Battleship
Bismarck : A Survivor's Story
by Burkard, Freiherr Von Mullenheim-Rechberg, et al (Hardcover -
December 1990)
Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor's Story is a master piece of naval
history. I have read this book several times and each time I have come
away with more knowledge about Operation Rhine. The book is complete
with details of the launch of the Bismarck at the Blohm & Voss Ship
yards to its final destruction in the north Atlantic. The author has
been very objective in his account of the Bismarck's maiden and final
voyage. I also recommend the book "Pursuit" by Ludovick
Kennedy which details the British side of this naval hunt.
The
Grand Fleet : Warship Design and Development 1906-1922 by David
K. Brown
In this book, the sequel to the highly-acclaimed Warrior to
Dreadnought, David Brown brings his knowledge and experience as a
warship designer to the story of the Royal Navy's development of World
War I warships and the influence of that conflict on future warship
design. The building of the new Dreadnought battleships and the
controversial battlecruisers are covered in this book, as well as
developments in the design of cruisers and smaller craft, and the new
weapons of naval warfare--submarines and aircraft carriers. Brown
provides a full analysis of the experience of battle damage along with
an examination of the effect that damage had on post-World War I designs
to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1923.
Heavily illustrated with 200 contemporary photographs and line
drawings of the most significant ships, this book will be a vital
addition to the collections of naval historians and enthusiasts.
Battleship
Musashi : The Making and Sinking of the World's Biggest Battleship by
Akira Yoshimura, Vincent Murphy (Translator) (Paperback - November 1999)
History is presented in many forms. I still remember my 6th grade
history class test, with a list of dates on the right, and historical
events on the left. My task was to draw lines between the two. I
succeeded in drawing the lines, but I didn't make the connection. Battleship
Musashi transends a "list of dates"; launch, displacement,
number of guns (it's all there too). I am presented with the flesh and
blood of the ship and it's crew, in a way that I have not experienced
before from historical essays. The writer shows me the minds
of the people and government involved with the ship, and though I know
the final outcome for Musashi, I was rivited to the account. In
my opinion, this is a must-read book for those interested in history,
Japan, political science, or simply want a good spy story to curl up with!
Reviewer: Eric Scott
from Fort Lauderdale, Florida November
22, 1999
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