This listing includes only those books that I personally own at the current time. It does not include any of the many books on Naval-related subjects that I have read but not purchased nor does it include any of the books that I have worn out and discarded. This listing does not include manufacturer's datasheets, official specifications and publications or other governmental documents that are in my possession unless they are of book form.

Ratings

 No Stars = Recently obtained, not yet read
 * = Not Recommended
 ** = Good
 *** = Recommended
 **** = Highly Recommended

I have a tendency to drop-kick bad books into the nearest trash disposal or into the "forget me" corners of the basement, so there are few one star ratings shown below. Any one star ratings shown below are intended primarily as avoidance suggestions.

I would be happy to discuss any of the books in this list.

No, I do not loan out my books.

Latest changes in red font.

WARNING

Please note that I generally read naval books looking for specialist information for this website. A book that is a "good read" might have little interest for me while one that is full of tables and numbers might have an attraction to me that another reviewer would feel is all out of proportion to its contents. You have been warned!

Adams, Jack
 - The Doomed Expedition: The Campaign in Norway 1940 **

Alford, Bob
 - Darwin 1942: The Japanese Attack on Australia **

Alford, Lodwick H.
 - Playing for Time: War on an Asiatic Fleet Destroyer ** (Story of USS Stewart DD-224 by an officer in her crew)

Allen, Francis J.
 - The Concrete Battleship: Fort Drum, El Fraile Island, Manila Bay **

Allen, Ian [Warships of World War II Series]
 - [British] Warships of World War II by H.T. Lenton **** (Very good book, but really needs an index)
 - German Warships of World War I by J.C. Taylor ***
 - German Warships of World War II by J.C. Taylor ***
 - Italian Warships of World War II by Aldo Fraccaroli ***
 - Japanese Warships of World War II by A.J. Watts ***
 - US Warships of World War II by Paul Silverstone ***

Apps, Michael, Lt. Cmdr. RN
 - Send her Victorious ** (History of HMS Victorious during World War II)

Arnold, Glenn R.
 - Warship Perspectives: Atlanta Class Cruisers in World War Two ** (A nice book about my favorite cruiser class of World War Two)

Bagnasco, Erminio and de Toro, Augusto
 - The Litorrio Class: Italy's Last and Largest Battleships 1937 - 1948 ***

Baldwin, Ralph B.
 - The Deadly Fuze: Secret Weapon of World War II *** (First person account of how the US developed the proximity fuze)

Ballard, Robert
 - Return to Midway **
 - The Discovery of the Bismarck ***
 - The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal **

Banasco, Erminio and Grossman, Mark
 - Regia Marina, Italian Battleships of World War II ***

Bassett, Ronald
 - HMS Sheffield **

Beach, Edward L.
 - The Wreck of the Memphis ** (Interesting story of "man vs. the sea")

Beaver, Paul
 - The British Aircraft Carrier **

Beigel, Harvey M.
 - USS Los Angeles CA-135: Cold War Sentinel **

Bekkar, Cajus
 - Defeat at Sea *
 - Verdammte See (Published in English as "Hitler's Naval War") **

Bennett, Geoffrey
 - The Battle of Jutland **

Berhow, Mark A
 - American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide

Bogart, Charles H.
 - Controlled Mines: A History of their use by the United States **

Branfill-Cook, Roger
 - Torpedo: The Complete History of the World's Most Revolutionary Naval Weapon *** (Good history on these weapons, but not much in the way of technical details that I did not already have from the other works in my library)

Bredemeier, Heinrich
 - Schlachtschiff Scharnhorst **

Brennecke, Jochen
 - Schlachtschiff Bismarck **
 - Schlachtschiff Tirpitz **

Breyer, Siegfreid
 - Battleships and Battlecruisers 1907-1970 ** (Well-known reference book)
 - Battleships of the World 1907-1970 * (Essentially a B/W picture book to accompany his previous work)

Brooke, Geoffrey
 - Alarm Starboard! A remarkable true story of the war at sea ** (First person account of the career of Prince of Wales and later ships)

Brown, David
 - Kamikaze ** (Good short account giving both sides of the story)

Brown, D. K.
 - The Design and Construction of British Warships 1939-1945 Vol. 1 - Major Surface Warships ***
 - Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905 ***
 - The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922 *** (See my review at Amazon - comments are applicable to the other books in this series)
 - Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1922-1945 ***

Brown, D.K. and Moore, George
 - Rebuilidng the Royal Navy: Warship Design since 1945 ** (Basically a continuation of the D.K. Brown series on British Warship Design)

Browner, Jack
 - Anatomy of the Ship: The Battleship Bismarck ***

Buchheim, Lothar-Gunther
 - Das Boot (Published in English as "The Boat") ** (Gritty, realistic, semi-autobiographical story of one U-Boat's patrol - I also recommend the Director's Cut of the Movie)

Buell, Thomas B.
 - The Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance **

Bureau of Naval Personnel
 - Naval Ordnance and Gunnery (1952 edition) *** (Annapolis Naval Academy textbook)

Bureau of Ordnance Publications
 - 5-inch Gun Mounts - Mark 30 and Mark 30 Modifications - Ordnance Pamphlet No. 735 *** (Gunner's Manual on the care and operation of this weapon)

