“A very interesting book tracing the development and service of . . . one of the iconic destroyers of the Second World War.” —Australian Naval Institute In this book John Henshaw takes the reader through all the developmental stages of the V & W Class with a detailed history of the step-by-step lessons that were learned, not all of which were fortuitous. In one package the Royal Navy finally acquired a hull that possessed not just good sea-keeping capability but one that was able to carry heavier armament without any adverse effects. Range and speed were commensurate with their size while the superfiring guns, fore and aft, could be deployed in all weathers for a four-gun broadside. The V & W design set the trend for all destroyer design for the next two decades and, indeed, the basic layout of destroyers stayed the same long beyond that. The formula of a raised foredeck and superfiring guns fore and aft continued in the Royal Navy until the Battle Class of 1944 and in the United States Navy until the Fletcher Class of 1943. That the V & Ws served on through World War II in various forms is a testament to the soundness of the basic concept, their adaptability and strength. The V stood for Venerable, because they certainly proved that, and W for Watershed, because they were truly a turning point in destroyer design. This book, which will appeal both to naval historians and modelmakers, brings together under one cover a narrative that is comprehensive in its scope, well researched and elegantly supported with detailed line drawings and selected photographs for the period 1890–1945.

This is the true story of the men aboard the destroyer escort U.S.S. HOLT (DE-706) during World War II. The HOLT story begins with the ship's construction in 1943, launching in 1944, continues through its missions in the Pacific, and concludes with its decommissioning after the war in 1946. Major missions included Leyte Gulf Landings, a slow-tow convoy to Mindoro, the Lingayen Gulf Campaign, and the Legaspi Operation. The HOLT was one of twenty-two Rudderow class destroyer escorts built during WWII. The HOLT and five other destroyer escorts became part of Escort Division 74 and participated in various task groups and units in the Philippine area. Enjoy learning about the ship's missions and the crew with their many stories as they served their country with valor.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The first lesson was that the UK was very close to defeat in 1917, and remained vulnerable to submarine attack. The German U-boat force had three main objectives: to weaken the Grand Fleet by attrition, so that the High Seas Fleet could fight on level terms; to defeat the UK by starvation; and to prevent the US Army from reaching France. #2 After the war, there was a sense that submarines had been defeated without the use of asdic, and whispers of the new sensor suggested that submarines had lost their cloak of invisibility. There were attempts to agree an international ban on submarines, but they were never likely to succeed. #3 In the 1920s, there was little or no submarine threat to British merchant shipping. The USA had been ruled out as a potential enemy in the early years of the century, and though the Entente Cordiale still held, Germany was forbidden to build or own submarines. #4 During the 1920s and 30s, the Navy was extremely underfunded. Battleship-building was forbidden under the Washington Treaty, extended by the London Treaty to 1937, but available building funds went mainly on cruisers and destroyers.