The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet

DR.NORMAN POLMAR is indeed a SCHOLAR of NAVAL INSTITUE of USA. His knowledge is very broad and in detail of a GREAT NATION: USA's NAVY. I think the BOOK is written in great details about the structures & organisation of the US NAVY within the US DEPARTMENT of DEFENSE in the hope of KEEPING WORLD-PEACE. Since, it is for such a LOFTY GOAL in mind, the US NAVY is well equipted, well trained, well organised, well engineered by the BEST SHIP-BUILDING technologies of the USA. It is indeed an eye-opener for me as a citizen of CHINA to appreciate what a GREAT USA NAVY is all about!! I salute the USA NAVY & HER COMMANDERS. IT is a BIG BOOK, I am in the process of reading, studying, digesting & enjoying the details of the US FLEET. But once, I started it won't make me stop because it is indeed very interesting. Interesting in LEARNING the AMERICAN INGENUITY in SHIP BUILDING, in particularly in WARSHIP building for keeping WORLD PEACE!! The PACIFIC WAR happened 65 years ago, it was a war on PACIFIC between the US FLEETS & JAPAN's FLEETS. The outcome is history, but the INGENUITY & DEDICATION of THE USA NAVY is ongoing and nonstop for the progress of MANKIND. I wish to learn from the SPIRITS of AMERICAN NAVY & FRIENDS!! I shall keep you post for further review in future when I complete reading such a GREAT BOOK: SHIPS & AIRCRAFT of THE US FLEET, 18th edition. Until then, I remain your friend from HONG KONG,CHINA. BEST REGARDS, STEPHEN M. YUNG, HONG KONG,CHINA. TEL:(852) 97541382

This book is an essential reference for writing about naval warfare. The descriptions about the ships, including their ordnance, is considerable. In this day and age of the technothriller writing, accuracy is critical. These books provide an enormous amount of knowledge for the writer.

If you are a student of the US Navy, than this book is for you. It covers everything you need to know about ships, aircraft and weapons systems that are in the US Navy fleet and also future procurements. The author is an expert in this field having written this publication for over the past 20 years. Definitely worth taking a look at.

The evolution of the U. S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard since September 11 gives one an insight into the U.S. military culture and reflects values of the U. S. culture in general. I have all of Polmar's Ships and Aircraft books, from pre - Reagan to post 911, showing a fascinating evolution from a blue water anti - USSR force to todays smaller, more flexible force.. Required reading for military history buffs.

Ordinarily, either a complete review of the ships "or" the aircraft of the US Fleet would provide sufficient material for such a book as this. To include both, however, provides the reader with a complete description of just about every single aspect of the ships and aircraft in service in the US Navy at the time each edition of this book is published. What surprised me, in fact, was the detailed descriptions of some items of sensitive equipment which much surely have been "classified." For example, whilst it may be fair to say that a picture of a particular type of antennae does not reveal exactly how it works, a photograph showing the "Reverse side of a SPY-1A antennae during assembly" might appear to show too much... How strange that in most (if not all) countries, the perimeter fences of their military airfields proclaim "The taking of Photographs is prohibited" as though secret equipment might be frequently on display. When it comes to Naval ships and Aircraft and the equipment they display, however, it's as though the sign reads "Hey Buddy, go get your camera and see what I've got!" Those comments, however, are not a reflection of the author's work, on the contrary, they simply reinforce the simple fact that this is a most thorough review of the subject in hand. NM