Burr, Lawrence
 - British Battlecruisers 1914-18 **

Burt, R.A.
 - British Battleships 1889-1904 **
 - British Battleships of World War One (New Revised Edition) ***
 - British Battleships: 1919 - 1945 (New Revised Edition) ***
 - Japanese Battleships 1897 - 1945: A Photographic Archive ***

Bussert, James C. and Elleman, Bruce A.
 - People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN): Combat Systems Technology, 1949 - 2010 **

Buxton, Ian
 - Big Gun Monitors: The History of the Design, Construction and Operation of the Royal Navy's Monitors **** (Excellent!)
 - British Naval Gun Mountings: From 1890: 18-inch to 4.5 inch Mark 8

Campbell, John
 - Jutland: An Analysis of the Battle **** (Detailed account of this battle including analysis of guns and ship damage)
 - Naval Weapons of World War Two **** (Excellent! See my review at Amazon)
 - Warship Special 1: Battle Cruisers: The Design and Development of British and German Battlecruisers of the First World War era *** (Good overview of design, armament and armor along with brief accounts of their service lives)

Chant, Christopher
 - Sea Forces of the World ** (Many photographs and brief descriptions of most of the world's warships as of 1990)

Careless, Ronald
 - Battleship Nelson: The Story of HMS Nelson ***

Carlisle, Rodney
 - Powder and Propellants: Energetic Materials at Indian Head, Maryland, 1890-2001 ***

Chesneau, Roger
 - Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: An Illustrated Encyclopedia ***

Collins, Vice-Admiral Sir John
 - As Luck Would Have It: The Reminiscences of an Australian Sailor ** (Interesting account of a sailor's life from new cadet to senior officer in the Australian Navy)
 - HMAS Sydney **

Cook, Charles, Capt. USN (Ret.)
 - The Battle of Cape Esperance: Encounter at Guadalcanal **

Costello, John
 - Days of Infamy * (Conspiracy theories about the Pearl Harbor attack)

Crenshaw, Russell Sydnor, Jr.
 - The Battle of Tassafaronga ** (This work does a good job of telling both the USN and the IJN sides of the story)

Critchley, Mike
 - British Warships since 1945: Part 3 - Destroyers **

Cumming, Anthony J.
 - The Royal Navy and the Battle of Britain * (Misleading title. Basically a review of the Battle of Britain with very little about the Royal Navy.)

Dailey, Franklyn E., Jr., Capt., USNR (Ret.)
 - Joining the War at Sea 1939 - 1945 ** (Life aboard a US destroyer during World War II)

Dallies-Labourdette, Jean-Philippe
 - S-Boote: German E-boats in action 1939 - 1945 *** (Detailed account of operations in all theaters that these boats operated. Information on commanders, equipment and weapons.)

Department of the Army
  - TM 9-1252 Ordnance Maintenance: 40-MM Automatic Gun M1 and Mountings ** (US Army Manual on air-cooled Bofors guns)

Departments of the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy
 - Technical Manual for Machine Guns, Caliber .50, Heavy Barrel ** (US Joint-Service Manual on 0.50" BMG M2HB Machine Guns)

Department of the Navy
 - U.S. Explosive Ordnance: Ordnance Pamphlet 1665 **** (Detailed information on almost all non-aircraft naval ordnance of the World War II era)

Devereux, James, Brig. Gen. USMC
 - The Story of Wake Island ** (First person account by the Marine Commander of the defenders)

Divine, A.D.
 - Firedrake: The Destroyer that Wouldn't Give Up * (War-time account by a British journalist)

Dodson, Aidan
 - The Kaiser's Battlefleet: German Capital Ships 1871 - 1918 ** (Primarily an operational history, minimal design or armament details, appendix appears to be taken directly from Gröner)

Dohm, Arno
 - Skagerrak (Written in "old style" German, I would be lying if I said that I could read this book and for that reason I cannot rate it. A few nice pictures.)

Doyle, David
 - USS Yorktown (CV-5): From Design and Construction to the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway (Legends of Naval Warfare)

Dull, Paul S.
 - A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1941-1945 ** (One of the first detailed histories of the Japanese Navy during World War II, but does contain errors that newer works have corrected)

Duncan, Robert C., Ph.D.
 - America's Use of Sea Mines *** (Good reference book)

Dunn, R. Steve
 - The Scapegoat: The Life and Tragedy of a Fighting Admiral and Churchill's Role in His Death ** (Interesting book about Admiral "Kit" Cradock, commander of the British forces at the Coronel Battle. Good look at an officer's life in the "Vicwardian" Navy. See my review at Amazon))

Edwards, Bernard
 - Beware Raiders! German Surface Raiders in the Second World War *** (Good account of these famous ships)

English, John
 - The Hunts ** (Detailed work on these small British destroyers)

Enright, Joesph F., Capt. USN
 - Shinano! ** (A first person account by the Captain of the submarine that sank her)

Evans, David C. and Peattie, Mark R.
 - Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy 1887 - 1941 *** (Detailed history of the Japanese surface Navy)

Frank, Wolfgang and Rogge, Bernhard, Kapitän zur See
 - The German Raider Atlantis ** (Story of a German commerce raider written by her commanding officer)

Fleming, Peter
 - Operation Sea Lion **

Forczyk, Robert
 - Russian Battleship vs. Japanese Battleship: Yellow Sea 1904-05 **

Ford, Ken
 - Run the Gauntlet: The Channel Dash 1942 ** (Small book that does a good job of telling the story. Has information not found in earlier works.)

