Author Description

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 U.S. 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 U.S.. This naval race produced the world's largest and most heavily-armed battleships, like the Yamoto and Owa. Combat experience in World War II soon revealed that submarines and aircraft posed a lethal threat to even the greatest battleship. Only the U.S. Navy had the resources to maintain a battleship force after 1945, and these mighty warships have attached 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 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 battle cruisers were so vulnerable to German shellfire, how American radar helped USS Washington sink the Kirishiman off Guadalcanal and when was the Bismarck doomed to die.