Dreadnoughts and Super-Dreadnoughts [Hardcover]

A heavily illustrated account of the evolution, design and deployment of dreadnought battleships.When HMS Dreadnought was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1906 this revolutionary new class of big-gun iron-clad warship immediately changed the face of naval warfare, rendering all other battleships worldwide obsolete. The Admiralty realized that as soon as the ship was revealed to the global naval community Britain would be a in race to stay ahead, and so the first dreadnoughts were built in record time. While there were those who regarded the vessel as a triumphant revolution in naval design, the dreadnought initially had its critics, including those who thought its slower, heavier guns left it vulnerable to the secondary armament of other warships. Nevertheless, other countries, notably Germany, and the United States soon began to lay down dreadnoughts. The culmination of this arms race would be the confrontation of the British and German fleets at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916  the greatest clash of naval firepower in history. This book gives detailed insights into the design, operation and combat history of these incredible vessels.A heavily illustrated account of the evolution, design and deployment of dreadnought battleships.The dreadnoughts revolutionized naval power in the years running up to World War I.The armament and speed of the HMS Dreadnought sparked a naval arms race.The last remaining dreadnought, U.S.S. Texas, is a museum ship at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. This book covers [the] design, technology, crew life and operational history of these ships, with numerous design drawings, original art and photographs that capture the awe held for these ships. ...even experienced readers of books about battleships will learn a good deal from examining this volume. The history of the dreadnought is well told this extensively illustrated volume. The book con?tains more than 200 illustration, technical draw?ings, and photographs of variolÓú