BOOK REVIEW #6: Silver State Dreadnought: The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada

Welcome to my sixth book review, Silver State Dreadnought: The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada, by Stephen M. Younger.

Silver State Dreadnought:
The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada

This book is not about a famous battleship that participated in naval battles in World Wars or had adventurous lives neither about the largest nor about the most powerful ever-built battleship. This book is about a battleship that served the United States Navy for almost 33 years in European and Pacific theaters. A revolutionary battleship of that time which features, made the first US Navy "standard-type" battleship; the USS Nevada (BB-36). The Standard-type battleship was a series of twelve battleships across five classes ordered for the United States Navy between 1911 and 1916 and commissioned between 1916 and 1923 before the construction moved on to the first fast battleship, the North Carolina, in the late 1930s. Nevada was the second United States Navy ship to be named after the 36th state, the lead ship of the two Nevada-class battleships. Launched in 1914, she was a leap forward in dreadnought technology. She was the first super-dreadnought of the United States; four of her new features would be included on almost every subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets on the centerline in fore and aft turrets with no amidships guns, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the "all or nothing" armor principle (protection of the important elements only). She was the first in the world to adopt those features. An ambitious and risky design that would be either a brilliant success or a failed expensive experiment. History would vote for success, since Nevada became the first of a standard design battleship that navies around the world would copy. Nevada was America’s first modern battleship and a political symbol of an ascendant America to a global superpower. With her sister Oklahoma, the Nevada class represented a considerable evolution in battleship design that was well ahead of its time.

PHOTO GALLERY #29: Gokova, upgraded Gabya class frigate of the Turkish Navy and Generał Kazimierz Pułaski, O.H. Perry class frigate of the Polish Navy

Perrys! Turkish Gokova (left) and Polish Generał Kazimierz Pułaski frigates

In this post you will enjoy more than 90 photos of two frigates, Gokova, a Modernized Gabya (O. H. Perry) class frigate of the Turkish Navy and Generał Kazimierz Pułaski, an O.H. Perry class frigate of the Polish Navy. I took the photos during my visit to Kiel, on 21st and 22th of June, the first days of the 137th Kiel Week (see previous post about Kieler Woche). The two ships were some of the many visiting warships that had returned from the NATO BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) Exercise. Both ships are currently participating in the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of guided missile frigates named after the U.S. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the naval Battle of Lake Erie. The 136-meter warships were designed in the United States in the mid-1970s as general-purpose escort vessels inexpensive enough to be bought in large quantities to replace World War II-era destroyers and complement 1960s-era Knox-class frigates. Fifty-five (55) ships were built in the United States: 51 for the United States Navy (US Navy) and four (4) for the Royal Australian Navy. In addition, eight (8) were built in Taiwan, six (6) in Spain, and two (2) in Australia for their navies. The last remaining in active service with the US Navy, USS Simpson, was decommissioned on 29 September 2015. Former U.S. Navy warships of this class have been sold or donated to the navies of Bahrain (1), Egypt (4), Poland (2), Pakistan (1), Taiwan (10), and Turkey (8). 

PHOTO GALLERY #28: Thetis, multi-mission ocean patrol vessel of the Royal Danish Navy

HDMS Thetis of the Royal Danish Navy

Another gallery of photos which were taken during my visit to Kiel, on 21st and 22th of June, the first days of the 137th Kiel Week (see previous post about Kieler Woche). One of the many visiting warships that had returned from the NATO BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) Exercise, was Thetis, the lead ship of the Thetis class multi-mission ocean patrol vessels of the Royal Danish Navy. The class comprises four ships, all built and commissioned in the early 1990s. The ships' tasks are mainly maintenance of sovereignty, search and rescue, fishery inspection and support to local authorities. The ships each have double-skinned ice-reinforced hulls so that the ships can break through 80 centimeters (31 in) of solid ice. The ships of the class have receive several upgrades lately, including a new Scanter radar on a reconverted mast, new electronics and a reconverted hangar that accommodates RHIBs in the enclosed deck. The HDMS Thetis serves as staff ship for the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasure Group One (SNMCMG1). It was a good opportunity for visitors to admire in person the latest Saab MCM equipment in service with the Royal Danish Navy. The 112-meter Thetis was laid down in October 1988 by Svendborg Skibsværft launched in July 1989 and commissioned on July 1, 1991. Enjoy photos!