weapons outfitting, it would have been nice to have plans depicting all four. That being said I still believe this book makes a valuable addition to any battleships fan's library. If you own Friedman's ""US Battleships" & Breyer's "Battleships & Battle Cruisers 1905-1970" the data in this book helps to sort out some of the more obscure points.

Every major class of battleship is described in meticulous detail. From design to outcome this book has it all.

Be warned, this book also contains extensive technical information, so if you are interested in narrative storytelling look elsewhere. This book is for the true devotee of battleships.

The book is excellent and I echo other reviewers' sentiments on that score. I bought this to 'upgrade' on the original, so I think it may be of interest to prospective buyers to know that this isn't simply the 1976 edition on better paper and with extra chapters. Owners of the 1976 printing may wish to hang on to that as well as buying this 1995 edition.

Some half-dozen photos, maybe slightly more, have been substituted for this 1995 edition and, whilst the new pics ARE generally better, it is a change to an old friend. I was certainly disappointed to find the superb graphic profiles of 1976 reduced from a double-page, fold-out spread to a single page: the reprinted line-drawings are, naturally, half the size & it is more difficult to discern details. For this I deduct a half-star.

A minor niggle overall, I accept, and the extra text with accompanying photos has certainly made the purchase worthwhile at this price (especially re the turret deflagration). Alas, I shall not now be selling on my original, as I had planned. My poor bookshelf...

Quite a bit of detail about each individual ship organized in sections on a ship-by-ship basis. Lots of good photos and drawings.

FIRST THOUGHTS: IF THIS GETS 5 STARS GIVE THE OTHERS IN THE SERIES 7 STARS

Excellent volume in an excellent series. Nevertheless I found this volume to be somewhat lacking in detail of both text and drawings compared to the other two volumes in this series. The excellent, large-scale, fold-out drawings which were in the other books of this series have been replaced by small xeroxed insets with much less detail. Having said this, this book was still excellent and does compare well against Norman Freidman's definitive work on the subject [U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History].
.

IN A NUTSHELL: CASE STUDIES OF 8 DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT CLASSES OF DREADNOUGHTS FROM 4 COUNTRIES

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER TWO: THE NORTH CAROLINA CLASS
CHAPTER THREE: THE SOUTH DAKOTA CLASS
CHAPTER FOUR: THE IOWA CLASS
CHAPTER FIVE: THE MONTANA CLASS
CHAPTER SIX: THE ALASKA CLASS
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE RETURN OF THE DREADNOUGHT
CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION

APPENDIXES

A. PRESIDENT rOOSEVELT AND HIS NAVY
B. REPRESENTATIVE BATTLESHIP ARRANGEMENT
C. BATTLESHIP AND BATTLECRUISER GUNS
D. PRELIMINARY DESIGNS OF NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH DAKATO



WHAT IT IS: THE ABSOLUTE ZENITH OF A NATION'S JINGOISTIC TECHNOLOGY & POWER

In essence, the Dreadnought represents everything a powerful or wanna-be powerful nation can impart into a ship to project power on the behalf of that nation. I just made that up, but it is so obviously true. When one goes through these volumes, one can see a combination of the national pride, desperation and deviousness that lay behind the erection of fleets of these incredible vessels. Here are some motives that are touched on in these volumes:

The British wishing to limit the size, power and number of Battleships by treaty as their global fortunes were on the wane proposed and built ships that were less than ideal in all respects prior to World War 2;

The Japanese wishing to keep the world in the dark as to the size and power of their new ships [Yamato Class], hide the construction of the ships and put out false documents regarding the ships' displacement and the gun caliber of its main batteries [460mm];

The Americans utilizing the escalator clause to include 16" guns in the North Carolina class as a response to the secret Japanese building program;

The Germans building larger ships than they were limited by treaty to do as the need for armored protection increased as war approached;

The French built the Dunkerque and Richelieu class as a response to the Germans building the 'Pocket Battleships", followed by their 'Battlecruisers';


BOTTOM LINE: THE REVISED FIRST VOLUME OF AN AWESOME HISTORIC TRILOGY

Though these three volumes may seem very much the same, they described ships that were very different and very alike at the same time. Only after a complete reading of the entire trilogy, do I now feel, better able to understand the construction and design considerations that lead to a completed Dreadnought. Reading this series has made me feel grateful to the authors and excited over the material. Ultimately, this series including this volume, has fed my interest in naval history and has encouraged me to look deeper into the topic of Dreadnought engineering, construction and politics. Now, after reading this series, and then re-reading it, I feel better able to grasp the technical materials that I will have to deal with as I continue to delve into the fascinating topic of 'Dreadnoughts' and their effect on history.

