U.s. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History | iPhone |

The story culminates in the Iowa class , which sacrificed heavy armor for 30-knot speeds to keep pace with modern aircraft carriers, a decision that allowed them to serve through the Gulf War. The Technical "Deep Story"

It dives into the high-stakes chess match of the Washington Naval Treaty , which limited ship size to 35,000 tons. Friedman reveals concepts that never sailed, like hybrid carrier-battleships and "Nelson-style" designs with all guns forward, showing the radical compromises made to stay within legal limits. U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History

The book tracks the development of the U.S. battle line across three distinct eras: The story culminates in the Iowa class ,