Buy used:
$31.95
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Wednesday, May 15. Order within 12 hrs 50 mins
Used: Good | Details
Sold by CSS Book Deals
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Good

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Norman Friedman
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History (Illustrated Design Histories) Hardcover – January 1, 1995

by Norman Friedman (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 49 ratings
See all formats and editions

This series offers detailed descriptions of the evolution of all classes of the principal U.S. combatant types. Each volume is fully illustrated with deck plans, outboard profiles, sketches from major design studies, and numerous detailed photographs. The appendixes contain a wealth of information on ship characteristics and equipment.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Naval Institute Press
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1995
  5. Dimensions
    8.75 x 1 x 11.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1557502633
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1557502636
  8. See all details
Next page
Books with Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Norman Friedman is a prominent naval analyst and the author of more than thirty books covering a range of naval subjects, from warship histories to contemporary defense issues. He is a longtime columnist for Proceedings magazine and lives in New York City.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Institute Press (January 1, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1557502633
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1557502636
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.98 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 1 x 11.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Norman Friedman

Norman Friedman

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
49 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MstrMac
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
If you are interested in submarine development in the US, Buy This Book! I have read and reread the book as a research tool and it has helped me to understand the complexities of naval undersea warfare develpment. I am currently working on a project about the S boats and this volume has really made my work easier. Great research, great information, great writing.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
tallcharlie
5.0 out of 5 stars More than you want to know
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book is excellent. It covers not only the physical descriptions of US subs, but the engineering, political, and other factors that contributed to the various design features.

Expect to spend a lot of time referring back and forth between chapters in order to gain a complete understanding of not only what these boats were like, but why they were built the way they were.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
dickl42
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the aficionado
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
If you're not interested in naval vessels of the U. S. Navy, this would be a terrible book. If you are interested in U. S. naval vessels, it's indispensable. I have several of the authors illustrated design histories already (battleships, aircraft carrriers, destroyers, and the post-1945 submarine volume, and they are all great.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Floyd R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Book arrived in excellent shape. The book covers submarines that were first ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
Book arrived in excellent shape. The book covers submarines that were first introduce to the US Navy up to 1945. Covers all aspects of the submarine. Would have liked more pictures of WWII subs.
Helpful
 Report
Apun
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
Dad loves to read it he was on the USS Drum
Helpful
 Report
Daryl Carpenter
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive and essential but a hard read
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
For all the accolades showered upon his work, Norman Friedman has always been kind of an acquired taste. As in-depth and definitive as his books tend to be, they also tend to be rather dry, academic affairs, written for naval professionals rather than casual readers*. This, the seventh volume in his "illustrated design histories" of American fighting ships, tends to bring out his peculiarities as a writer, and the Naval Institute Press as a publisher, to a rather extreme extent - for better and for worse.

Like the other books in the series, this one delves deep into previously classified, or extremely obscure, official documents to produce an unprecedentedly detailed study of the design and development of American submarines in the first half of the 20th century. On a technical level, it goes far beyond John Alden's "The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy." Every submarine designed during the period is described in some detail, as are torpedoes, sonars, periscopes, diesel engines, batteries, fire control equipment, and sonar decoys. The lessons of both world wars are also described, as is American exposure to foreign submarines, particularly German U-boats after World War I. It's also one of the few books to describe Simon Lake's submarines in detail, and also explains how Lake's "gold-plated" designs, poor finances, slow building times, and Electric Boat's patents, all contributed to his demise as designer and builder.

Beyond the boats that were actually built, there's also quite a bit on unbuilt designs. Although many are merely stepping stones on the way to the finished product, there are some truly unique concepts, including steam-powered fleet submarines, an improved Balao with a topside rudder and six tubes for anti-escort homing torpedoes, and a massive 20,000-ton cruiser with battleship guns, 14 torpedo tubes, and six inches of armor. There are dozens of profile and cross-section diagrams by Jim Christley, and Norman Friedman also provided numerous sketches of unbuilt designs. There's also plenty of photographs, including many dockyard images with wartime alterations and improvements circled. Keep in mind, though, being a mid-90s Naval Institute title, the photo quality sometimes leaves something to be desired.

The main problem with this book is, as kids today might say, it's a bit of a hot mess. There's simply so much information thrown at the reader, sometimes in a clunky manner, that processing it all can be a chore. The main text, by itself, doesn't do a particularly great job of explaining the nitty-gritty details of the subject. I found myself reading a chapter at a time, then going back and reading all of the photo and diagram captions in that chapter, going over the tables, reading both appendixes, and FINALLY, skimming through the 54 pages of footnotes. The footnotes by themselves are an absolute treasure trove, with enough detail for a fairly substantial book. Maybe in the future, there'll be a revised edition that incorporates some of the "juicy bits" from the footnotes and captions into the main text. It'd certainly make it a less jittery, caffeinated read.

Still, this book is definitely worth buying if you're a hardcore submarine enthusiast. It's not an easy read, but you're unlikely to find a more in-depth study of the subject out there. If you can find them at a reasonable price, I'd recommend reading Alden's book and Friedman's "Submarine Design and Development" before tackling this one.

*Me? I'm just a nerd.
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
S Brannan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
Good book with many technical details.
Helpful
 Report
Michael J. Mcclure
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great book
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Lars Scharff
1.0 out of 5 stars Buch könnte interessant sein - aber um welches geht es hier?
Reviewed in Germany on May 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
Bei Amazon haben zuletzt mehrere Händler statt "U.S. Submarines Since 1945" (über die nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg gebauten Boote) "U.S. Submarines Through 1945" verkauft - wie hier auch durch das falsche Titelbild angedeutet. Ich empfehle besondere Vorsicht - und da ich drei Mal das falsche Buch bekommen habe, kann ich auch über das richtige sonst nichts sagen.
One person found this helpful
 Report