Naval Battles of the 20th Century

The major naval powers-Britain, America, Russia, and Japan-have all played a part in the theater of war at sea over the last one hundred years. Naval fighting has always been a rapidly developing affair, and in no century have changes been so swift and fundamental. This book is a detailed account of the bloody and tragic battles that took place and of the shifting pattern in the status of the naval powers, sometimes masking its effect on our history today.

In 1905, when this book begins, the first major engagement between ironclad fleets-the Battle of Tsu-Shima-took place in the Far East and decided the outcome of the Russo-Japanese war in Japan's favor. What follows are the mighty sea battles of our century, graphically reconstructed for the reader. Victories, defeats, and mutinies at sea, from the battle with the Bismarck to the battles of Midway and Guadalcanal, are all recorded in sometimes horrific detail. This is a moving testament to battles the likes of which changed the world.