Frank, Wolfgang
 - The Sea Wolves **

Friedman, Norman
 - Battleship: Design and Development, 1905-1945 ***
 - British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and their Aircraft ***
 - Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era ** (See my review at Amazon)
 - The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1991/92 ***
 - The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1994 Update **
 - Naval Anti-Aircraft Guns and Gunnery *** (See my review at Amazon)
 - Naval Radar *** (A fairly comprehensive listing and performance of naval radars developed between 1935 and 1980)
 - Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory ***
 - The Postwar Naval Revolution ***
 - US Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History ***
 - US Battleships: An Illustrated Design History ***
 - US Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History ***
 - US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History ***
 - US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History ***
 - US Naval Weapons: Every gun, missile, mine and torpedo used by the US Navy from 1883 to the present day *** (Data tables in the back of the book are very useful, but this work is actually missing a few weapons such as the USN 4.7" guns)

Friedman, Norman, Thomas C. Hone, Mark David Mandeles
 - American & British Aircraft Carrier Development, 1919-1941 ***

Fuchida, Mitsuo and Okumiya, Masatake
 - Midway, the Battle that Doomed Japan **

Fukui, Shizuo
 - Japanese Naval Vessels at the End of World War II ***

Galantin, I.J., Adm. USN
 - Take Her Deep **

Gamble, Bruce
 - Fortress Rabul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific, January 1942 - April 1943 ** (Interesting account of the air war against Rabul)

Gander, Terry J.
 - The Bofors Gun - 2nd Edition **** (Very good book documenting the Bofors 40mm/60 and 40mm/70 weapons)

Gannon, Michael
 - Black May ** (U-Boat War May 1943)

Gandt, Robert
 - The Twilight Warriors ** (A history of the Okinawa battles)

Garzke, William, Jr. and Dulin, Robert, Jr.
 - Battleships: Allied Battleships in World War II ***
 - Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II (Revised Edition) ***
 - Battleships: United States Battleships 1935-1992 (Revised edition) ***

Garzke, William, Jr., Dulin, Robert, Jr. and Jurens, William
 - Battleship Bismarck: A Design and Operational History ***

Gay, Franco and Gay, Valerio
 - Anatomy of the Ship: The Cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni ***

Generous, William Thomas
 - Sweet Pea at War: A History of USS Portland **

George, S.C.
 - Jutland to Junkyard: The raising of the scuttled German High Seas Fleet from Scapa Flow - the greatest salvage operation of all time ** (Interesting book on the topic that concentrates on the technical issues found and solved during the salvage)

Giangreco, D.M.
 - Hell to Pay: Operation DOWNFALL and the Invasion of Japan, 1945 - 1947 ** (An anti-revisionist analysis of the planning for the Invasion of Japan, recommended as a myth-buster)

Gillcrist, Paul T., RAdm. USN
 - Feet Wet ** (Autobiography of a Naval Aviator)

GoÌ, Okumoto
 - "Zukai hachihachi kantai no shuryokukan" (Battleships and Battlecruisers of the "8-8" Fleet) *** (Japanese Language - Very nice book about the planned Japanese Naval Expansion of the 1920s. Detailed look similar in scope to the "Anatomy of the Ship" series.)

Goldrick, James
 - The King's Ships Were at Sea: The War in the North Sea August 1914 - February 1915 ***

Gordon, Andrew
 - Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command **

Grace, James W.
 - The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal: Night Action, 13 November 1942 ***

Greene, Jack and Massignani, Alessandro
 - The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940 - 1943 * (Really more about the air war, one of the few books where I stopped reading less than half way through)

Grider, George, Capt. USN
 - War Fish **

Griffiths, Maurice
 - The Hidden Menace **

Gröner, Erich
 - German Warships, 1815-1945 Volume I ***
 - German Warships, 1815-1945 Volume II ***

Grove, Eric J.
 - The Price of Disobedience: The Battle of the River Plate Reconsidered ** (Interesting, but not nearly his best work)
 - Vanguard to Trident: British Naval Policy since World War II ***

Haines, Gregory
 - Destroyers at War **

Halpern, Paul G.
 - The Battle of the Otranto Straits: Controlling the Gateway to the Adriatic in WWI **

Hamer, David J.
 - Bombers versus Battleships **** (Analysis, not stories. Recommended.)

Hammel, Eric
 - Carrier Strike: The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 1942 ***
 - Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea ***

Hara, Tameichi, Capt. IJN
 - Japanese Destroyer Captain ***

Helm, Thomas
 - Ordeal by Sea: The Tragedy of the USS Indianapolis ***

Henry, Chris
 - Depth Charge: Royal Naval Mines, Depth Charges & Underwater Weapons 1914 - 1945 ***

Herder, Brian Lane
 - The Naval Siege of Japan 1945: War Plan Orange Triumphant *** (This is an oversize Osprey book that does a good job of covering the naval attacks on Japan during the final year of the war.)

