Martindale, E. V. Technical Guide. Battleships of World War I & World War II. 1914-45

For centuries, battleships provided overwhelming firepower at sea. They were not only a major instrument of warfare, but also a visible emblem of a nations power, wealth, and pride. The rise of the aircraft carrier following the Japanese aerial strike on Pearl Harbor in 1941 highlighted the vulnerabilities of the battleship, bringing about its demise as a dominant class of warship. This book offers a detailed guide to the major types of battleships to fight in the two world wars.

Explore HMS Dreadnought, the first of a class of fast, big-gun battleships to be developed at the beginning of the 20th century; see the great capital ships that exchanged salvos at the battle of Jutland, including the German battlecruiser Derfflinger, which sank the British battleship Queen Mary; find out about the destruction of HMS Hood, which exploded after exchanging fire with the Bismarck, which itself was sunk after a trans-Atlantic chase by a combination of battery fire and aircraft-launched torpedoes; and be amazed at the "super-battleship" Yamato, which despite its size and firepower, made a minimal contribution to Japans war effort and was sunk by air attack during the defense of Okinawa.