Entering service between 1937 and 1939, the ten British “Town” class cruisers were the most modern vessels of their type in the Royal Navy when World War II began. Built in response to large 6-inch gunned cruisers in the U.S. and Japanese navies and primarily designed for the defense of trade, they saw arduous service in a wide range of ...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 30
British Town Class Cruisers
"Southampton and Belfast Classes: Design, Development and Performance"
Available Formats: Hardcover
Cruiser Birmingham
Detailed in the Original Builders' Plans
The technical details of British warships were recorded in a set of plans produced by the builders on completion of every ship. Known as the “as fitted” general arrangements, these drawings documented the exact appearance and fitting of the ship as it entered service.
Today these plans form part of the incomparable collection of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich ...
Available Formats: Hardcover
Destined for Glory
"Dive Bombing, Midway, and the Evolution of Carrier Airpower"
On 4 June 1942, three squadrons of U.S. Navy Dauntless dive bombers destroyed Japan's carrier force sent to neutralize Midway, changing the course of the war in the Pacific. As Thomas Wildenberg convincingly demonstrates in this book, the key ingredient to the navy's success at Midway was the planning and training devoted to the tactic of dive bombing over the ...
Available Formats: Softcover
Rules of Game
Jutland and British Naval Command
Foreword by Admiral Sir John Woodward. When published in hardcover in 1997, this book was praised for providing an engrossing education not only in naval strategy and tactics but in Victorian social attitudes and the influence of character on history. In juxtaposing an operational with a cultural theme, the author comes closer than any historian yet to explaining what was ...
Available Formats: Softcover
Battleship Missouri
An Illustrated History
Now available in paperback, this book traces the complete story of the Missouri from her keel-laying in 1941, her participation in the Japanese surrender in 1945, and her contribution to the Persian Gulf War. Through extensive interviews and research with records from the Naval Heritage and History Command, National Archives, Harry S. Truman Library, and other repositories, author Paul Stillwell ...
Available Formats: Softcover
British Fiji Class Cruisers and their Derivatives
The Fiji-class, often called the “Colony” class, cruisers were a class of eleven light cruisers of the Royal Navy that saw extensive service throughout World War II. They were an attempt to incorporate the characteristics of the preceding “Town” class within the reduced 8,000-ton limit agreed under the 1936 London Treaty. In general layout, Colony class resembled the earlier ...
Available Formats: Hardcover
Battleship Commander
The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr.
This is the first-ever biography of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr., who served a key role during World War II in the Pacific. Recognizing the achievements and legacy of one of the war’s top combat admirals has been long overdue until now.
Battleship Commander explores Lee’s life from boyhood in Kentucky through his eventual service as commander of the ...
Available Formats: Hardcover
The Origins of Aegis
Eli T. Reich, Wayne Meyer, and the Creation of a Revolutionary Naval Weapons System
This book provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the professional development of two notable and highly accomplished naval officers and their contributions to the development of the Aegis Weapons System. The main argument is that there was no single career path or set of formal qualifications for achieving excellence in the naval profession as characterized by selection for Flag ...
Available Formats: Hardcover
Hot Spot of Invention
"Charles Stark Draper, MIT, and the Development of Inertial Guidance and Navigation"
Charles Stark Draper, often referred to as “The Father of Inertial Navigation,” was the moving force behind the development of the floated gyroscope in the United States. Engineer, scientist, inventor, inspiring teacher, and dynamic leader, Draper founded the laboratory that brought inertial navigation to fruition for operational use in submarines, aircraft, and space vehicles. These factors alone make him worthy ...
Available Formats: Hardcover
The Two-Ocean War
A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War
Originally published in 1963, this classic, single-volume history draws on Morison's definitive 15-volume History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. More than a condensation, The Two-Ocean War highlights the major components of the larger work: the preparation for war, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the long war of attrition between submarines and convoys in the Atlantic ...
Available Formats: Softcover