Lawrence Burr – författare

Early British battlecruisers were not a "failed design" as is so often claimed, but a very successful and revolutionary one that was critical to, and instrumental in, Britain winning the naval war of 1914-18.This book contains up-to-date information on these innovative ships, using previously untapped evidence from the wrecks of the sunken battlecruisers and detailed analysis of admiralty records to show why Admiral Fisher's famous battlecruiser concept was a revolution that drew together technological breakthroughs, global communications and intelligence gathering to create the first worldwide rapid-response task force.

By the end of the Civil War the US Navy was the most advanced in the world, but in subsequent years America's naval might dwindled.However, in the 1880s a 'New Navy' was born and at the forefront of its fleet were the mighty cruisers. Naval historian Lawrence Burr details how these cruisers allowed America to rebuild their navy, exploring the design and development of these ships. Placing these advances in context, through vivid accounts of how US cruisers performed in the Spanish-American War of 1898, notably at Manila Bay and Santiago, he investigates the emergence of the US Navy as a major power.Illustrated with early photographs and full-colour artwork, this is a concise history of the birth and development of a modern navy that was the precursor to the development of modern steel fleets around the world.

This compact, illustrated guide examines the design, construction, and operation of the first six of the ten US fast battleships, two of the North Carolina class and four of the South Dakota class.These six battleships were all authorized in 1936 and were the first vessels built in the US since 1923. Consequently, these ships benefitted from enormous technological leaps, with improvements in ship design, power, armor, armament and the single most important improvement the use of radar guided fire control helping to change the course of the war in the Pacific.Packed with first-hand accounts, battle reports, and specially created artwork this book tells the story of these war-winning vessels.