Silver State Dreadnought

The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada

By: Stephen M. Younger

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

USS Nevada (BB-36) was America's first modern battleship. When its keel was laid in 1912, kings and emperors still ruled much of the world. When it finally slipped beneath the waves in 1948, America was the undisputed global superpower.  

Nevada was revolutionary for its time: the first "superdreadnought"; the first US warship to be oil fired; the first to have a triple-gun main turret; and the first to have all-or-nothing armor. In World War I, it was based in Queenstown, Ireland, to provide protection for American convoys bringing troops to Europe. The only battleship to get underway at Pearl Harbor, it suffered damage from Japanese bombs and torpedoes and sank in shallow water. Raised and repaired, it did convoy duty in the North Atlantic before joining the invasion fleet for D-Day and the landings in Southern France. 

Shifting to the Pacific, Nevada provided bombardment support at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The end of the war saw it outgunned and outmoded, but its contributions were not over. In 1946, it survived not one but two atomic tests, the second of which left the battleship too radioactive for scrapping. 

On a sunny day in 1948, Nevada was towed off the coast of Oahu and used for target practice. The ship died a warrior's death.

©2018 Stephen M. Younger (P)2019 Tantor

Extensively researched and highly detailed

I really enjoyed this look at USS Nevada. I wish there were more books in audio about warships along this line.

What a Ship!

I had heard of the Nevada, but not the incredible life of this ship. It truly was a most incredible journey, one of near death, survival against all odds. It made it through two World wars in the most incredible fashion. How it survived Pearl Harbor is a book all its own, but it did. It's hard not to get completely enraptured in this story of perseverance, for both the ship and those who sailed with her. Sean Runnette's tone and inflection is perfect for this uplifting and lovely story.

Great account of a magnificent ship

The story was well told and very interesting. It wasn't over the top filled with minutiae. but it was still very detailed and respectful.

Of the best kept secrets

The story of the USS Nevada seems to be one of the best kept secrets of US Military History. She was a maverick her entire career and her story is a walk through world history.

The USS NV served WWI, and in many major battles, in both the Atlantic and Pacific, in WWII. This includes Pearl Harbor (only ship to get underway), Liberation of Attu, Normandy, Cherberg, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. She also survived the atomic test at Bikini Atoll. She had the most accurate gun fire of any battleship and was America's first super super-dreadnought.

The book is very well research and covers many pivotal points in history. If you’re interested in military history, or just United States history in general, this is a great book. I strongly recommend!

A brilliant ship biography

This is a splendid book and it stands apart from many other ship biographies by reason of the attention paid to design and technical details as well as operational history. The account of Nevada's peacetime service, and of her role in the Bikini Atoll tests is as absorbing as her wartime service. It is also of valiin it's picture of lift on board and of the development of tactical and strategic doctrine through the Fleet Problem system in the 1920s and 30s. The pace never flags and it reaches an exciting climax with the shore bombardments I of WW2 and survival from kamikazi attacks. In summary: superb!