US Cruisers 1883-1904: The birth of the steel navy: 143 (New Vanguard) - Softcover

"These short histories provide the salient details of the individual ships -- noting especially the improvements made over their predecessors -- without a reader having to acquire a large, expensive 'encyclopedia' of American cruiser history. Each section is extremely well illustrated, with photographs as well as lavishly detailed, illustrated, original artworks." --J. Graeme Arbuckle, The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord (Sept 2009) "Overall, a very valuable point of reference for the ship modeler, researcher, or student interested in the steel navy cruiser era. Highly recommended from this modelers point of view!" --Mark R. Smith, Model Shipwrights "In addition to the superb period photographs of these vessels, there is the artwork of Ian Palmer and John White to further enhance the experience of reading this book. It makes for a well rounded publication and a book that I can most highly recommend to you." --Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (June 2008)

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.