The book tracks the development of the U.S. battle line across three distinct eras:
It dives into the high-stakes chess match of the Washington Naval Treaty , which limited ship size to 35,000 tons. Friedman reveals concepts that never sailed, like hybrid carrier-battleships and "Nelson-style" designs with all guns forward, showing the radical compromises made to stay within legal limits. U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History
Starting with the USS Maine and USS Texas , it details the "Pre-Dreadnought" era where designers struggled with stability and low freeboard—most notably in the Indiana class , which are often cited as some of the worst battleships due to these flaws. The book tracks the development of the U
The story culminates in the Iowa class , which sacrificed heavy armor for 30-knot speeds to keep pace with modern aircraft carriers, a decision that allowed them to serve through the Gulf War. The Technical "Deep Story" Starting with the USS Maine and USS Texas
