Jane's Battleships Of The 20th Century (1996) By Bernard Ireland
 
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 USA 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 USA. This naval race produced the world's largest and most heavily-armed battleships, like the 'Yamato ' and 'Iowa'. Combat experience in World War II soon revealed that submarines and aircraft posed a lethal threat to even the greatest battleship. Only the US Navy had the resources to maintain a battleship force after 1945, and these mighty warships have attacked 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 colour 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 battlecruisers were so vulnerable to German shellfire, how American radar helped USS 'Washington' sink the 'Kirishima' off Guadalcanal, and when was the 'Bismarch' doomed to die.
 
The Artist: Tony Gibbons was born in 1933 and educated in London. He studied art at North West Ham Technical College and worked for many years as an art director in advertising, before becoming a fulltime freelance writer and illustrator. He has built up an extensive library of original documents, photographs and prints relating to naval history. Many partworks and illustrated books have benefited from his painstaking research and artistic skill, among them 'War Machine, Battleships & Battlecruisers, The Civil War Day by Day, Civil War Military Machine, ' and 'The Ship'.
The Author: Bernard Ireland has written many books of warships and naval warfare including 'The Mediterranean Campaign 1940-43, Cruisers and Warships of World War II.'
 
*Lavishly illustrated, with colour paintings of all the greatest warships of the twentieth century, 'Battleships' is a magnificent work of reference.*Illustrated by leading naval artist Tony Gibbons and supported by Jane's technical resources, 'Battleships' is a comprehensive encyclopaedia of capital ships from the turn of the century to USS 'Missouri's' cruise missile attack on Iraq in 1991.* Every Battleship launched after 1900 is included, from the revolutionary 'Dreadnought' to the most famous warships of World War II, 'Bismar, Hood' and the 'New Jersey' class that survived to take part in the Vietnam and Gulf wars.
 
*Over 100 colour profiles*25 full page three-views*Over 250 photographs*Complete technical specifications
 
Hard Cover with Dust Jacket
192 pages
In Good Condition