Titans of the Rising Sun: The Rise and Fall of Japan's Yamato Class Battleships - Softcover

Bawal Jr., Raymond A

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0981815731 ISBN 13: 9780981815732

Publisher: Inland Expressions, 2010

Synopsis

Titans of the Rising Sun is a detailed study of the creation and demise of Japans Yamato class. During the first half of the twentieth century the battleship symbolized a nation s power on the world stage, with countries such as Britain, Japan, and the United States contending for dominance of the high seas. Japans overwhelming victory over the Russian fleet in 1905 at the Battle of Tsushima would influence that nations naval strategy for the next forty years. The desire to build a powerful naval fleet to achieve its empire building ambitions prompted Japan to embark upon a series of construction programs which resulted in the creation of battleship classes with ever increasing capabilities. After an era of construction constraints imposed by naval treaties signed during the 1920s, Japan began formulating plans during the early 1930s for the creation of the most powerful and largest battleships the world would ever witness. These mammoth ships were equipped with the biggest guns ever fitted to a warship, and were capable of destroying any adversary they would meet. Intended to be glorious symbols of Japanese power, the Yamato class suffered from the disadvantage of being designed at a crossroads in naval strategy in which advances in aviation technology began to shift the focus of sea power from the battleship to the aircraft carrier. This change in paradigms would have dramatic effects not only on the Yamato class, but the battleship in general as they confronted a new type of warfare in which they were at a distinct disadvantage. The story of the Yamato and those of her class illustrate the closing of one chapter in the history of naval warfare while at the same time the opening of another.

About this title

About the Author

Raymond A. Bawal, Jr. was born in 1968 at Nuremburg, West Germany and as a young child he traveled the world because his Father was in the Army. In 1978 his family settled in Saint Clair County, Michigan when his father left the Army. Because of his experiences abroad as a young boy he became fascinated by the history around him and so he decided to take his love to the next level and write his first book, Ships of the St. Clair River, in 2008. In 2009 he completed his second book, Twilight of the Great Lakes Steamers, the sister publication to Ships of the St. Clair River. This is his first book concerning naval warfare. Mr. Bawal, Jr. currently lives in Macomb County Michigan.

Edition details

• Publisher: Inland Expressions
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0981815731
• ISBN 13: 9780981815732
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208