Customer Reviews

Battleship North Carolina

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I recently volunteered to be a "docent" on the Battleship U.S.S. North Carolina Memorial in Wilmington, North Carolina. I was told that this book was one of two "bibles" that the staff said was required reading. After reading the first several pages I could see why. To me, it was one of those books that once you start reading you don't want to put down until you've read it cover-to-cover. Yes, it was just that good! It gave a rare insight of not just the cut-and-dry statistics of the ship but also an intimate look of the officers and men of these great vessels. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is into naval warfare with heavy emphasis on the battleship.

After a trip to the battleship memorial, I was intrigued, and wanted, in short, to know everything about the BB-55, the North Carolina. I surveyed the available books and picked this one. It was the right choice.

It gives full details of the ships specifications and the context in which is was commissioned. After that, it details every engagement In which the NC participated, and finally how it came to roost in Wilmington in 1961. The book is full of charts, photographs, diagrams, and first person accounts from sailors who saw the action first hand from the decks of the NC. Not the least of these by any means was the author, who was in charge of the Combat Information Center on board during the thickest action of the war.

I learned a lot. The NC was the first battleship to appear at Pearl Harbor after the day of infamy, and bolstered spirits greatly. It participated in every portion of the Pacific campaign once it had arrived on scene. While carriers became the darlings of WWII, the battleships played a key role.

One astonishing story that can be gleaned between the lines is the awesome production capability of wartime USA. When the NC-55 arrived in the Pacific theater, it and the carrier Enterprise were about it. By 1944 there were task groups of dozens of carriers and eight or more fast world-class battleships. By 1945 there were hundreds of ships and the US Navy absolutely dwarfed the Imperial Japanese Navy.

I enjoyed the book a lot, and it is a superb version of what it is. It was just what I wanted.