Blue Water Beat: The Two Lives of the Battleship Uss California [Hardcover]

George F. Gruner (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Glencannon Pr; 1st edition (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889901016
• ISBN-13: 978-1889901015
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,091,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Account of This Historical Battleship, July 3, 2000

By 

"davebridges" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Water Beat: The Two Lives of the Battleship Uss California (Hardcover)

If you are interested in the history of the USS California, or just life aboard a US battleship in the 20s, 30s, or 40s then this book should delight you. It covers everything about BB-44, from the pre-building politics that made her the only battleship ever made on the west coast, to her construction and launching at Mare Island, service between the wars, the tragic sinking at Pearl Harbor, her triumphant return to serve with the Pacific Fleet, and her final demise in Philadelphia. This book combines contemporary newspaper accounts regarding the California, journals of day-to-day activities, and interviews with crewmembers to create one of the finest ship histories I have ever read. Heavily illustrated with photos and drawings, this book also contains profuse footnotes and a large bibliography. Produced by the Associates of the San Francisco Maritime Museum Library, this book is not only a great reference source, but also a thoroughly enjoyable read from cover to cover.