US Cruisers 18831904: The birth of the steel navy

(Paperback)

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Description

By the end of the Civil War the US Navy was the most advanced in the world, but in subsequent years America's naval might dwindled. However, in the 1880s a 'New Navy' was born and at the forefront of its fleet were the mighty cruisers. Naval historian Lawrence Burr details how these cruisers allowed America to rebuild their navy, exploring the design and development of these ships. Placing these advances in context, through vivid accounts of how US cruisers performed in the Spanish-American War of 1898, notably at Manila Bay and Santiago, he investigates the emergence of the US Navy as a major power. Illustrated with early photographs and full-colour artwork, this is a concise history of the birth and development of a modern navy that was the precursor to the development of modern steel fleets around the world.

Reviews

"These short histories provide the salient details of the individual ships -- noting especially the improvements made over their predecessors -- without a reader having to acquire a large, expensive 'encyclopedia' of American cruiser history. Each section is extremely well illustrated, with photographs as well as lavishly detailed, illustrated, original artworks." --J. Graeme Arbuckle, The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord (Sept 2009)

"Overall, a very valuable point of reference for the ship modeler, researcher, or student interested in the steel navy cruiser era. Highly recommended from this modelers point of view!" --Mark R. Smith, Model Shipwrights

"In addition to the superb period photographs of these vessels, there is the artwork of Ian Palmer and John White to further enhance the experience of reading this book. It makes for a well rounded publication and a book that I can most highly recommend to you." --Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (June 2008)

Author Bio

Lawrence Burr was a Co-Producer of the Channel 4 documentary, ""Jutland-Clash of the Dreadnoughts"". Lawrence took part in the expedition that surveyed the underwater wrecks of the battlecruisers by divers and camera equipped ROV. Lawrence has had a long interest in naval history, and resides on the Gulf Coast of Florida, USA. Tony Bryan is a freelance illustrator of many years' experience who lives and works in Dorset. He initially qualified in Engineering and worked for a number of years in Military Research and Development, and has a keen interest in military hardware armour, small arms, aircraft and ships. Tony has produced many illustrations for partworks, magazines and books, including a number of titles in the New Vanguard series.