Warship Pictorial 42 - Round Bridge Fletcher
by Rick E. Davis



 Reviewed by Martin J Quinn
February 2015

Classic Warship Publishing has released a new book, the 42nd in it's Warship Pictorial line.   This one focuses on the Round Bridge Fletcher class destroyers. 
This book features 72 pages with over 125 images - including five in color - of the "Round Bridge" variant of the Fletcher class destroyers, the most numerous class of destroyers ever built.  click to
enlarge images
The book is laid out by different variants within the Round Bridge type:
     
  • Fletcher's armed with the Quad 1.1 inch mount
  • Fletcher's armed with one twin 40mm mount
  • Aircraft-Handling Fletcher's
  • Fletcher's with two twin 40mm mounts - one on the fantail
  • Fletcher's with two twin 40mm mounts in the waist position
  • Fletcher's with three twin 40mm mounts
  • Fletcher's with four twin 40mm mounts - one on the fantail
  • The Accidental six twin gun 40mm mount Fletcher
  • Fletcher's with five twin 40mm mounts
  • Fletcher's with the Anti-Kamikaze Modification
There is also a brief section at the end of the book with some detailed shots of the underwater hull.  The layout of the book seems unorthodox at first, but once you flip through it, it makes sense and groups the types of variants together.   Also included in the book is a page on the development history of the class, and a roster of the Round Bridge ships and their fates. 

While the author lists a variety of sources, it looks like most of the photos are sourced from the National Archives.  The photo selection is varied and of high quality, with lots of detail shots. 
Conclusions:

Another must have book from Classic Warships Publishing, especially for fans of the Fletcher class.  With it's breakdown of sub-variants and high quality photos, this is will be a great addition to the reference library for both naval enthusiasts and scale-modelers alike.  This is Warship Pictorial 42 - Round Bridge Fletcher. Published by Classic Warships Publishing ISBN 978-0-9857149-6-3. Price is $18.00 US retail and it is available direct of from one of their vendors listed on the Classic Warships website. Grab your copy now before this one sells out. 
 

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