David Doyle Books Review - USS NEVADA BB-36

Legends of Warfare
USS Nevada (BB-36)
by David Doyle

Reviewed by Martin J Quinn
December 2025

David Doyle Books has released another new title in the "Legends of Warfare" series. This one covers the USS Nevada, BB-36, a Nevada-class battleship, which served from 1916 to 1946. This book is 176 pages long, and includes a history of the Nevada, from her keel laying at Mare Island Navy Yard in October 1916, through her ordeal at Pearl Harbor, her rebuild, subsequent return to service with the Pacific Fleet, and final disposition as a target in 1948. The book has over 350 photos.

This book is laid out with an introduction and ten subsequent chapters.

- Chapter 1 - Construction and Launching
- Chapter 2 - Commissioning and Shakedown
- Chapter 3 - World War I and Interwar Years
- Chapter 4 - Modernization and Rebirth
- Chapter 5 -Return to the Fleet
- Chapter 6 - Pearl Harbor
- Chapter 7 - North to Alaska
- Chapter 8 - Return to the Atlantic
- Chapter 9 - Once More to the Pacific
- Chapter 10 - Nevada's Final Chapter

The first 30+ pages of the book deal with Nevada's origins - from design to construction, launching and trial. The next 30+ pages cover her pre-modernization career, in all her cage-masted glory. There are some really cool photos in this section of the book, especially close ups of the cage masts and spotting tops. The next two chapters cover her rebuild from cage masts to tripods, and her pre-Pearl Harbor service in the fleet.

Nevada was extensively photographed during and after the Pearl Harbor Raid, and a large number of photos of her during the attack and it's aftermath, are included. There are two interesting photos included of her rebuild at Puget Sound in 1942, which I've never seen before.

The rest of the book mostly deals with Nevada's service in World War II, after her repairs, documenting her exploits in both the Pacific and Atlantic. The last 20+ pages deal with her service as a target at the atomic bomb tests, and her subsequent sinking as a target in 1948.

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Conclusions:

This is another great entry into David Doyle's "Legends of Warfare" series. It has lots of good information on Nevada, over 350 pictures, and should be a boon to modelers who want to model this iconic ship. My only nitpick is the lack of line drawings or profiles, which would have been welcome.

As with the other titles in this series, this book will appeal to both naval history buffs and modelers alike. Highly recommended.

This is USS Nevada BB-36 - Legends of Warfare, by David Doyle. Published by Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7643-7076-2. The book retails for $29.99, and will soon be available to order directly from David's website. Thanks to David Doyle Books for the review sample.