Destroyers: An Illustrated History of Their Impact (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781851094790)

On July 4, 1991, the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, the most powerful surface combatants in naval history, was commissioned. It was the culmination of a century-and-a-half evolution of the destroyer--an evolution captured in this vivid and timely history of the world's most popular warship.

Destroyers: An Illustrated History of Their Impact tells the story of one of the most-recent, most-rapidly evolving additions to the world's navies. Coverage ranges from the 1882 launch of the first destroyer, through the nonstop technical and strategic innovations of the world war eras, to the current high watermarks of destroyer design such as the Arleigh Burke class (named for the navy's most-famous destroyer squadron combat commander).

With its ship-by-ship analysis, this masterful volume shows how destroyers have continually met the challenge of protecting naval and land operations from ever more dangerous attacks. The book also captures the flavor of shipboard life for officers and crew and looks at the crucial role of the destroyer as a standard-bearing status symbol of naval might and political intention.

Author: Eric Osborne
ISBN-10: 1851094792
ISBN-13: 9781851094790
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Language: English
Published: 06/22/2005
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.58lbs
Size: 10.42h x 7.34w x 0.85d

Review Citation(s):
American Reference Bks Annual 01/01/2006 pg. 314