Overview

The four battleships of the Iowa class, the crowning achievement of U.S. battleship construction, had exceptionally long careers and each in their way left a distinctive mark not only on the U.S. Navy but on naval history at large. Built as the ultimate American battleship and designed to engage the major units of the Japanese and German fleets, the vessels were commissioned in the closing stages of World War II, the beginning of half a century of service during which individual units saw action in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanese Civil War and finally the Persian Gulf War. As such, these ships are symbolic of the primacy of U.S. seapower during the Cold War, and the preservation of all four members of this mighty class as museums is testament not only to their enduring fascination for successive generations of Americans, but also to the immense technical, financial, military, and political resources wielded by the United States during the second half of the twentieth century.

Full Product Details

9781591145981

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Reviews

This is a magnificent production. The technical and operational level of detail will delight the most demanding rivet-counter, but the nine hundred high quality illustrations--3D renderings, color and B&W photos, and line drawings--elevate Battleships of the Iowa Class into a class of its own. The translation from the French original is excellent. Highly recommended. --Vincent P. O'Hara, author of U.S. Navy against the Axis, Struggle for the Middle Sea, and Torch.

Besides providing an excellent source of reference data and historical detail, this work is also wonderfully illustrated with highly accurate 3D drawings and an outstanding collection of photographs, many never previously published, making it a visual treat for model ship builders. It also documents, using profile and deck line drawings, the modifications made to the class during the ships' many years of service. The result is an engaging record of one of America's greatest warship classes, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone with an interest in this truly imposing piece of our nation's naval heritage, now preserved in its entirety. --From the foreword by David Way, curator, Battleship Iowa The ships of the Iowa class were and remain major achievements of which the U.S. Navy can be proud. They were capable of meeting any battleship in single combat. Neither the Bismarck, Littorio, or Nagato class could rival them either as to protection, firepower, or speed, with only the Yamato class standing comparison with these vessels. --From the preface, Philippe Caresse This lavishly illustrated celebration of the U.S. Navy's -- and the world's -- last operational battleships is a fitting tribute to the four ships of the Iowa class, which entered service midway through the Pacific War in World War II and variously served in the Korean and Vietnam wars, off Lebanon, and in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. --Seapower This is a magnificent production. The technical and operational level of detail will delight the most demanding rivet-counter, but the nine hundred high quality illustrations--3D renderings, color and B&W photos, and line drawings--elevate Battleships of the Iowa Class into a class of its own. The translation from the French original is excellent. Highly recommended. --Vincent P. O'Hara, author of U.S. Navy against the Axis, Struggle for the Middle Sea, and Torch. This is a highly technical book, jam-packed with details, facts and figures, but the original French text is translated into an easy-to-understand and very readable format.... If you are looking for a single comprehensive source of information on these ships, you should seriously consider this volume. This has to be one of the best books about the Iowas I have ever seen, and I am proud to have it in my nautical library! Very highly recommended! --Nautical Research Journal This comprehensive, lushly illustrated work belongs on every battleship aficionado's bookshelf, but it holds more than antiquarian interest. Perusing Battleships of the Iowa Class could help mold fleets for the age of great-power strategic competition now upon us.... Strongly recommended for any individual or library harbouring an interest in maritime affairs. --The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord The book is easy to read, without many technical terms, but with beautiful photographs of the exterior and interior.... The photos are often from various periods of the forty and plus years of life of the ships so that we can draw a comparison. One of the strengths of the book are the beautiful 3D schemes as well as the various photos of details that can be useful to model makers. There is a good balance between black and white and color photos, all of the highest quality. The book can not miss on the shelves of fans of naval history and modeling, because it represents a fantastic approach to know the history of the most powerful battleships ever created. The most fascinating aspect is the photographic one supported by a passionate technical and historical description of these real 'floating cities'. --On The Old Barbed Wire Mister Caresse has an excellent track record with histories of French capital ships. This time round he has given us another visually stunning book rich in of glorious archive photographs. It is a book to take your time over, because there is so much to take in. Bruce Taylor's translation from the original French is first class. All-in-all this is an eye-popping treat of a book that works on many levels. There is more than enough for serious devotees of warship history, while it will also appeal to general readers looking for something different. Highly recommended. --War History Online If books were classified as ships, then The Battleships of the 'Iowa' Class: A Design and Operational History, by Philippe Caresse, would be a battleship. It's hardcover, glossy, and heavy, and will displace a bit of space on your desk. It has an impressive array of informative firepower, and there's enough imagery to entertain someone casually flipping pages, as well as serious naval enthusiasts and professionals.... Battleships of the Iowa Class will provide hours of enjoyable reading and browsing. It's the kind of book that buyers will be proud to own, and should have a long shelf-life in any library. --The Strategy Page A serious book ... beautifully produced and presented. It is a must for every military professional, historian and military history enthusiast. Most highly recommended. --FIRE Reviews A book that will please most Iowa enthusiasts. --Sea Classics Battleships of the Iowa Class, can be enjoyed both as a coffee table book and as a penetrating examination of the design, construction, and operational history of the Iowa Class.... While the book has numerous standard black and white photos of the four ships, it is the pages of color photos which sets this book apart. Some of these photos are worthy of display in an art gallery. In total, the photo coverage provided in this book of the four Iowa Class ships leaves very little of their internal and external spaces not illustrated. This book is sure to become the benchmark by which all other books on the Iowa Class will be judged. --Naval Historical Foundation

Author Information

Philippe Caresse was born into a naval family in 1964 and joined the French Navy in 1982, serving in the destroyer d'Estr�es. He has published an extensive range of ship monographs on the French, German, U.S., and Japanese navies from the late-nineteenth century to the Second World War, and is co-author with John Jordan of French Battleships of World War One (2017) and French Armoured Cruisers. He is the harbormaster of a marina on the C�te d'Azur.

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