Machines Close-Up reveals the intricate inner workings of the worlds most remarkable machines

By nature, the modern warship must basically fight in three separate environments - on the surface of the sea, under the surface and in the air above. This is a concise, detailed and color-illustrated guide to modern warships from around the world. To give a balanced picture it is not only the major vessels that are described but also representative examples of smaller craft such as fast corvettes, attack craft and mine sweepers. For convenience and ease of reference the ships are grouped according to the following broad classifications - Aircraft Carriers, Submarines, Major Warships, Destroyers and Frigates, Small Warships, Amphibious Warfare and Logistic Support Vessels. Details include Displacement, Length, Draught, Power Plant, Speed and Range, Complement, Missiles Carried, Guns and Sensors.

In the last century, there have been some pretty amazing advances in naval technology. This visually arresting reference guide profiles several dozen warships. The naval vessels featured include submarines, amphibious landing craft, aircraft carriers, and destroyers. Both historically significant ships from the past and today’s newest high-tech vessels have their moments in the spotlight. The book features amazing images of the vessels profiled, which were created in 3D then rendered as elevations. This one is sure to delight anybody who has an interest in the military, history, technology, or the ocean.

The period covered by this book was one of radical change for the U.S. Navy. When the modern navy first considered buying a submarine in 1887, it was a coast defense force confined to the Western Hemisphere. The United States became a world power just as its new submarines offered a way of defending its most distant possession, the Philippines, without tying down an expensive fleet. World War I found U.S. submarines in an unexpected role, countering German U-boats in British waters. Then the situation changed again with unexpected speed.

Only the author of The Hunt for Red October could capture the reality of life aboard a nuclear submarine. Only a writer of Mr. Clancy's magnitude could obtain security clearance for information, diagrams, and photographs never before available to the public. Now, every civilian can enter this top secret world...the weapons, the procedures, the people themselves...the startling facts behind the fiction that made Tom Clancy a #1 bestselling author.

This is one in a series of books that shows the intricate internal workings beneath the skin of some of the world's most amazing machines.

An illustrated directory of the weapons and techniques used to seek out and destroy enemy submarines.

The first comprehensive technical history on the subject, with photos: “A must-read for all professionals, designers and scholars of modern submarines.” —Australian Naval Institute The Royal Navy’s greatest contribution to the Allied success in World War II was undoubtedly the defeat of the U-boat menace in the North Atlantic, a victory on which all other European campaigns depended. The underwater threat was the most serious naval challenge of the war, so it was not surprising that captured German submarine technology became the focus of attention for the British submarine service after 1945. It was quick to test and adopt the schnorkel, streamlining, homing torpedoes, and, less successfully, hydrogen-peroxide propulsion. Furthermore, in the course of the long Atlantic battle, the Royal Navy had become the world’s most effective anti-submarine force and was able to utilize this expertise to improve the efficiency of its own submarines. However, in 1945 German submarine technology had also fallen into the hands of the Soviet Union—and as the Cold War developed it became clear that a growing Russian submarine fleet would pose a new threat. Britain had to go to the US for its first nuclear propulsion technology, but the Royal Navy introduced the silencing technique that made British and US nuclear submarines viable anti-submarine assets, and it pioneered in the use of passive—silent—sonars in that role. Nuclear power also changed the role of some British submarines, which replaced bombers as the core element of British Cold War and post-Cold War nuclear deterrence. As in other books in this series, this one shows how a combination of evolving strategic and tactical requirements and new technology produced successive types of submarines. It is based largely on unpublished and previously classified official documentation, and to the extent allowed by security restrictions, also tells the operational story—HMS Conqueror is still the only nuclear submarine to have sunk a warship in combat, but there are many lesser-known aspects of British submarine operations in the postwar era.

Part of the Weapons of War series, this book features more than 150 color and black & white illustrations and photographs as well as detailed specifications on submarines from 1940 to the present. Submarines 1940–Present brings together the most important submarines from the beginning of World War II to the present in a single, handy volume arranged in alphabetical order. The book includes World War II classics, such as U-47 and HMS Vagabond, as well as modern nuclear-powered submarines, such as the Chinese Song class, the Russian Borei class, and USS Seawolf. Features 150 entries of the most important weapons of the era Every weapon is illustrated with an accurate color artwork Each entry includes a specifications table with essential information such as armament, weight, speed, and range Concise text provides a summary of the design, development, service history, and performance of each weapon