The First Destroyers (Chatham Shipshape Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)The first thing to point out about this work is how narrow the focus is. The transition from torpedo "boat" to the destroyer class of warship in the Royal Navy is the subject. References to development outside England are only to contextualize the main subject. What is remarkable about this book is the way extensive quotations from contemporary documents and reproduction of original plans and drawings take one into the period. After a read of this book, I found myself in the late Victorian - Edwardian period. Well, not actually... but the thought and speech patterns did tend to stick with me a bit.
Very clear from the text is the relatively unsatisfactory nature of these transistional weapons systems. They sound like ghastly seaboats, imposing stresses on personnel that would violate the Geneva Conventions on treatment of prisoners. No doubt the sailors and their officers were tough and hardened in a way we do not imagine men of our era to be but the effects of repetitive motions, extreme temperatures, and limited rest on the physical and mental combat effectiveness of human beings are an objective reality. In addition, the limited range and primitive fire control systems meant that to deliver any ordnance against an enemy, suicidally short ranges to heavily armed warships would result. It is a good thing for the crews of these craft that no war actually took place while they were in first line service.
Of further interest is the insight into procurement and development contracts between the Royal Navy and private yards of the era, shown by the extensive documentary quotations referred to above. The issues remain the same now as then and only the people have changed, not the positions their roles and responsibilities put them in.
In summary this is probably not a book for the general browser into naval history but for someone with a specific research topic or need in mind.

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Paddle Warships: The Earliest Steam Powered Fighting Ships, 1815-1850 (Ship Types) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a fascinating book on the early steam warships. Before I read this book, I only imagined paddle boats to be like Mississippi river boats. The book has all the technical information one would need on the design and technology of these warship, including great b/w photos and diagrams.

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Part of the "Conway's Ship Types" series, this volume deals with the introduction of steam power into naval warfare in the form of paddle propulsion, and is based upon the huge collection of plans housed at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

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The Naval Aviation Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)For anyone going into Naval aviation or interested in it, this book is a must have. It can probably serve as a good reference book if you are wondering where certain Naval bases and training facilities are, names of squadrons, training pipelines, structure, timelines and also all designations related to aviation.
By reading this I'm sure you can learn something new.

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F/A-18 Hornet: A Navy Success Story Review

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(More customer reviews)This book tells you the history about the F/A-18 Hornet, the book tells you the story of the start of the lightweight fighter competition between the F-16 & YF-17 but the USAF rejected the YF-17. Later on, the USN wanted a lightweight fighter to replace the F-4 & A-6, so the USN & McDonnell Douglas(Now Boeing) went on to design a new plane. The F/A-18 went into services with the USN in the late 70s & early 80s & also shows the Hornet's first sting at Libya. The early production of the Hornet was the A/B model but was replaced by the more improved C/D model. The book also tells you about the Hornets during the Desert Storm which has the highest survivalbility among others jet fighter & how flexible the plane is, eg. like the Hornet shot down 2 enemy MIG-21s when it was on its way on a bombing mission without having to jettision their bomb load & shows how maneuveble the Hornet is. Let us not forget that USN & USMC Hornets participated in Operation Allied Force in 1999. This book also include foreign countries that operate the F/A-18 Hornet & the new devolopment on the E/F model which is call the Super Hornet. Finally, it also shows you all the electronic systems on board the Hornet & the sensors & weapons that are in use with the Hornet. This book also contain good pictures also but it is in black & white but the amazing story will make you like the book.

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From Air Force lightweight to Navy champion strike aircrat, here's the pulse-racing, electrifying story of the F/A hornetIncludes a special beneath-the-surface look at the Hornet's laser-guided weapons and sophisticated electronic countermeasuresPresents profiles of the Hornet's overseas success as an export item, in coutries such as Switzerland, Australia, Spain, and Malaysia

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The Skull & Crossbones Squadron: VF-17 in World War II (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review is not a review. My Jolly Rogers shipmates and I lived it and some of us died in the struggle for the Solomon Islands and the Japanese kingpin at Rabaul.
My good friend Lee Cook from faraway England dedicated himself to this task for the better part of four years, and succeeded admirably.
We were bentwing Corsair fighter pilots. We gave it our best. For a time we were the uttermost tip of the spear of National power. We made a difference.
I hope you read about us.
Lee offered me the privilege of writing the foreword. I accepted as a heartfelt honor.
Very repectfully,
Wm. L. Landreth Commander U. S. Navy (ret.)

