USS Iowa At War

Zenith has released an interesting new title covering the history of the USS Iowa. If it was just that subject, this would be in interesting title, but the authors have a style that I like to apply to my own writing - putting the subject into historical context.

The Iowa-class battleships were the culmination of a variety of events that started with the earlier classes of battleships that attempted to remain within the post-WWI battleship limitation treaty still in effect prior to WWII and the decisions to set aside the treaty when it was clear that the axis powers had already violated that treaty. The Navy was given approval to produce six Iowa-class battleships, the Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Kentucky. The last two ships were only partially completed by war's end and construction was halted.

If you look in the dictionary under 'gunboat diplomacy', you're likely to see an image of one of the Iowa-class battleships sailing nearby. During a number of crises in the world, the sight of an Iowa sailing off-shore and the threat of naval gunfire was usually enough to get the situation back under control. Nevertheless, the Iowa-class battleships served in several wars following WWII including Korea and Vietnam. During Vietnam, the main guns were given a newer projectile with a rocket motor to kick the round farther downrange.

Even after Vietnam, the Iowa-class was called upon again to offset the growing threat posed by the Soviet Navy and the impressive firepower they took to sea. The star of that show was the Kirov-class battlecruiser and its wide array of missiles. Missiles or not, there was no defensive technology that the Soviets could bring to bear against the firepower of the Iowa-class' main guns!

This title walks the reader through the turbulent history that led up to the development of these ultimate battleships and through different periods of time that these ships continued to serve. The title is nicely illustrated with a mix of period photos as well as nice images taken around the preserved ship. The illustrations are also very nicely done. The line drawings of one of the main turrets highlights that the turret wasn't only what you see on deck, but all of the support infrastructure below decks as well.

The title is broken down as follows:

• History
• Battleships: Icons of the Sea
• Building The Iowa Class
• USS Iowa in World War II
• Korea: 1952
• Iowa Class: 1956-1969
• The Kirov Class: A Soviet Menace
• The Iowa Class of the 1980s
• Tragedy Strikes the Iowa
• The Battle for a USS Iowa Museum

If you're a battleship enthusiast or naval history hobbyist, this title will provide you with a nice look at the history and development of these ultimate battleships and their impact on world events. This title is well done and definitely recommended reading!

My sincere thanks to Motorbooks International for this review sample!