In 1939 the Japanese Navy General Staff demanded to develop a project of a destroyer with a speed of 40 knots. The project was called "Project F52" and was included in the plan called Maru Yon. In connection with this, a project was prepared and the construction of the Japanese destroyer with number 125 (later named Shimakaze) began.

The Light Cruiser Yahagi

by Mariusz Motyka

Published 28 September 2015
Yahagi, the second Japanese warship of that name, was the third of the four Agano-class vessels (the other three being Agano, Noshiro and Sakawa). Construction of the Agano-class cruisers was approved by the Japanese parliament (Diet) in March 1939 under the Fourth Naval Armaments Enhancement Program (Dai-Yon-Ji Kaigun Gunbi Jujitsu Keikaku), also known as "Four-in-Circle" Program (Maru Yon Keikaku), or simply Maru 4. Under the terms of the program, the four light cruisers (kei jun'yokan), also referred to as type B cruisers (otsu-gata jun'yokan, or simply otsu jun) and officially classed as second-class cruisers (ni-to jun'yokan), were to fulfill the role of destroyer squadron flagships. At that time destroyer squadrons (DesRon), called literarily torpedo squadrons (suirai sentai), consisted of four four-ship destroyer divisions (DesDiv, or kuchiku-tai).

Gneisenau was built at the Deutsche Werke dockyard in Kiel and launched on 8 December 1936. The ship was armed with a main battery of nine 28 cm (11 in) C/34 guns in three triple turrets. Featuring 140 computer generated colour images this volume covers, in full, the majesty of this great ship. From the initial design to the ship’s armour and operational history the authors cover the complete history of this mammoth vessel. Numerous scale plans are included.

Takao

by Waldemar Goralski and Miroslaw Skwiot

Published 1 July 2010
Takao was the first of four Takao-class heavy cruisers designed to be an improvement over the previous Myōkō-class design. The Myōkō had proved to be unstable and required modifications, which were incorporated into the Takao design.

The Takao-class ships were approved under the 1927 fiscal year budget as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's strategy of the Decisive Battle, forming the backbone of a multipurpose long-range strike force. Takao was built by the Yokosuka Naval shipyards, and like her sister ships, was named after a mountain.

Launched on 12 May 1930 at the Yokosuka Navy Yard and commissioned on 31 May 1932, she was the lead ship of her class, assigned to the Pacific from the start of the war. In early 1942, Takao operated in the Java Sea in operations culminating in the Battle of the Java Sea in early March, when one of Takao's floatplanes bombed the Dutch merchant ship Enggano. The next night, Takao and Atago overtook the old United States Navy destroyer Pillsbury and sank her with no survivors. Throughout the rest of the war she was involved in various Pacific campaigns against the Allies.

About the Series
This brand-new series focuses on the construction of famous ships– battleships, carriers, cruisers, and submarines. With ground-breaking 3D imagery, each corner, angle, and dimension of the ship is viewable. With various close-up views, and each 3D image based on actual technical scale drawings and photographs, this makes an exceptional reference tool. Information on the design, development and combat history of each vessel is also included, as well as numerous photographs and 1/350th scale drawings.

The USS Stevens (DD-479) was one of the 175 Fletcher-class destroyers, and was considered one of the finest world War II warships of that type. What set it apart from most of the standard Fletcher-class destroyers was its aircraft-carrying capability. In May 1940 six of the Fletcher-class destroyers were selected for conversion into aircraft-carrying ships. The upgrades included installation of the Mk VI pneumatic aircraft catapult for embarked OS2U Kingfisher float planes.

The book is primarily focused on the development history, technical data and design features, the battle record of the Akizuki class destroyers including their combat trail and the fate awaited them.

The Type II U-Boat

by Waldemar Goralski

Published 15 April 2013
The Type II U-boat - The latest book in Super Drawings in 3D series presents a brief description of the German Type II coastal submarines along with their general characteristics. Since "an image can speak a thousand words", the text is accompanied by 160 renderings which show the external appearance of all four sub-types including detalis such as various conning towers and armament variants as well as other fittings. Blueprints of the four sub-types in 1:144 scale (general and isometric views) are included on a separate sheet. This publication is an invaluable help to any modeller interested in building a replica of any of the Type II submarines.

Ss Red Oak Victory

by Mariusz Motyka

Published 5 August 2021
The SS Red Oak Victory is now a museum ship in Richmond, California. It is a cargo ship of the type Victory. It was put into service at the end of 1944 and remained in service until 1968.

The ship was built in three months at the large Permanente Metals Company shipyard in Richmond. On January 10, 1945, it began its maiden voyage to Pearl Harbor.