Paul Silverstone compiles one of the most complete descriptions of World War II US warships. His book includes ships built prior to and during World War II. Even the USS Montana is listed (although her keel was never laid). Even exceptions to class designs are noted. For capital ships, every theater each ship participated in is shown. The 1970 edition lacked armor thickness for cruisers and carriers. Armor thickness for battleships is shown for belt and turrets only. This book is a "must have" for most "officiondos".

I am a lifelong Navy buff, and "US Warships of World War II" has been one of my favorites for 30 years. Every American warship in service 1939-45 is included, from battleships to Army troop transports to sub chasers and PT boats. The fate of every ship disposed of prior to the early 1960's is included. It would be great if some buff such as myself (with more time than I have) would research the fate of the other ships and update the book in a new edition, since all but a handful of the ships have been scrapped by now. My only complaint about this book (and the other Ian Allen "Warships of World War II" books) is that the launching date and not the commissioning date is given for each ship. I really wish that the series were reprinted. The only comparable book that I am aware of is "Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II", which has the advantage of including the minor navies.

This book is an ideal companion to other histories of the Civil War. Its title, however, is a bit misleading. It is a book about ships, not about navies. It gives the vital statistics and brief service records for all the Union and Confederate ships but contains little else. Its real value is that it "puts a face" to the ship names in most civil war histories.