USS Yorktown (CV-5): From Design and Construction to the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway (Legends of Warfare: Naval, 1) Hardcover – Illustrated, May 15, 2017

...with great anticipation inasmuch as I consider her the pivotal fighting ship in the Pacific during the first half of 1942. Doyle's book does not disappoint.We have a very reasonably priced hardcover monograph detailing the construction and service of what Robert Cressman called That Gallant Ship, incidentally the title of another highly recommended volume which comprehensively describes Yorktown's career. Doyle concentrates most of his effort on photography and while this reviewer has seen most--if not all--of these pictures at some point in time the pictures here are clear and well chosen. They begin with the birth of the Yorktown on the slipway and end with her death at the conclusion of the battle of Midway.Included within this volume is a very brief summary of her design and wartime career--namely the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway--which saw the Japanese carrier force cut down to size, in large measure due to the contributions of Yorktown and her air groups. There is found one minor error in the text, on page 66, concerning Lieutenant J. J. Powers but it is of little consequence to those familiar with events. My understanding is that this will be corrected in subsequent printings. Each picture is accompanied by extensive captions which adequately describe and detail the subject of each shot.All in all this volume stands well alongside its peers and brings to life through pictures a great fighting ship which was pivotal to the war effort in 1942. It is printed on quality stock which highlights equally high quality pictures chosen for the task. At the reasonable price this volume retails for, it's difficult to see how the reader can find better value than what is offered here. Highly recommended.

Very fact-filled book with many rare pictures. Details construction, launch, fitting out and service history. Also tracks modifications and changes made during service with the US Navy. This book has tons of details and data. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in the naval conflict in World War II.

Fantastic story of a WWII icon from keel laying to sinking at the Battle of Midway. Essentially a photo story with great photos detailing construction, in port and underway during her short lifetime. Includes photos taken on board during her last hours and after abandonment as well as tragic photos of Hammann being torpedoed and broken in half while alongside.

With a new book on the USS "Intrepid" coming out in two weeks, I thought I'd go back to the beginning first. Despite being the first entry in Schiffer's "Legends of Warfare" series, this book set the standard for the rest of the series and holds up remarkably well when compared with the other naval "LoWs."Although it's only 112 pages long and contains only about 175 black and white photos, it still manages to cover quite a bit of ground. The photographs range from shots of the carrier building and fitting out, to views of flight deck and hangar operations, overhead shots of the ship at sea and in harbor, to candid shots of moments of frivolity, images taken by aircrew of Japanese ships under attack, close-ups of damage sustained at Coral Sea and Midway, and the ship's ultimate demise. There are quite a few images here that I've never seen, including shots of the carrier's air wing being loaded via crane at San Diego, and some images of the below-decks chaos immediately after the first bomb impacts at Midway. The overall photo quality is quite good, although the "in action" shots are unsurprisingly of worse quality than the ones taken in more controlled environments. The captions are unusually good for this type of book, even if David Doyle, an armor historian by trade, does engage in tortured lubber-speak from time to time.While this isn't the definitive book on "Yorktown," when considering the limitations of the format, it's a pretty darn good one. Although the "Enterprise" book is probably the best of the "Yorktown" class LoWs, this one is still definitely worth owning.

This book takes actual construction photos and uses them as the narrative. It starts with the basic construction of both the Yorktown and the Enterprise (often seen in the background) and shows their life from the keel laying to the final sinking. Very good book for history buffs, not good for someone expecting a riveting narrative.

The book is outstanding with illustrations and historical data I wasn't aware!! I've been looking for a book on this short lived aircraft carrier!! An excellent addition to my World War Two Naval History Collection!! I hope to see an equal such as this book on the USS Wasp, sometime in the future!!! Kudos!!

great selection of images and accompanying text.

like the construction details, better to understand reairs at Pearl Hsrbor after coral sea.