Dreadnought : A History of the Modern Battleship

The modern battleship era began with the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906.

Battleships were the biggest and most complicated things built by human hand and they became symbols of national prestige.

Despite their crippling costs, these mighty ships were built by many of the world's navies and many remain household names.

The losses of the Hood, Bismarck, Yamato and Arizona still echo through the decades because of their fascinating stories.

The era of the dreadnought lasted little more than 40 years.

By then, these majestic warriors of the sea were overshadowed by the dominance of air power.

A few lingered on, but the golden age of the battleship was over.

Naval authors, Richard Hough, has written this history of the dreadnoughts illustrated with photos and drawings which should also be useful as a reference source as well as a history of the "big-gun" era.