Hill, Alexander
 - Soviet Destroyers of World War II **

Hobbs, David
 - British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories *** (Very detailed work but no weapon data)
 - The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force ** (Good history of origins and operations)

Hodges, Peter
 - The Big Gun: Battleship Main Armament, 1860-1945 **** (Excellent!)

Hodges, Peter and Friedman, Norman
 - Destoyer Weapons of World War 2 (Hodges **** Friedman **)

Hoehling, A.A. and Hoehling, Mary
 - The Last Voyage of the Lusitania **

Hogg, Ian V.
 - German Artillery of World War Two **

Hore, Peter
 - Battleships of World War I *

Hornfischer, James D.
 - The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific 1944-1945
 - Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal ** (Tries to pull together all the naval battles around Guadalcanal into a single book)
 - Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of her Survivors **

Hough, Richard
 - The Big Battleship **
 - The Great War at Sea 1914-1918 **

Howse, Derek
 - Radar at Sea ***

Hoyt, Edwin P.
 - The Germans who Never Lost **
 - The Lonely Ships ***
 - Raider Wolf: The Voyage of Captain Neger, 1916-1918 **
 - U-Boats Offshore **

Infield, Glen
 - Disaster at Bari **

Inoguchi, Rikihei, Nakajima, Tadashi and Pineau, Roger
 - The Divine Wind ***

Jackson, Robert
 - The German Navy in World War II **

Jane's
 - Jane's Pocket Book 9: Naval Armament (edited by Denis Archer) **
 - Jane's Ammunition Handbook: Ninth Edition, 2000-2001 (edited by Terry J. Gander and Charles Q. Cutshaw) ****
 - Jane's Fighting Ships 1998-99 (edited by Captain Richard Sharpe, RN) **
 - Jane's Warship Recognition Guide (edited by Anthony J. Watts) **

Jentschura, Hansgeorg, Jung, Dieter and Mickel, Peter
 - Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945

Johnston, Ian and Buxton, Ian
 - The Battleship Builders: Constructing and Arming British Capital Ships *** (A history of the companies that produced most of the world's battleships)

Johnston, Stanley
 - Queen of the Flat-tops ** (War-time account of USS Lexington CV-2 by an American journalist)

Jones, Jerry W.
 - U.S. Battleship Operations in World War I **

Jones, Ken and Kelley, Hubert
 - 31-Knot Burke (Biography of Adm. Arleigh Burke, USN CNO) *

Jordan, John
 - Warships after Washington: The Development of the Five Major Fleets 1922 - 1930 ** (Interesting book detailing how each nation developed new warships under the Washington Treaty restrictions)
  Warships after London: The End of the Treaty Era in the five Major Fleets 1930-1936 *** (Interesting look at how each of the major navy reacted to the new limitations imposed by the 1930 London Naval Treaty. Companion book to the earlier "Warships after Washington.")

Jordan, John and Caresse, Philippe
 - French Battleships of World War One *** (Much new data in this one, covers Charlemagne through Normandie classes and becomes the prequel to his earlier French battleship book)
 - French Armoured Cruisers: 1887 - 1932 *** (Another good book in this series)

Jordan, John and Dumas, Robert
 - French Battleships: 1922 - 1956 *** (First in a series of books about French warships from about 1880 to 1956)

Jordan, John and Moulin, Jean
 - French Cruisers 1922 - 1956 *** (Good companion work to his Battleship book)
 - French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922 - 1956 *** (See my review at Amazon)

Kähler, Wolfgang
 - Schlachtschiff Gneisenau **

Kemp, Paul
 - The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century ** (I like this book, it is a good reference marred by a few errors)

Kennedy, Ludovic
 - Pursuit **** (One of my earliest naval book acquisitions, still holds up well many years later)
 - Death of the Tirpitz **

Kojinsha
 - Mechanism of Japanese Warships - Destroyers (Japanese Language - Detailed book describing weapons, propulsion and equipment of IJN destroyers)

Koku-Fan
 - The Japanese Warships of the Pacific War ***

Konstam, Angus
 - British Battlecruisers 1939-1945 **

Krámli, Mihály
 - Austro-Hungarian Battleships and Battleship Designs 1904-1914 **** (Extensive look at both the ships and the background of the A-H Navy by a good friend and information contributor to NavWeaps)
On-line PDF Version. Limited number of hardcopies available.

Krug, Hans-Joachim; Hirama, Yoichi; Sander-Nagashima, Berthold, J. and Niestle, Axel
 - Reluctant Allies: German-Japanese Naval Relations in World War II ** (Background information, but somewhat of a trudge to read)

Kuehn, John T.
 - Agents of Innovation: The General Board and the Design of the Fleet that Defeated the Japanese Navy ** (Author claims that the "fortification clause" in the Washington Naval Limitation Treaty drove much of the technical innovation in the USN between the wars)

Kure Maritime Museum (Editors) and Kazushige Todaka
 - Cruisers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum - The Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships ** (Large-size picture book. You have probably seen many of these photographs before, but these are crisp copies and full-page size for each one.)
 - Destroyers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum - The Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships ** (Large-size picture book. You have probably seen many of these photographs before, but these are crisp copies and full-page size for each one.)

