History of warships : from ancient times to the twenty-first century / James L. George.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

George, James L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Warships--History.

Warships.

History.

Physical Description:

xvi, 353 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press, [1998]

Summary:

There have been many illustrated histories of individual ship designs and of naval battles and wars, but until now there has never been a comprehensive single-volume survey of the world's warships from antiquity to the present and beyond. The culmination of a lifetime of research and hands-on experience, this exciting tour de force by naval analyst Jim George not only describes the major types of naval combatants through history but compares, contrasts, and analyzes them in a highly readable, easy-to-use format that is sure to become indispensable to naval professionals and general readers alike.

Organized by the four major ages of warships -- galley, sail, steam, and modern -- George graphically presents the design evolution, construction, and operational uses of specific ship types, including their defenses, weapons, propulsion, and famous sea battles. While his focus is on ships of major naval powers, he does offer interesting examples from lesser navies and includes Leonardo da Vinci's submarine designs, Germany's pocket battleship, Austria's World War I air-cushion catamaran, and Italy's naval tanks with lateral caterpillar chains.

Chapters on lessons learned, ironies, and myths consider design evolutions across history to reach thought-provoking and often surprising conclusions. Also covered are the fascinating and often startling design concepts for future ships, weapons, and systems from around the world. Handy tables accompany each ship type for quick reference, and four extensive bibliographies provide directions for further study.

From Greek triremes, ships of the line, ironclads, dreadnoughts, and nuclear submarines to the U.S. Navy's proposed Sea Shadow stealth ship,no other single source offers comparable breadth and depth of description and analysis of the world's warships.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-337) and index.

ISBN:

1557503125

OCLC:

38551294