By the author of Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States AirForce. From the moment when the launching of HMS Dreadnought made everycapital ship in the world obsolete overnight, we have been fascinated with thesepowerful surface combatants. Here Robert M. Farley looks at the history andfolklore that makes these ships enduring symbols of national power — andsometimes national futility. From Arizona to Yamato, here are morethan sixty lavishly illustrated accounts of battleships from the most well-knownto the most unusual, including at least one ship from every nation that everowned a modern battleship. Separate essays and sidebars look at events and lorethat greatly affected battleships.