Kurzman, Dan
 - Left to Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau ** (Many first-person annecdotes as the author interviewed most of the surviving crewmembers during the 1980s, plus rescuers and relatives of those lost)

Lacroix, Eric and Wells II, Linton
 - Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War **** (Very detailed design history, operational experience and alterations of these ships)

Lambert, John W. and Polmar, Norman
 - Defenseless: Command Failure at Pearl Harbor ** (Anti-revisionist review of the US Pearl Harbor commanders)

Lambert, Nicholas A.
 - Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution * (RUN, don't walk, away from this book!)

Lardas, Mark
 - South American Battleships 1908-59 ** (New Vanguard, short history and specifications)

Layman, R.D.
 - Naval Aviation in the First World War: Its Impact and Influence ** (Nice history of the beginnings of naval aviation)

Layman, R.D. and McLaughlin, Stephen
 - The Hybrid Warship: The Amalgamation of Big Guns and Aircraft ** (The 1920s and 30s saw some of the weirdest ship designs)

Lengerer, Hans and Ahlberg, Lars
 - The Yamato Class and Subsequent Planning ** (About as much as is known about these ships is packed into this book)
 - Legends of Warfare: Fubuki-Class Destroyers In the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II ** (Mainly a picture book with some short text chapters. Has a few photographs that I had not seen before.
 - Legends of Warfare: Akizuki-Class Destroyers In the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II *** (Similar to the author's "Fubuki" book, but much more text and better descriptions of the features of this class. See my review on Amazon)
 - Legends of Warfare: Shôkaku-Class Aircraft Carriers In the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II ** (Need to get both this and the next book as a pair to understand these Japanese warships)
 - Legends of Warfare: Sôryû, Hiryû & Unryû-Class Aircraft Carriers In the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II **

Lenton, H.T.
 - Navies of the Second World War: Royal Netherlands Navy *** (Similar to the Ian Allen series)

Lewis, Emanuel Raymond
 - Seacoast Fortifications of the United States: An Introductory History *** (Fortifications and their armament from the 1700s to the 1950s)

Lord, Walter
 - Day of Infamy *** (One of the first comprehensive histories of the Pearl Harbor attack)
 - Incredible Victory *** (Popular history of the Battle of Midway)
 - The Coast Watchers **

Lundgren, Robert (A good friend and author of several essays at NavWeaps)
 - Battleship Victory: Principles of Sea Power in the War in the Pacific **
 - The World Wonder'd: What Really Happened off Samar ** (Analysis of the actions at Leyte Gulf)

Lundstrom, John B.
 - The First South Pacific Campaign: Pacific Fleet Strategy December 1941 - June 1942 **
 - The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway **
 - The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 **

Lyon, David
 - The First Destroyers **

Maas, Peter
 - The Terrible Hours: The man behind the greatest submarine rescue in history ** (Biography of Swede Momsen, inventor of the Diving Bell and other innovations for the US Navy)

Madsen, Daniel
 - Resurrection: Salvaging the Battle Fleet at Pearl Harbor ** (Interesting account, concentrates solely on the salvaging of the US Battlefleet, not the battle)

Mason, Theodore C.
 - Battleship Sailor **

Massie, Robert K.
 - Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea **
 - Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War *** (Good history of the diplomacy leading up to World War I)

McCollum, Kenneth G. [Editor]
 - Dahlgren ** (History of the US Naval Weapons facility in Virginia)

McGaugh, Scott
 - Midway Magic: An Oral History of America's Legendary Aircraft Carrier ** (Nice history book about her career from 1945 to 1990)

McKee, Alexander
 - Black Saturday: The Tragedy of the Royal Oak ** (Good account of the sinking and the ensuing controversy about what U-47 actually did during the attack)

Mearns, David and White, Rob
 - Hood and Bismarck: The Deep-Sea Discovery of an Epic Battle **

Melia, Tamara Moser
 - "Damn the Torpedoes": A Short History of U.S. Naval Mine Countermeasures, 1771-1991 **

Messimer, Dwight R.
 - Find and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War I ** (See my review at Amazon)

Middlebrook, Martin and Mahoney, Patrick
 - Battleship: The Sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse ***

Miller, Edward S.
 - War Plan Orange: The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897 - 1945 **

Monsarrat, Nicholas, Cmdr. RNVR
 - Three Corvettes ***

Morris, Douglas
 - Cruisers of the Royal and Commonwealth Navies **

Morris, Eric
 - Corregidor: The End of the Line ***

Muir, Malcom
 - The Iowa Class Battleships *** (Good book about these famous battleships)

Müller, Werner
 - German 20mm FLAK in World War II *

Musicant, Ivan
 - Battleship at War *** (Excellent history of USS Washington and her crew)
 - U.S. Armored Cruisers: A Design and Operational History **** (Excellent)

