Osprey Publishing

US Destroyers 1934-45 Pre-War Classes - New Vanguard 162

by  Dave McComb and illustrated by Paul Wright

Reviewed By  Les Walden, #44687

MSRP: US - $17.95; Canada - $19.95; UK - £9.99 ISBN: 9781846034435 Website: www.ospreypublishing.com Osprey has published this forty-eight page soft, slick cover book in their usual 7 ¼" x 9 ¾" format. It covers the classes of the pre-war period and their modifications during the war. They also point out the difference in boilers and fire rooms in the different ships. There are charts of all the ships showing when and where they were built, plus which Destroyer Division they served. The book discusses the different Theaters and actions the ships participated. Ships that were converted to minesweepers are also covered. The last page of the book has a chart listing the different classes, speeds, measurements, crew, recognition features and more. The most important part of the book from a modeler's standpoint is probably the pictures. There are photos of each class and some action pictures. Most of the photos are smaller, but have good clarity. The really nice visual part of the book is the illustrations by Paul Wright. Those readers who have read books by Patrick O'Brien, Dudley Pope and C.S. Forrester will probably recognize his work immediately. There are eight nice profiles of USS Wainwright (DD 419) 1944; USS Hilary P. Jones (DD 427) 1944; USS Ralph Talbot (DD 390) 1943; USS Sterett (DD 407) 1943; USS Dewey (DD 349) 1944; USS Smith (DD378) 1944; USS Lansdowne (DD 486) 1945 and USS Ellyson (DMS 19) 1945. The center pages are a cut away drawing of USS Morris (DD 417) 1942. Finally, there are two pages with paintings of destroyers in action that would be suitable for framing. (You could always buy two books and remove the pages from one.) If you're a fan of United States Destroyers, this will be a welcome addition to your library. Osprey is to be complimented on choosing this subject. The only thing Osprey could have done better would be to print a book on each class. There aren't any of these ships left as museum pieces; they have all been either sunk or scrapped. This book honors their service and keeps part of their history for future generations. I wish to thank Osprey for providing this copy to IPMS for review.