Battleship Missouri: An Illustrated History

This book has technical data on the Battleship Missouri, but much, much more than just that. It gives the reader a thoroughly enjoyable view of what it was like to serve on this famous warship. Part of the Iowa Class Battleships (four built, New Jersey, Missiour, Iowa and Wisconson) these Battleships are considered by many naval experts to be the perfect blend of speed, firepower and protection. Only the Japanese Yamoto and Musashi were bigger. When these ships were designed, no one knew that the day of the battleship was over, naval air power and aircraft carriers reigned supreme in the contest of the Pacific. There were never any Battleship battles as imagined. This book by Paul Stillwell is much more than nuts and bolts of the Missouri. It gives the stories behind the steel, the men who crewed the ship, providing a rare glimpse of what it was like to be a sailor aboard a mighty ship from June 1944 at her commisioning to her service in the Korean War, the Vietnam war and finally, the 1991 Gulf War. The photograpsh are excellent, showing interior as well as exterior shots. There are line diagrams to show the ship and what makes it tick. This is a pricey book, but well worth the cost for anyone interested in naval affairs, naval history and a fitting tribute not just to the ship, but the men who served. Higly recommended.

I was part of the original crew aboard the Missouri from Commissioning Day, June 11, 1944 until March, 1946 as a Radioman in the CR Division. Paul Stillwell did an outstanding job of giving an accurate account of dates and places involving the USS Missouri from the first bolt installed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard until the present time. I use this book quite often to refresh my memory of the exact dates of various things that happened while I was aboard. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing an accurate history of the USS Missouri = BB63.

Perhaps I am a bit prejudice since I am also one of the contributors to the book. Before retiring from Civil Service (Navy) I was the configuration manager for the reactivations of the four Battleships. I was familiar with the author's previous works and was very impressed with his attention to the personal stories of the ships. After retirement, I was then free to provide the author any and all personal knowledge of the ship's reactivation period at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Paul selected the best memories I documented and included them superbly into the book. The author does not go into the technical aspects as to how a Battleship is built, leaving that up to other authors more inclined to include how many rivets were driven, etc. Though I wish he had the space to include the TRUE story of the origin of the cracked armor panel in the turret of barbette III. No, it was NOT caused by the grounding in Hampton Roads but was a heat treating surface fracture that occured during manufacture. But technical manuals are not the author's style and I am glad they are not. After all, a ship is really the culmination of dedicated and skilled human beings who built her and the ship's success is the dedication and bravery of the men who sailed her. Paul Stillwell brings this human interest across very well. And, I'm sorry, but I did not buy the book. I was sent an autographed copy by the author which I will treasure forever. Richard A. Landgraff. DREADNAUGHT CONSULTING. Long Beach, Ca.