Naval Historical Center
 - The Battles of Cape Esperance and Santa Cruz Islands **

Newcomb, Richard F.
 - Savo **

Newhart, Max R.
 - American Battleships **

Noppen, Ryan
 - Austo-Hungarian Battleships 1914 - 18 (New Vanguard 193) ** (A nice little volume covering the design and history of these ships)

Okumiya, Masatake and Horikoshi, Jiro
 - Zero! The story of Japan's Air War in the Pacific 1941-45 **

O'Leary, Michael
 - United States Naval Fighters of World War II in Action **

O'Hara, Vincent P. (I recommend all four of these books)
 - In Passage Perilous: Malta and the Convoy Battles of June 1942 **
 - The German Fleet at War, 1939-1945 ***
 - Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940 - 1945 ***
 - The U.S. Navy against the Axis: Surface Combat 1941 - 1945 ***

O'Hara, Vincent P., Dickson, W. David and Worth, Richard
 - On Seas Contested: The Seven Great Navies of the Second World War **

Parks, Dr. Oscar
 - British Battleships 1860-1950 (Revised 1973 edition) ****

Parshall, Jonathan and Tully, Anthony
 - Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway *** (Recommended. Authors are the owners of the Nihon Kaigun website.)

Pearce, Frank
 - Last Call for HMS Edinburg: A Story of the Russian Convoys **

Peattie, Mark R.
 - Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909 - 1941 ** (Companion work to "Kaigun" - see above - this one covering naval airpower)

Peck, Taylor
 - Round-shot to Rockets: A History of the Washington Navy Yard and the United States Naval Gun Factory ***

Perrett, Bryan
 - North Sea Battleground: The War at Sea 1914-18 * (Very little new insight on the battle, perhaps best explained by the short bibliography which lists no original source documents and only a single work by a German author)

Pfannes, Charles E. and Salamone, Victor A.
 - The Great Admirals of World War II: Volume II: The Germans **

Phillips, Russell
 - A Fleet in Being: Austro-Hungarian Warships of WWI ** (Simplified listing, not much detail given)

Pitt, Barrie
 - Revenge at Sea: Two Great Naval Battles of World War I ** (History of the Battles of Coronel and Falklands)

Poolman, Kenneth
 - The Winning Edge: Naval Technology in Action, 1939-1945 **

Pope, Dudley
 - 73 North: The Battle of the Barents Sea **

Prange, Robert
 - God's Samurai **
 - At Dawn We Slept **

Preston, Antony
 - Aircraft Carriers *
 - Battleships *
 - Cruisers *
 - Destroyers *
 - Submarines *

Preston, Antony [Editor]
 - Warship Special 2: Super Destroyers ***

Price, Alfred
 - Aircraft versus Submarines in Two World Wars **

Puglsley, A.F., Rear Admiral RN
 - Destroyer Man ** (An interesting personal account of a career spent on RN destroyers)

Raven, Alan
 - British Cruiser Warfare: The Lessons of the Early War, 1939-1941 ** (This is a good book that is basically a collection of summaries of British war-time action reports. I would suggest using it more as a source of what the British knew at the time that the reports were written rather than as an accurate accounting of events.)

Raven, Alan and Roberts, John (Both of these books are excellent works and are highly recommended)
 - British Battleships of World War Two ****
 - British Cruisers of World War Two ****

Reilly, John C., Jr. [Editor, Naval Historical Center]
 - Operational Experience of Fast Battleships: World War II, Korea, Vietnam *** (Compiliation of official USN reports)

Rife, James P. and Carlisle, Rodney P.
 - The Sound of Freedom: Naval Weapons Technology at Dahlgren, Virginia 1918 - 2006 **

Rausa, Rosario, Lt. Cmdr USN
 - Skyraider **

Rielly, Robin L.
 - Kamikazes, Corsairs and Picket Ships: Okinawa 1945 ** (Interesting book covering the picket ships day by day, but gets a bit repetitive)

Roberts, John
 - Anatomy of the Ship: Battlecruiser Hood ***
 - Battlecruisers *** (Very good history of these ships, but marred by a few errors)
 - British Warships of the Second World War ** (Useful work on British warship designs of World War II, including auxiliaries and smaller vessels)

Robinson, C. Snelling
 - 200,000 Miles aboard the Destroyer Cotten ** (Author's experiences during World War II)

Rogers, Anthony
 - Churchill's Folly: Leros and the Aegean, The Last Great British Defeat of World War Two **

Roscoe, Theodore,
 - United States Destroyer Operations in World War II **

Rose, Lisle A.
 - The Ship that Held the Line: The USS Hornet and the First Year of the Pacific War **
 - Power at Sea (Three Volume Set)
    - The Age of Navalism, 1890 - 1918 **
    - The Breaking Storm, 1919 - 1945 **
    - A Violent Peace, 1945 - 2006 **

Roskill, S.W., Capt. RN
 - HMS Warspite ** (Well-known history of a famous warship)
 - White Ensign: The Royal Navy at War 1939-1945 ** (Good overall account of the Royal Navy during World War II)

Rowland, Buford, Lt. Cmdr. USNR, and Boyd, William B., Lt. USNR
 - U.S. Navy Bureau of Ordnance in World War II ** (Official history of BuOrd. Full of interesting details on the development and deployment of naval weapons during the War.)

