Modern U.S. Navy Destroyers

Rating:
Summary: Good photos but General Information
Review: I am 90% through the book and it's a disappointment compared to Stephen's excellent book on "Carrier Battle Group." The text information is very general and vague and is more geared towards someone who has never seen a destroyer before. Anyone who lived during and read the newspapers on the Gulf War or went to a few "Fleet Weeks" would know the information contained in this book.

The book is divided into four parts: Spruance-class destroyers, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, weapons, and the future of destroyers like stealthy Sea Shadow. The Spruance and Burke sections make up 85% of the book.

The information is not much different than what one can read off the web or a Cold War book. In fact, a few pages of information were summarized from a 1986 Cold War book I have as to then-Congress's reaction to the Spruance destroyers' design.

The new content is not enlightening and causes a bit of confusion too. Not much range or facts are given as to weapon and system performance although one can find these off the internet. The ranges that are given for some weapons conflict with other documented text.

Unlike "Carrier Battle Group," this book has very few quotes and first-person opinions. It's all narration and at times, the author repeats the same information on different pages. Thus, I found this book rushed to printing. There are a few spelling and grammar errors that stand out that I have never seen in a Motorbook before. One photo caption states, "Helicopters cap refuel while hovering over the ship." "Cap" should be "can."

The book is only 97 pages (unlike other Motorbooks which are longer) and the text is pretty large font. Some pages are nothing but photos and I find the photo captions more informative than the text. Unlike "Carrier Battle Group," the photos on the page do not go with the text on it so one has to flip backwards or forwards a few pages to see what the author is talking about.

The back cover says the book gives a tour of the ship. This is not really true. The photos do somewhat, but the book text doesn't. The book text says the CIC does this and the bridge is where one drives the ship, information that is obvious and can be obtained via some other books or a trip to the Navy's "Fleet Week."

I find this book isn't really written for an adult audience but more for a teen or child due to the lack of information, first-hand accounts, and description. There's not much new to learn information from reading this book if you know a few things about the Navy and its ships.

Rating:
Summary: Good photos but General Information
Review: I am 90% through the book and it's a disappointment compared to Stephen's excellent book on "Carrier Battle Group." The text information is very general and vague and is more geared towards someone who has never seen a destroyer before. Anyone who lived during and read the newspapers on the Gulf War or went to a few "Fleet Weeks" would know the information contained in this book.

The book is divided into four parts: Spruance-class destroyers, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, weapons, and the future of destroyers like stealthy Sea Shadow. The Spruance and Burke sections make up 85% of the book.

The information is not much different than what one can read off the web or a Cold War book. In fact, a few pages of information were summarized from a 1986 Cold War book I have as to then-Congress's reaction to the Spruance destroyers' design.

The new content is not enlightening and causes a bit of confusion too. Not much range or facts are given as to weapon and system performance although one can find these off the internet. The ranges that are given for some weapons conflict with other documented text.

Unlike "Carrier Battle Group," this book has very few quotes and first-person opinions. It's all narration and at times, the author repeats the same information on different pages. Thus, I found this book rushed to printing. There are a few spelling and grammar errors that stand out that I have never seen in a Motorbook before. One photo caption states, "Helicopters cap refuel while hovering over the ship." "Cap" should be "can."

The book is only 97 pages (unlike other Motorbooks which are longer) and the text is pretty large font. Some pages are nothing but photos and I find the photo captions more informative than the text. Unlike "Carrier Battle Group," the photos on the page do not go with the text on it so one has to flip backwards or forwards a few pages to see what the author is talking about.

The back cover says the book gives a tour of the ship. This is not really true. The photos do somewhat, but the book text doesn't. The book text says the CIC does this and the bridge is where one drives the ship, information that is obvious and can be obtained via some other books or a trip to the Navy's "Fleet Week."

I find this book isn't really written for an adult audience but more for a teen or child due to the lack of information, first-hand accounts, and description. There's not much new to learn information from reading this book if you know a few things about the Navy and its ships.