Description

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A highly illustrated history of the US Navy's nuclear submarine program, from the postwar years to the 2020 Columbia-class SSBNs.

James C. Goodall covers the origins, design and development of the US Navy's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. This program was developed under the command of Hiram G. Rickover, the “Father of the Nuclear Navy” who oversaw the commissioning of the very first nuclear-powered attack submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN 571) in 1952. This was a truly revolutionary design. Until the advent of nuclear power, the world's submarine fleets traveled on the surface at night to charge their batteries, and only dove below the surface when enemy ships or planes were spotted. With the development of the USS Nautilus, the US Navy now had the ability to stay submerged for not just hours or days, but to hide out of harm's way for weeks or months at a time

This highly illustrated book covers all of the 220+ submarine hulls built and delivered to the US Navy from the USS Nautilus through to the Navy's newest class of submarine, the Columbia class SSBNs. The story of the Nuclear Navy from its origins up to the present day is told through more than 1,300 images from official and archive sources, as well as the author's own personal collection, some of which have never been published before.

About the Author

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James C. Goodall is a published author with 27 books in print. He is a recognized authority both on low-observable aircraft, such as the F-117, B-2A, the Lockheed 'twins' (F-22 and F-35) and the Lockheed Skunk Works family of Blackbirds, and the US Navy's fleet of modern-day fast attack and ballistic missile submarines. He has been photographing and writing about 'spooky' military aircraft, naval ships and submarines for the past 35 years, and his last book, 75 years of the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, was published by Osprey in 2021.