Description: This book chronicles the history of the longest lived and last battleships in the world. They were the ultimate in US battleship design and apart from the ill-fated Yamato and Musashi were the largest and most powerful battleships ever built. It traces both the combat and peacetime roles of these magnificent vessels and their continual changes in appearance, equipment, weaponry and structure. During WWII when Japan threatened the Pacific these vessels were adapted as anti-aircraft escorts to protect the essential aircraft carriers and assault task forces. They were also used in the shore bombardment role in support of amphibious landings. They were further used in this role during the Korean and Vietnam wars. With over 175 photographs depicting all four vessels throughout their careers and also covering their equipment, this is supplemented by line drawings showing technical details, most notably the guns.