The Royal Laboratory Woolwich 1921-22
 - Diagrams of Great War: German Naval Guns; Shells & Explosives; Fuses & Exploders *** (A reprint of British post-war documents on captured and recovered German guns and munitions. Many sketches and cutaway drawings with detailed dimensioning)

Ruhe, William J., Capt., USN (Ret.)
 - Slow Dance to Pearl Harbor: A Tin Can Ensign in Prewar America *

Saki, Saburo, Ensign IJN
 - Samurai! ** (Interesting personal account of one of the most successful Japanese fighter pilots of World War II)

Sanders, Michael, S.
 - The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works *** (Good nuts 'n' bolts story about what it takes to build a modern warship and the community that surrounds the famous shipyard)

Sauer, Howard
 - The Last Big-Gun Naval Battle: An Eyewitness Account aboard USS Maryland **

Scarpaci, Wayne
 - French Battleships 1933 - 1970: An Illustrated Technical Reference * (Basically just a picture book with very little in the way of technical references. See the Jordan & Dumas book listed above for a much better work.)

Schmalenbach, Paul, Kapitän-Leutnant
 - Die Geschichte der deutschen Schiffsartillerie *** (The History of German Ship Artillery by the former gunnery officer on Prinz Eugen)

Skwiot, Miroslaw
 - German Naval Guns: 1939 - 1945 *** (see my review at Amazon)

Skulski, Janusz
 - Anatomy of the Ship: The Battleship Yamato ***
 - Anatomy of the Ship: The Heavy Cruiser Takao ***

Smith, Peter C.
 - The Battle-Cruiser HMS Renown 1916-1948 *** (Very good book about a famous ship, full of small details concerning her career)
 - Fist from the Sky: Japan's Dive-bomber Ace of World War II ** (Interesting history of Takashige Egusa, one of the leading dive bomber pilots of the Japanese Navy)

Snyder, Gerald S.
 - The Royal Oak Disaster **

Spector, Ronald, H.
 - At War at Sea: Sailors and Naval Combat in the Twentieth Century **

Spurr, Russell
 - A Glorious Way to Die ** (The Final Sortie of the Japanese Battleship Yamato)

Staff, Gary
 - Battle on the Seven Seas: German Cruiser Battles 1914 - 1918 ** (Short histories of individual battles, including three involving battles with the Russian Navy)
 - German Battlecruisers 1914 - 18 ** (Good short book on the subject)
 - German Battlecruisers of World War One: Their Design, Construction and Operations *** (Good long book on the subject)
 - Skagerrak: The Battle of Jutland Through German Eyes ** (I didn't find much new here, but it is an interesting account of how the Germans perceived the battle)

Stafford, Edward P., Cmdr. USN
 - The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise **
 - Little Ship, Big War: The Saga of DE-343 ** (I enjoyed this first-person account of the author's tour of duty)

Stanton, Doug
 - In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors **

Stavridis, James, Adm. USN
 - Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command ** (A diary by the commander of an Arleigh Burke class DDG in the 1990s)

Sterling, Forest J.
 - Wake of the Wahoo **

Stern, Robert C.
 - Destroyer Battles: Epics of Naval Close Combat * (Odd book, not sure why the author thought it appropriate to include his political views on topics having nothing to do with them)

Stille, Mark
 - Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941-45 **
 - Imperial Japanese Destroyers 1919-45 (1) **
 - Imperial Japanese Destroyers 1919-45 (2) **
 - The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War **
 - The Imperial Japanese Navy of the Russo-Japanese War *** (Found much to like in this book)
 - Italian Cruisers of World War II **

Stillwell, Paul
 - Battleship Arizona: An Illustrated History ***
 - Battleship New Jersey: An Illustrated History ***
 - Battleships ***

Stratton, Donald, with Ken Gire
 - All the Gallant Men - The First Memoir by a USS Arizona Survivor *** (Amazing autobiography by a crewman who survived the explosion and fires on USS Arizona. Recommended.)

Sumrall, Robert
 - Iowa Class Battleships: Their Design, Weapons and Equipment *** (Detailed account of many technical aspects of these ships)
 - Sumner-Gearing-Class Destroyers: Their Design, Weapons and Equipment *** (Good overview of these WWII Destroyer classes)

Swanborough, Gordon and Bowers, Peter M.
 - United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 (second edition) ** (Reference book, basically a datapage or two with a sketch or picture of each type of aircraft ever produced or planned for the USN)

Tarrant, V.E.
 - King George V Class Battleships *** (Very good reference work on these warships)

Taylor, Theodore
 - HMS Hood vs. Bismarck: The Battleship Battle **

Thomas, David A.
 - Crete 1941: The Battle at Sea *** (Concentrates on the naval battles for the island)

Tillman, Barrett
 - Clash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II **

Thomas, Roger D. and Patterson, Brian
 - Dreadnoughts in Camera: 1905-1920 ** (An interesting book that describes many areas of dreadnought construction including the workforce that built these ships)

