Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1997. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Good/Good. xiii, [3], 882, [6] pages. Abbreviations. Illustrations. Footnotes. Appendices. Summary Data Tables. Glossary: Japanese-English. Bibliography. Index. Format approximately 8.75 inches by 11.25 inches. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Small tear at top of inside front hinge. Corner of page 731/2 creased. Ink notations added to page 732. Somewhat shaken. Wells (born 1946) is an American public servant and educator who served a total of 51 years in government. He served 26 years in the United States Navy as an officer, and then was appointed by the White House as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, serving through two administrations of both parties. He wrote many books, articles, and white papers. His writings significantly altered U.S. and international approaches to civil-military engagement, US policy in global humanitarian assistance, and public-private partnerships in disaster relief. The book is encyclopedic. The authors spent decades tracking down details about the design, construction, and deployment of the cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which they describe with a generous supplement of photographs, charts, and line drawings. They give a detailed account of the planning, design, and construction and the numerous prewar and wartime modifications of the individual ships of each cruiser class. Prewar and wartime histories of the ships are reported, with ship movements, combat experience, damage, refits, modifications, and final fate listed. Derived from a review by Anthony P. Tully found on-line: Eric Lacroix and Linton Wells II's Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War is one of those truly memorable references that becomes a lasting part of naval literature. Comparable reference works include Norman Friedman's outstanding works on the U.S. Navy. With its comprehensive discussion of Japanese cruiser design and development, coupled with a complete operational history of each vessel, Japanese Cruisers goes far toward filling major gaps not only in the design but in the battle history of the Imperial Japanese Navy. One of the book's strengths is in how it chronicles the relationship between the development of the various cruiser designs and the turmoil of the pre-war years. How these considerations influenced such diverse factors as machinery and hull strength to tonnage is set forth and extensively footnoted. The net result is a clearer understanding not only of the intended role of the cruisers, but of the surface ships of the fleet in general. The core of the book lies in its meticulous analysis and dissection of the design of each cruiser class, complete with more than 200 plans, profiles, and cutaway views ranging from superstructure towers to boiler and bulkhead arrangements. Equally significant, these plans and diagrams follow the full range of the ships career, with wartime modifications fully discussed. Notable among these is the inclusion of several diagrams of damage sustained in action. The illustrations and photographs have been chosen with care, and many of them have never been published outside of Japan or indeed - in some cases - at all. The captions are carefully researched, and where necessary, the authors have corrected previous erroneous labeling or dating of published prints. The Operational histories, though secondary to the design focus of the book, is nonetheless one of its important assets, and makes it an essential part of even the non-specialist's library. Organization and Orders of Battle of Japanese Cruiser divisions are described and followed in chronological order per ship, relying extensively on never translated Japanese microfilm records, the official histories, and innumerable modern works in Japan. Each capsule history follows the vessel from its commissioning to its ultimate fate, and gives the names of commanding officers and dates of assuming command. However, this applies only to the heavy cruisers; the light cruiser commanders are not named. The authors provide a singularly valuable and detailed set of appendixes. These describe among other things the Organization of the Imperial Navy, its specialized terms and designations of ordnance, an overview of the heads of the shipbuilding department from 1920 to war's end, discussion of machinery and aeronautical equipment, and a host of tables and studies. All of these providing a comprehensive and readable introduction to the larger context of the Imperial Navy and its form and making for a-must-read for those seeking a broad and clear understanding of the IJN and its terminology as its officers and men understood it. In fact, it is the book's dedication to using the actual Japanese terms and even vowel structure that make it an essential cultural bridge as well. First edition.