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This is the true story of one of the most successful of all United States Navy Fighting Squadrons in World War II. They were the top guns of their day and came to be feared by the Japanese fighter pilots who described them as attacks on us by wolves. Th

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The Navy Times Book of Submarines: A Political, Social, and Military History Review

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(More customer reviews)While much of any history of submarines will focus on things mechanical, this book goes much farther and more than justifies its sub-title, "A Political, Social and Military History." I was fascinated to see that the political and social aspects of military systems -- or strategies -- have not changed much over the four hundred or so years covered by this book. A comment on comments of "Reader from Rochester" who offered an unflattering review -- where Reader found "superior attitude," I found (and enjoyed) sardonic humour. Be that as it may, Reader ought to hire-out as a professional copy editor, because the irritating errors he spotted (i.e., typos) obviously slid by the publisher's fact-checkers and proofreaders. As for the 3"/50 caliber deck gun -- that's a designation used for naval guns, where "caliber" is the length of the barrel measured as a multiple of the diameter of the bore. Thus, in this instance, a 3" bore and a 150" tube. Obviously, the publisher's copy editor didn't understand this, either, and stuck a period in front of the 50.

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Here is an engaging, informative, and sometimes startling history of the men and the machines that dared to go beneath the surface of the water to enter combat.In his careful reconstruction of events, Brayton Harris combines his extraordinary sense of humor with intensive research, to present a compelling history of the submarine, from conception, to gestation, to birth during World War I, to the genesis of the mighty nuclear submarine.In his excursion through the political, social, and military history of the submarine, Harris refutes many popular myths that grew out of eyewitness accounts and copies of copies-and sets the record straight with wit and insight.A fascinating exploration of the steps and stumbles during development, a rousing tribute to the heroes who fought and died, and a powerful study of the submarine's impact on America, The Navy Times Book of Submarines is an unparalleled source for understanding the great equalizer, the beguiling boat, that decided the outcome of World War I-and changed the face of warfare forever.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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United States Navy Destroyers of World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)I was pleasantly impressed out of my wits when I received this book, which I purchased used on Amazon.
First, let me describe what I was looking for, to give you a point of reference, as we naval readers don't always have the same expectations. I am an avid WWII modeler first and an amateur historian second. To me, naval engineering or weaponry facts are secondary, as you don't really need a pictorial book such as this one to obtain that kind of data; what's more encyclopedic works from authors like Polman are better suited for that purpose. I do want to know exactly what the general configuration of a particular ship was at a given time, which marks of the various equipment were installed (ie. mark 33 versus 37 director, 5 inch guns enclosed or open, etc).
And now for the book: it is one exceptional book. The author starts with the 1898 era briefly, then moves on to the 4-stackers of WWI, then after just a few pages on to the main subject: WWII destroyers, with the Farragut class making the first step, then the Benhams, and so on. Along the way we are treated to gorgeous, large size for the most part, super sharp photos showing the ships in detail, up-close, quarter views, at sea side profiles, etc. Author has relied heavily on official naval yard photos (i.e. the ones with the white circles showing additions) as well as period in-action photos. Some are quite poignant in what they represent, sometimes very subtly. For example, on page 29 a picture shows gunners manning a 5-inch wearing asbestos gloves, which would later cause many health ailments to our dear vets.
The author really earns his keep at explaining the reasons for the updates between each class. He does so in a way I haven't read elsewhere. Easy to follow and very logically he explains what issues the designers faced and how the either solved (majority of cases) or accepted compromises. Each chapter has a caption, usually a piece of wisdom for the time, for example, chapter 11 has "We must become intolerant of delay. We must tear our way through red tape. We must pillory bureaucrats who stupidly sacrifice time in the pursuit of an impossible perfection", which is right on as far as introductions go for the subject being explained, the build-up period of 1941, right before Pearl Harbor. It is little added insights offered that add a dimension not found in other books. For these and many, many more I give this book an enthusiastic 5 stars! Get it, if you don't already have it. Easily worth $50 or more, I will trade mine for a copy in a better condition, which is something I only do with books I intend to keep forever.

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