LAST THOUGHTS:

This series has truly fired my interest in Battleships which began when I was a small child [50 years ago] and saw one of these classic Dreadnoughts just barely clearing the span of the Brooklyn Bridge, by inches. My mother said it was the New Jersey, as I followed the ship with my eyes, as we passed over it. To me, nothing on the sea, regardless of size or speed seems to compare with these true giant marvels of the twentieth century.

The first book in the Anatomy Of The Ship series described HMS HOOD (published 1982), the British battlecruiser sunk in a brief, violent and spectacular battle with the German battleship BISMARCK. That first book set the standard for the series, and is one which the series rarely matched. Here, of course, we are comparing the excellent with the merely very good. HMS HOOD established the format for the series with a brief but detailed history, a few pages of the best available photographs printed in large size, and a magnificent set of almost one hundred pages of detailed drawings depicting every possible element of the ship. Along with the scale plans and profiles were numerous three-dimensional perspective drawings which aided the reader in relating the geometrical drawings and giving some idea of the machinery, weapons, equipment and living spaces. BISMARCK follows the same format,does it well, but falls short of the highest standard. The technical description is thorough and the photographs large and clear, although all frequently published in other books. The drawings are crisp, uncluttered and clear. Captions are good with occasional errors (a head/toilet named as a mess space, some cryptic names which give no sense of the location's use). There are no 3D drawings at all, which makes interpretation of the plans an analytical process without the helpful perspective drawings of HOOD and other books in the series. Crucially, the main cutaway side profile showing the ship's interior does not name the numerous decks whose plan drawings take up many of the following pages, making it again an analytical exercise to determine the locations of various internal spaces.
This book is a fine adjunct to a collection of titles on the great battleships and BISMARCK in particular. Read in conjuction with other books named in the bibliography it provides useful insight into the ship's structure and layout. It fails, however, to give the reader any real "feel" for the ship, how it was put together, how spaces and equipment were related in this complex three-dimension naval mechanism. Highly recommended, particularly for the modeller, however the definitive book on the BISMARCK has yet to be written.

An excellent publication, as are all the books in the "Anatomy of the Ship " series, with excellent and clear drawings. These show not only the overall layout of each deck but details of the guns, general equipment and boats etc. An ideal reference for the model maker, illustrator or any marine historian. Text and photographs further enhance the presentation.
Present US publisher has maintained the fine standards of original UK publishers.

Well, firstly i wanna to say the books of this series Anatomy of Ship as always well made books.
About the book o f Bismarck is interesting to say wich the many drawings help to know about
internal arrangements of the ship. Many things i don't know what is are explained with the legends etc..
the drawings are good but in some cases i think the drawings have some failures(a personal view of a man wich work with drawings) but nothing to depreciate the book.
The texts are clear and the history of the ship overall all parts are excellent. Many, many drawings and a small scale plan can help to do a model of this Ship.
I have a lot of these books and i always purchased one new cause i know i don't loss money with these excellents books. i am ship modeller and always looking for good drawings to do a model or know about a ship. Five stars for me is a good note for this book.
Regards
Norberto

Among the superlatives you can quote about the Bismark is that she (and her sister ship 'Tirpitz') was the largest and heaviest warships ever completed in Europe. And arguably, she had the shortest working life. Her one battle cruise is obviously the stuff of legends. The sinking of the 'Hood' in just a couple of salvos. In turn her getting hit by a torpedo in exactly the place where it would cripple her.

This book is one of the 'Anatomy' series by the Naval Institute Press. It has a fairly complete description of the ship. For instance, the three types of armour were classified as KC, Wh, and Ww. KC armour was made by Krupp, was face hardened armour steel containing 0.34% carbon, 3.78% nickel, 0.32% manganese, 0.2% molybdenum and 2.06% chrome.

Most of the book, however, is composed of drawings, hundreds of drawings showing every aspect of the ship. Even the inside of the books dust jacket is used for a large outline drawing. It's a beautiful book.