USS Saratoga (CV-3): An Illustrated History of the Legendary Aircraft Carrier 1927-1946 (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Originally laid down as one of six giant battle cruisers, the Saratoga survived the 1922 Washington Disarmament Treaty's cutting torch through her conversion to a new and seemingly benign type of vessel-the aircraft carrier. She reported for fduty off Lon

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076430089X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764300899
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #382,550 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars USS Saratoga is the best book for pictures and history., April 27, 1999

By	"rabidread" (Costa Mesa, CA USA Costa Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This a great book in terms of pictures and the history of the USS Saratoga. It is about as complete a book on this ship that you will find. From the moment she was created to the day she was sunk in Bikini Atoll's lagoon by the US weapons tests, this book covers it all in GREAT detail.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete work., October 16, 2008

By	Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Laid down as a Battlecruiser, the USS Saratoga should have been scrapped as a result of the limitations imposed by the 1922 Washington Disarmament Treaty but survived because it was decided to convert the, then, unfinished hull into an aircraft carrier. At that time "carrier" was all that such ship was required to do in those uncertain years between WW1 and WW2.

In the event, USS Saratoga was one of only 3 aircraft carriers available to the USA when they entered WW2 and might so easily have been moored at Pearl Harbour when they Japanese attacked. Thankfully, she was at sea and survived not only that attack but also the War that followed.

There was always something rather special about the "Sara" as she became known. This was the ship on which those who would later fight the Japanese from US aircraft carriers were trained and this was the ship which later saw significant action. Always at the cutting edge of carrier warfare tactical development, there was a time when this was the only aircraft carrier available to the US forces.

It says much for the importance of her role and the threat she posed to her enemies that Japan announced her sinking on a number of occasions. Torpedoed twice and also hit by a kamikaze attack, this ship, however, survived when others did not.

In 1946, however, she was subjected to two experimental atomic bomb explosions at Bikini Atoll and it says much for the gallant ship that she survived the first and almost survived the second. All things considered, this ship probably played the greatest role of all time in the development of carrier warfare in the US Navy.

This book is as complete a work as one might hope to find and is written by an author whose father and two uncles both served on board the Saratoga. Containing an excellent selection of historic photographs reproduced on the highest quality paper, I was particularly impressed with the minutiae of detail also included - items such as menus and cartoons from the day alongside personal profiles of some of her more significant officers.

For those who thought they knew this ship, I suspect they will learn something they did not previously know from this book.

NM

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete work., October 16, 2008

By	Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Laid down as a Battlecruiser, the USS Saratoga should have been scrapped as a result of the limitations imposed by the 1922 Washington Disarmament Treaty but survived because it was decided to convert the, then, unfinished hull into an aircraft carrier. At that time "carrier" was all that such ship was required to do in those uncertain years between WW1 and WW2.

In the event, USS Saratoga was one of only 3 aircraft carriers available to the USA when they entered WW2 and might so easily have been moored at Pearl Harbour when they Japanese attacked. Thankfully, she was at sea and survived not only that attack but also the War that followed.

There was always something rather special about the "Sara" as she became known. This was the ship on which those who would later fight the Japanese from US aircraft carriers were trained and this was the ship which later saw significant action. Always at the cutting edge of carrier warfare tactical development, there was a time when this was the only aircraft carrier available to the US forces.

It says much for the importance of her role and the threat she posed to her enemies that Japan announced her sinking on a number of occasions. Torpedoed twice and also hit by a kamikaze attack, this ship, however, survived when others did not.

In 1946, however, she was subjected to two experimental atomic bomb explosions at Bikini Atoll and it says much for the gallant ship that she survived the first and almost survived the second. All things considered, this ship probably played the greatest role of all time in the development of carrier warfare in the US Navy.

This book is as complete a work as one might hope to find and is written by an author whose father and two uncles both served on board the Saratoga. Containing an excellent selection of historic photographs reproduced on the highest quality paper, I was particularly impressed with the minutiae of detail also included - items such as menus and cartoons from the day alongside personal profiles of some of her more significant officers.

For those who thought they knew this ship, I suspect they will learn something they did not previously know from this book.

NM