Laid down in 1937 and launched on 9th April 1941, the USS North
Carolina was the first new construction battleship to enter service during World
War II and took part in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Theatre,
becoming the most decorated U.S.
battleship of WWII. After a brief stint post war as a training ship,
the North Carolina – dubbed in the press as the "Showboat" – was laid up in
the reserve fleet, before her eventual movement to Wilmington, in her namesake
state, and her preservation there as a war memorial. This second volume in the
Squadron at Sea series traces the history of the North Carolina from her keel-laying to her
preservation, photographically documenting the evolution of armament and
electronics that resulted from her pre-Pearl Harbor design to its peak –
bristling with guns to counter the threat of kamikaze attack as she operated
against the Japanese home islands. In addition to the ship's evolution,
this volume documents the North
Carolina’s wartime operations that earned her twelve
battle-stars. More than 330 photographs, many of them colour, illustrate
the ship, her crew, and their work and recreation. Her years in the reserve
fleet and ultimate restoration are also covered in the book’s 136
pages. Detailed line drawings illustrate North Carolina’s changing configurations,
and eleven colour profiles show the various camouflage schemes worn by both
the ship and her scouting aircraft through the years.
