World War II Warships

New York, N.Y.: Excalibur Books, 1976. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus. Hardcover. Good/Fair. vii, [1], 125, [3] pages. Oversized book, measuring 11/1-2 inches by 9 inches. Illustrated endpapers. DJ worn and torn. Foreword by Vice Admiral B. B. Schofield CB CBE. Special Illustrations by the County Studio, Leicester. Includes Foreword, Introduction, as well as chapters on Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, France, and the United States. This book surveys the major vessels used in combat by the principal navies of the Second World War. The development, construction, and fighting role of over 50 of these warships--cruisers, battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines--are individually described and placed within the context of their class. Each vessel is accompanied by a full technical specification with detailed color drawings and contemporary photographs of the ship in action. David Lyon spent his working life at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, where he looked after the huge ships plans collection before becoming Curator of Naval Ordnance, then Head of Enquiries and finally Chief of Research of the Maritime Information Centre. He served in the Royal Navy Reserve and having qualified as a diving officer, was instrumental in the development of underwater archaeology in Britain. He is a member of the Council of the Society for Nautical Research and of the Nautical Museums Trust. He has written and lectured extensively both in Britain and abroad an his many publications include The Sailing Navy List, The Denny List, Steam, Steel and Torpedoes, and Sea Battles in Close-up: The Nelson Era. The co-author is his brother which did his thesis on British Naval Shipbuilding.