Naval Institute Guide to Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, The

Sea Power, Jul 2001

THE NAVAL INSTITUTE GUIDE TO SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT OFTHE U.S. FLEET, Seventeenth Edition, by Norman Polmar. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2001. 659 pp. $90.00 [Internet: www.usni.com] This triennial volume has long been the most thorough and in-depth reference work on the major land, sea, and air platforms of the U.S.

Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The seventeenth edition meets and in several areas exceeds the very high standards set by its predecessors. For those with a particular interest in the U.S. sea services, the latest Guide offers-by the wealth of data included in its 659 pages-far more detail than could possibly be included in Jane's Fighting Ships or Combat Fleets of the World, both of which are excellent multinational reference books. Ships-- from aircraft carriers to service craft-- and their characteristics are grouped by class in logical progression in Polmar's Guide. The organization of the sea services is explained in detail, assisted by well-diagrammed organizational charts. Naval aircraft and aviation organization are given thorough treatment, and the author provides the researcher a complete look at the burgeoning field of unmanned aerial vehicles. For readers who want greater detail, the section on naval weapons and electronic systems will be greatly appreciated. The photographs and line drawings are large, and the lowdensity layout is easy on the eyes. A shipname index, in addition to the general index, makes it a simple task to look up a particular hull. Appendices on such topics as naval force levels, shipbuilding programs, foreign ship transfers, and ships preserved as museums and memorials are value-added bonuses to an already worthwhile acquisition. There is no more comprehensive or better-edited reference on U.S. maritime power available to the general public.