Battleships

For more than 400 years, the big-gun warship stood as the supreme naval war machine. It was not only a major instrument of warfare, but a visible emblem of a nation's power, wealth and pride. Battleships features 52 of the greatest warships to have sailed in the last 500 years. Beginning with English king Henry VIII's flagship, Henry Grace à Dieu , the book covers all the main periods of battleship development, including the great sail ships, such as Sovereign of the Seas , Santissima Trinidad and Victory . The advent of steam-driven warships provides the core of the book, beginning with the introduction of Gloire in 1859, and continuing through all the major pre-Dreadnoughts, such as Inflexible , Maine and Tsessarevitch . There is detailed coverage of the great battleships of the two world wars, including Derfflinger , Yamato and Iowa , while the book closes with the last new battleship to be commissioned, Vanguard , in 1946. Each entry includes a brief description of the battleship's development and history, a colour profile artwork, key features and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, Battleships is a colourful guide for the military historian and naval warfare enthusiast.