Silver State Dreadnought

The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada

By: Stephen M. Younger

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

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

Excellent biography of the ship Nevada

The details about the ship and her career are excellent. The drawing in of bits from various primary sources is nice. I’d have preferred more of an engineering focus than an ordinance one, but that’s my own personal preferences.

What annoyed me, time and time again were the references to Billy Mitchell’s bombing of Ostfriedland and what it ostensibly proved. When later portions of the narrative, including the discussion of the various Fleet Problems, laid out the limitations of air power in contradiction to Mitchell’s thesis, at that time, it rather takes away from the point.

So, some minor flaws in contextualizing the narrative. But an excellent history of a remarkable ship.

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.

great history

This is a wonderful anthology of a great U.S. warship. A must for any history buff or Navy historian. I learned so much more than I knew going in and I had a relative on the Nevada when she got hit at Pearl.

A Pearl Harbor survivor gets back up and serves!

The telling of those chaotic moments at Pearl Harbor from the perspective of the Nevada is a telling of courage and commitment. A must read for the military historian.

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.