Jane's Warship Recognition Guide 4e

This book is very up-to-date as far as modern warships reference books come. I like this book a lot, it comes in handy when I am trying to identify a current warship that I read about in other books, or seen in movies. Paul Corti. Briarwood, NY. United States.

In a clear, concise manner, Anthony Watts has written this Book at a pivotal time. A shift is present in all Naval Forces , because of the End of The Cold War , and the rise of new types of conflicts. Due to the enormous amount of information presentd in a simple manner , anyone can understand and compare the need for, the function of and the difference between the various classes of Warships, amongst the World Naval Forces. Why and When a certain class of ship replaces What , becomes clearer and more interesting, due to this brilliant introduction and presentation. We also get to look at the photos and the classic " black silhouettes " ( profile of ships on the horizon), permitting to ID ships more easily. A+ and a "plus" for anyone interested in Warships as a Peace time deterrent, or as awesome power in time of War.Francois Bardol

Jane's guides have long been the standard book of identifying weapons systems rather they were airplanes, missile systems or ships. And because the books are so big they are expensive to buy. The result has been a series of smaller 'Recognition Guides,' based on the information in the big books. This one is obviously on warships. It's a small format book, only about 5 by 7 inches, and a bit under 400 pages. (In contrast, Jane's Fighting Ships, the big book is 9 by 13 inches, 967 pages and costs $725.) At present the Navy's of the world are in a period of transition. The threats of the Cold War seem past, and the newer ships reflect having to operate in an anti-terrorist environment rather than a major blue ocean battle. Also stealth technology has been influencing ship design as well. The new ships don't have the cluttered look of the ships of old (where old is not that many years), but have clean lines to reflect radar waves away from the sender rather than back. This book obviously has to eliminate a lot of the information in the big book, but is a much handier size at a much handier price.

Covering the gamut of warships from oilers to aircraft carriers the "baby" Jane's is a great book for the ship enthusiast as a quick reference guide or as a way to learn more without spending the hundreds for a full size Jane's. The book is designed to include the most material possible in the smallest size, and does that well. That detracts from the amount of information that can be provided for each ship in terms of data and pictures, but they are any number of full size books that can provide that information. There are some glaring errors which the reviewer below mentions, and I for one agree with the need to have the book arranged by countries rather than class of vessel. One problem is that vessels designated as frigates in one country may be considered corvettes or destroyers in another, leading to confusion when searching for a particular vessel. Additonally Class names vary by country, though Jane's does an admirable job of attempting to provide indigineous class names rather than just the NATO names. All in all though, a good book that could use some scraping off of the hull barnacles to make for a smoother ride. Best of its type in terms of small reference books.