What do you think?
Rate this book
Osprey New Vanguard #271
US Navy Battleships 1886-98: The Pre-Dreadnoughts and Monitors That Fought the Spanish-American War
The story of how the US Navy developed its first battleship fleet, their first combat test in the Spanish-American War, and the battleships' careers through World War I.
This fully illustrated study examines the US's first six battleships, a story of political compromises, clean sheet designs, operational experience, and experimental improvements. These ships directly inspired the creation of an embryonic American military-industrial complex, enabled a permanent outward-looking shift in American foreign policy, and laid the foundations of the modern US Navy.
After the American Civil War, the US Navy had been allowed to decay into complete insignificance, yet the commissioning of the modern Brazilian battleship Riachuelo and poor performance against the contemporary Spanish fleet, forced the US out of its isolationist posture towards battleships.
The first true US battleships began with the experimental Maine and Texas, followed by the three-ship Indiana class, and the Iowa class, which incorporated lessons from the previous ships. These initial ships set the enduring US battleship standard of being heavily armed and armored at the expense of speed.
This fully illustrated study examines the US's first six battleships, a story of political compromises, clean sheet designs, operational experience, and experimental improvements. These ships directly inspired the creation of an embryonic American military-industrial complex, enabled a permanent outward-looking shift in American foreign policy, and laid the foundations of the modern US Navy.
After the American Civil War, the US Navy had been allowed to decay into complete insignificance, yet the commissioning of the modern Brazilian battleship Riachuelo and poor performance against the contemporary Spanish fleet, forced the US out of its isolationist posture towards battleships.
The first true US battleships began with the experimental Maine and Texas, followed by the three-ship Indiana class, and the Iowa class, which incorporated lessons from the previous ships. These initial ships set the enduring US battleship standard of being heavily armed and armored at the expense of speed.
- GenresHistory
48 pages, Paperback
Published June 27, 2019
10 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Brian Lane Herder
18 books7 followersBorn in 1981, Brian Lane Herder graduated with a BA in History from the University of Kansas in 2003, and a Masters of Library Science from Emporia State University in 2009.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 8, 2022
A short and useful introduction to the subject with excellent colour plates, photographs and technical detail.
December 10, 2025
Pretty pictures and detailed design specifications for several pre-dreadnaught battleships employed in the Spanish-American war. I have been fascinated with the transition from sailing ships to steamships, and with ships of the line to battleships. This cute little book fills a void for the period when the U.S. first made the decision to create a "modern" navy, which happened to make its appearance just in time for the Spanish-American war. The book included a short section on the U.S. response to the Boxer rebellion in China that I haven't read about anywhere else.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews