PDF US Destroyers 1934–45: Pre-war classes (New Vanguard) by Dave McComb in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A basic primer on the magnificent Destroyer class warship; ...By BuckshotA basic primer on the magnificent Destroyer class warship; that did about everything except launch aircraft (although a few early Fletcher class destroyers were fitted for floatplanes for scouting). The destroyer did just about everything else: Scouting; shore bombardment; anti-submarine warfare; anti aircraft fire support; screening larger ships; escort duty; Some Destroyers were re-fitted as Fast MInelayers; and also Minesweepers; in addition to being used as fast troop transports. Having served aboard a "Gearing Class" destroyer at the dawn of the 70's; Destroyers hold a special place for me..3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Captures the Essence of Pre-War DevelopmentBy P. J. GlorAlthough constrained by the Osprey New Vanguard series format; author David McComb has captured not just the essence of the pre-war emergence of the destroyer from the flush deck `four pipers'; to reliable and survivable fighting machines; but has created a definitive reference detailing the design history and service record of the 169 vessels comprising the 10 classes of ships that succeeded the flush deck four pipers of World War I.Mr. McComb has also captured the primary characteristics of these ships that contributed so much to the success and survivability of the Fletcher Class destroyers - the transition to high pressure systems in separate engine and boiler rooms for each shaft; enabling the ships to continue operating even after the loss of a boiler room or engine room. Mr. McComb also chronicles the stability issues arising from the increase in size and weight of the armament of these ships on treaty-limited hulls; and the measures taken to reduce topside weight; that were only fully corrected with the subsequent development of the larger-hulled Fletchers.During my first perusal of the book; I was immediately drawn to the numerous photographs; a two-page cutaway of the USS Morris; a Sims class ship in full color; artists' renderings of the ships in action; and colored profiles illustrating camouflage of various classes developed during the pre-war years. I soon realized however; that McComb has overcome the page limitations of the Vanguard format to produce a volume that must be studied carefully to realize the depth and extent of information between its covers - much like the development of these ships overcame the constraints of the Naval Arms Limitation Conferences; It is packed with charts identifying the funding of these ships by year; each ship by hull number; design characteristics and armament of each class; construction of each class by fiscal year and the shipyard in which each ship was built; the initial squadron assignment of each ship; and identification of squadrons involved in major operations.Additionally; a combat history of the classes is provided that illustrates the important roles these vessels played during the early war years prior to the availability of the Fletcher class destroyers; their more renowned successors; as well as their continued roles in both the European and Pacific theaters. Prior to reading this book; I had not fully appreciated the fact that even after the Fletcher class became operational; the majority of destroyer operations in the Atlantic theater continued to be conducted by the pre-war classes; as the majority of Fletchers were deployed to the Pacific as soon as they became available; and their successors; the Sumner and Gearing classes were not operational until after the war in Europe was over.Finally; this book is not merely a cold engineering history; and operational summary; but incorporates the personal experiences of the men who operated these ships and captures their tremendous sacrifices - officers and enlisted alike - as they were truly the men who went "in harm's way" to defend the allied Army and Navy forces and to attack and destroy the enemy; even though outgunned and outnumbered.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. US Destroyers 1934-45 by Dave McCombBy Michael A. PedersenFor its size; 48 pages overall; this book contains an amazing amount of information. Its only fault; if one could call it that; is that the author has tried to make the scope of the book too broad. The book has two main sections - Design and Development and Destroyers in Action. It is the second section that disappoints. There have been numerous books published; several still available; that detail US destroyer operations in World War II. Trying to distill them to 20 pages here only serves to slight the role they played and does not provide any new information to a naval history afficionado.The first section by itself makes the purchase of this book worthwhile. McComb has done an excellent job summarizing the between-wars political climate and the effects of the Washington and London conferences on the navies of the world's major powers. Also included is a clear depiction of the US naval mindset of the times and the roles of key players in launching a modern US navy. The highlight of this section; and the part that makes this book outstanding; is the detailed description of the US pre-war destroyer classes. The development of each class is discussed along with the rationale behind the decisions that were made in their design; construction and armament. The evolution of one class into the next is clearly made evident and highlighted in several tables of dimensions and capacities. The included color profile drawings throughout the book are excellent; not only as art; but also as comparisons between the various classes and incidentally as depictions of the varieties of US naval camouflage schemes.Overall; this is a book that will add to the library of any student of naval history value far beyond its actual size or cost. It should not be overlooked.