Jane's Battleships of the 20th Century - Hardcover

Ireland, Bernard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0004709977 ISBN 13: 9780004709970

Publisher: Collins-Janes, 1996

Synopsis

The greatest arms race in history began in the first years of the 20th century as World Powers expanded their fleets. Germany challenged the Royal Navy's global dominance, the U.S. and Japan established themselves as major naval powers. The revolutionary "HMS Dreadnought" was succeeded by even larger and more powerful warships that clashed spectacularly at the battle of Jutland in 1916. Plans for a new generation of 'super dreadnoughts' were delayed by international treaties, but Japanese ambitions eventually led to a new arms race with the U.S.. This naval race produced the world's largest and most heavily-armed battleships, like the "Yamoto" and "Owa." Combat experience in World War II soon revealed that submarines and aircraft posed a lethal threat to even the greatest battleship. Only the U.S. Navy had the resources to maintain a battleship force after 1945, and these mighty warships have attached enemy coasts from Vietnam and the Lebanon to the 1991 Gulf War. Acclaimed naval illustrator Tony Gibbons has painted all classes of twentieth century battleship for "Jane's Battleships of the 20th Century." Every major battleship is shown in profile, with the 25 greatest battleships illustrated across the full width of the page, with accompanying plan and bow views. Naval historian Bernard Ireland reveals the fascinating background to each class of battleship. Each entry includes comprehensive technical data. Special features investigate what happened when battleships opened fire: Why British battle cruisers were so vulnerable to German shellfire, how American radar helped "USS Washington" sink the "Kirishiman" off Guadalcanal and when was the "Bismarck" doomed to die.

About this title

From the Author:

Battleships
With its great guns, massive protection and imposing 'presence', the battleship occupies a dominant role in any consideration of yesterday's naval power. By World War I, the measure of maritime strength was based effectively on the number of a fleet's deployable capital ships, yet just twenty years later - it's numbers already greatly reduced, the battleship's crown was assumed by the aircraft carrier in a new style of maritime war. This volume deals, class by class, with the capital ships of all the leading powers, commencing each with the immediate pre-Dreadnought period. Support text and data traces teh ships, their purpose and their capabilities - to the end of their era.

Synopsis:

This guide to the battleships of the 20th century includes every battleship launched after 1890, from the revolutionary "Dreadnought" to the warships of World War II, "Bismarck", "Hood" and the "New Jersey" class that survived to take part in the Vietnam and Gulf wars.

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins-Janes
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0004709977
• ISBN 13: 9780004709970
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192
• Illustrator: Gibbons Tony