Book Review

US Fast Battleships
1936-47
The North Carolina and South Dakota Class
by Lawrence Burr
illustrated by Peter Bull

reviewed by Timothy Dike

New from Osprey is this book on Fast Battleships of the US Navy. Specifically the North Carolina and South Dakota class. The author details their design, and construction of the two classes. Their weapons and new technology are documented in the text and colorful illustrations. Color profiles show their camouflage and upgrades they had over time. However it should be noted that the plan views are shown with natural wood decks, when they were painted deck blue. There are some really cool cutaway illustrations that show the inner workings of these ships. The illustrations are well drawn, but most are fit to the page with no given scale.

The book also documents their history using photos and charts. I especially like the formation diagrams that give the ship positions in some of the crucial battles. Modelers will appreciate this as they strive to create accurate dioramas.

Conclusions:

Osprey Publishing has as extensive line of Military theme books available for modeler and historian alike. This one will give you a good overview of these first fast battleships and the role they played all in a soft cover 48 page format. This book is in ISBN: 9781846035104 with a price of $17.95 US. You can order directly online or at many of the better Online hobby stores.