Toland, John
 - Infamy: Pearl Harbor and its Aftermath **

Utley, Jonathan G.
 - An American Battleship at Peace and War: The U.S.S. Tennessee **

van der Vat, Dan
 - The Ship that Changed the World: The Escape of the Goeben to the Dardanelles in 1914 *** (Detailed history on a warship that really did change the world)

von Müllenheim-Rechberg, Baron Burkard, Korvettenkapitän
 - Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor's Story (Revised Edition) *** (Good first person account of the life and death of a famous warship)

Waters, Conrad
 - British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance - Southampton & Belfast Classes

Watton, Ross
 - Anatomy of the Ship: The Cruiser HMS Belfast **

Watts, A.J.
 - Loss of the Scharnhorst ** (nice little book, good set of data tables in the back)

Weapons Division in Fleet School C.F.B. Halifax (1970)
 - Drill for 3 Inch Twin Mark 6 A.A. Mounting ** (RCN technical manual)

Wels, Susan
 - Pearl Harbor: America's Darkest Day **

White, Bill, and Gandt, Robert
 - Intrepid: The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship **

Whitehouse, Arch
 - Subs and Submarines **

Whitley, M.J. (All of these books are good reference works and are recommended)
 - German Capital Ships of World War Two ***
 - German Cruisers of World War Two ***
 - German Destroyers of World War Two ***
 - Battleships of World War Two - An Encyclopedia **
 - Cruisers of World War Two - An Encyclopedia ***
 - Destroyers of World War Two - An Encyclopedia ***

Wildenberg, Thomas and Polmar, Norman
 - Ship Killers: A History of the American Torpedo **** (Much data on these weapons)

Williams, Anthony G.
 - Rapid Fire: The development of automatic cannon, heavy machine guns and their ammunition for armies, navies and air forces *** (Good book describing the history, functionality and uses of automatic weapons. Useful data tables in the appendixes.)
 - Autocannon: A History of Automatic Cannon and their Ammunition *** (A much revised and larger version of his earlier work.)

Wingate, John
 - HMS Belfast: In Trust for the Nation 1939-72 **

Winton, John
 - Air Power at Sea: 1939-45 **
 - Carrier Glorious: The Life and Death of an Aircraft Carrier ***

Wiper, Steve (I found these to be good short works on the subject)
 - Warship Pictorial #17: Myoko Class Heavy Cruisers ***
 - Warship Pictorial #21: Kriegsmarine Prinz Eugen ***
 - Warship Pictorial #23: Italian Heavy Cruisers of World War II ***

Worth, Richard
 - Fleets of World War II ***
 - In the Shadow of the Battleship: Considering the Cruisers of World War II **
 - Thunder in its Courses: Essays on the Battlecruiser **

Wragg, David
 - Plan Z: The Nazi Bid for Naval Dominance *

Yakubov, Vladimir and Worth, Richard
 - Raising the Red Banner: The Pictoral History of Stalin's Fleet 1920-1945 ** (Interesting and quite useful listing of the Soviet Navy during this time period by two old friends of mine. A bibliography would have been a welcomed addition.)

Yamamoto Yoshihide and Yoshihara Ganya
 - All about Japanese Naval Shipboard Weapons ** (Japanese Language - Good picture and sketch book of Japanese weapons)

Yates, Keith
 - Graf Spee's Raiders: Challenge to the Royal Navy, 1914-1915 ** (History of the German cruiser raiders of World War I)

Yoshimura, Akira
 - Battleship Musashi: The Making and Sinking of the World's Biggest Battleship **

Young, Filson, Lt. RNVR
 - With the Battle Cruisers ** (First-person view of the Dogger Bank Battle and the early-war Royal Navy as seen by a RNVR officer on Adm. Beatty's staff. Accounts of conversations with Adm. Fisher, Adm. Beatty and Winston Churchill among others.)

Young, Stephen Bower
 - Trapped at Pearl Harbor: Escape from Battleship Oklahoma ** (Autobiography of one of the crewmembers who was trapped inside the capsized battleship.)

1967-1975 Issues of "Alnavco Log" Magazine

Various Issues of "Warship International (INRO)" Magazine

Bound Volumes I through X of "Warship" Magazine (Issues 1 through 40)

Warship 1990

Warship 2007

Warship 2017

Warship 2018

Warship 2024

Seapower I and II (Alnavco World War II Naval Wargame that includes good data books)

I have many works of fiction dealing with Naval subjects. I normally wouldn't bother to list this category, but some fictional works are of superior quality and deserve a mention.

The following book is just too good not to be included in any kind of Naval Book listing. Highly recommended.

Monsarrat, Nicholas
 - The Cruel Sea

The following fictional story contains a good deal of technical information about the composition of British and German naval forces during the summer of 1940.

Macksey, Kenneth
 - Invasion: The German Invasion of England, July 1940

The following fictional story contains personal reminisces of Vice-Admiral William P. Mack, who was the Gunnery Officer aboard USS John D. Ford (DD-228) during Battle of Java Sea.

Mack, William P., Vice-Admiral USN (Rtd.) and Mack, William P., Jr.
  - South to Java: A Novel