Treaty Cruisers: The First International Warship Building Competition

Leo Marriott

nov. del 2005 · Casemate Publishers

Sobre aquest llibre

“A quite enlightening book that discusses the most important group of heavy cruisers serving during WW2 and how the type evolved.” —Malcolm Wright, author of British and Commonwealth Warship Camouflage of WWII
 
The Washington Naval Treaty of 1921 and subsequent treaties in the 1930s effectively established the size and composition of the various navies in World War II. In particular, they laid down design parameters and tonnage limitations for each class of warship, including battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers. With one or two exceptions, battleship construction was deferred until the mid 1930s, but virtually all navies embraced the concept of the eight-inch gun-armed, 10,000-ton heavy cruisers and constructed new vessels almost immediately. This book will trace the political processes which led to the treaties, describe the heavy cruisers designed and built to the same rules by each nation, and then consider how the various classes fared in World War II and attempt to assess which was the most successful.
 
Ships from the navies of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, the United States, and Japan are included. Appendices cover construction tables, the history of each ship, technical specifications, armament, and aircraft carried.
 
“The author has crafted a book that is both a technical read and popular history. The book provides an excellent overview of the reasoning each country employed in building its interwar cruiser force and how they committed these ships to battle. If development of and employment of weapon systems is of interest to you, this is a must-read book.” —Naval Historical Foundation

Sobre l'autor

Leo Marriott has written numerous books on aviation, naval and military subjects including Treaty Cruisers, Catapult Aircraft, Jets at Sea and Early Jet Fighters: British and American 1944–1954. He is now retired after a fifty-year career as an air traffic controller but still maintains his pilot's license flying a syndicate-owned Cessna 172. Apart from aviation and naval history, his other interests include sailing, photography and painting.