Jane's Battleships of the 20th Century
The greatest arms race in history began in the first years of  the 20th century as World Powers expanded their fleets. Germany  challenged the Royal Navy's global dominance, the U.S. and Japan  established themselves as major naval powers. The revolutionaryHMS  Dreadnoughtwas succeeded by even larger and more powerful warships  that clashed spectacularly at the battle of Jutland in 1916. Plans for  a new generation of 'super dreadnoughts' were delayed by  international treaties, but Japanese ambitions eventually led to a new  arms race with the U.S.. This naval race produced the world's  largest and most heavily-armed battleships, like theYamotoandOwa. Combat experience in World War II soon revealed that  submarines and aircraft posed a lethal threat to even the greatest  battleship. Only the U.S. Navy had the resources to maintain a  battleship force after 1945, and these mighty warships have attached  enemy coasts from Vietnam and the Lebanon to the 1991 Gulf War.Acclaimed naval illustrator Tony Gibbons has painted all classes of  twentieth century battleship forJane's Battleships of the 20th  Century. Every major battleship is shown in profile, with the 25  greatest battleships illustrated across the full width of the page,  with accompanying plan and bow views.Naval historian Bernard  Ireland reveals the fascinating background to each class of battleship.  Each entry includes comprehensive technical data. Special features  investigate what happened when battleships opened fire: Why British  battle cruisers were so vulnerable to German shellfire, how American  radar helpedUSS Washingtonsink theKirishimanoff  Guadalcanal and when was theBismarckdoomed to die.