.
.
by Hans Lengerer and Lars Ahlberg.
Hardback (Horizontal: 9.3×9.3 inches). 144 pages. 2025.
Subtitle: IJN Super-Dreadnoughts Nagato and Mutsu
This thorough profile of the sister battleships Nagato and Mutsu noted their construction start during WWI and post-war commissioning. Indeed, the Mutsu was launched in some haste to beat the deadline for the 1921 Washington Arms Limitation Conference. This scheme didn’t fool anyone and the US was allowed to build the USS Colorado and USS Washington and the UK to build the HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson in response (p5).
Upgrades were in 1934 through 1936 and the chapters cover all the major systems, including machinery, armament, propulsion, and so on. Quite thorough.
Extended captions to the 133 black and white photos provide additional ship information and details. I was amazed to learn that the crew practiced bayonet drill (p81). The book also contains 17 black and white illustrations.
An overview of both ships’ operational history are included. Nagato survived the war as a front-line ship, but Mutsu was soon relegated to be a training ship and suffered a fatal magazine explosion in June 1943 and sunk. A full chapter covers Nagato‘s role in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and attack on US Taffy 3. Nagato was one of the ships sunk during the post-war Bikini Atoll atomic bomb test.
The Legends of Warfare series continues to provide superb ship documentation and a quick overview of service.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
