Battle line

the long version

"This book examines the twenty-year period that saw the U.S. fleet shrink under the pressure of arms limitation treaties and government economy and then grow again to a world-class force. The authors trace the Navy's evolution from a fleet centered around slow battleships to one that deployed most of the warship types that proved so essential in World War II, including aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, battleships, and submarines. Both the older battleships and these newer ships are captured in period photographs that have never before been published. An authoritative yet lively text explains how and why the newer ships and aircraft came to be."--BOOK JACKET.