Hidden Warships: Find World War II's Abandoned, Sunk, and Preserved Warships

by Nicholas A. Veronico

Overview

A photo-filled tour of wrecked warships around the world, with their stories recounted in “a wonderfully clear [and] lively style” (Seattle Post Intelligencer).

Sunk by enemy fire, scuttled, or run aground, the number of World War II-era battleships, cruisers, submarines, and other warships that ended their service on the bottom of the world’s oceans and seas is enormous. In the decades since the conflict, wreck hunters have pored over historical records and combed the world’s oceans to find their remains. Now you too can see them up close—without getting your feet wet.

In Hidden Warships, naval historian Nicholas A. Veronico details the history, recovery, and preservation of these sunken combat ships—including accounts from the divers and restorers who have worked with them. Beginning with the Japanese midget submarines that attacked Pearl Harbor and continuing into the modern era, including the 2006 sinking of the postwar aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, Veronico provides rich detail on each noteworthy vessel, including over 150 photographs, ship specifications, geographic coordinates, and more. For the enthusiast who wants an even more complete experience, the book concludes with a list of preserved ships, an Internet resource guide, and a suggested reading list to continue the exploration.

Whether you plan on visiting these historic sites yourself or simply enjoy their compelling stories, Hidden Warships will guide you, above the surface and underwater, through some of the most famous relics of World War II naval warfare.

“A tantalizing selection of sunken vessels, including many recent discoveries.” —Naval History Magazine

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781627886642
Publisher:	Quarto Publishing Group USA
Publication date:	12/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	441
File size:	44 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Nicholas A. Veronico has written extensively on US naval operations in World War II on the sea and in the air. He is the author of Hidden Warbirds (Zenith, 2013), Hidden Warbirds II (Zenith, 2013), Battlestations: American Warships in WWII (Motorbooks, 2001), and World War II Shipyards of the Bay Area (Arcadia Publishing, 2007), as well as F4U Corsair (Motorbooks, 1994) and Convair PB4Y-2/P4Y-2 Privateer (Ginter Books, 2012). In addition, he appeared on the TV series Life After People in the 2010 episode "Take Me To Your Leader," providing history and commentary on the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard near San Francisco, California.

Nicholas A. Veronico has written extensively on US naval operations in World War II on the sea and in the air. He is the author of Hidden Warbirds (Zenith, 2013), Hidden Warbirds II (Zenith, 2013), Battlestations: American Warships in WWII (Motorbooks, 2001), and World War II Shipyards of the Bay Area (Arcadia Publishing, 2007), as well as F4U Corsair (Motorbooks, 1994) and Convair PB4Y-2/P4Y-2 Privateer (Ginter Books, 2012). In addition, he appeared on the TV series Life After People in the 2010 episode "Take Me To Your Leader," providing history and commentary on the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard near San Francisco, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgment 6

Introduction 7

Part 1 The Opening Salvoes of War

Accounting for Pearl Harbor's Japanese Midget Subs 22

Sneak Attack: The Destruction of USS Arizona 36

Caught in the Open: HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales 64

Part 2 Hunting The Killers

Salvage Work on the Admiral Graf Spee 76

U-550: Hunting the Sub Code-Named "Red George" 90

Hunting Trophies: U-Boats in Captivity Today 107

Part 3 Sinking The Big Fleets

Sink Everything in Sight: Operation Hailstone 124

Bikini Atoll Battlefleet 136

Part 4 No Longer Hidden

USS Grunion (SS-216): Lost with All Hands 154

I-400 Class: Japan's Panama Canal Killers 171

Part 5 Back From The Brink

Once-Discarded PT Boat Now Fully Restored 188

Hidden in the Nests 207

Epilogue: See a World War II Shipwreck for Yourself 228

Appendix I US Navy Ship Force Levels, 1939-1945 239

Appendix II Preserved World War II Ships 240

Bibliography and Suggested Reading 244

Index 252

Editorial Reviews

"Nicholas A. Veronico has chronicled the naval legacy of World War II through surviving ships afloat and in museums, and an amazing tour of some of those resting in the great museum of the deep at the bottom of the sea. You can literally dive into history with this book." - Dr. James P. Delgado, author of Lost Warships: An Archaeological Tour of War at Sea and Ghost Fleet: The Sunken Ships of Bikini Atoll

"Hidden Warships is another fine book by Nicholas Veronico. Like his Hidden Warbirds and Hidden Warbirds II he shows readers what is often hidden in plain sight — this time spanning the globe where ships are on the bottom (explored by submersibles), wrecked or on exhibit. Veronico is no gratuitous author. He writes with a wonderfully clear though lively style about the histories, the crews and of discovery and restoration where applicable." - Seattle Post Intelligencer "Travel for Aircraft" Blog

"The book is a perfect guide book of sorts . . . use it as guide to visit these historic sites or simply enjoy the compelling stories, above the surface and underwater..." - Examiner.com

"Nicholas A. Veronico has chronicled the naval legacy of World War II through surviving ships afloat and in museums, and an amazing tour of some of those resting in the great museum of the deep at the bottom of the sea. You can literally dive into history with this book."

—Dr. James P. Delgado, author of Lost Warships: An Archaeological Tour of War at Sea and Ghost Fleet: The Sunken Ships of Bikini Atoll

"The book is a perfect guide book of sorts . . . use it as guide to visit these historic sites or simply enjoy the compelling stories, above the surface and underwater..."

—Examiner.com

"As good as Veronico's stories about the history, recovery, and disposition of warships like U-505 are, the most valuable parts of the book for the many readers like me who like to visit warship museums might be the many lists of preserved World War II ships, ship websites and ships' data, as well as various indexes to pages in the book, such as warships by country of origin, museums and memorials, and non-combatants."

—Journal of America's Military Past

"Hidden Warships introduces readers to a tantalizing selection of sunken vessels, including many recent discoveries. The author relies heavily on both well- and lesser-known publications such as the "gray literature" reports of governmental agencies and websites. The book will be of value to those who have an interest in World War II ships and shipwrecks, and wreckdiving and enjoy the excitement to be found in these discoveries."

—Naval History Magazine

"Sunken ships from World War II hold a fascination for divers, and this well-illustrated book gives the non-diver an appreciation of them."

—Seapower

"Hidden Warships is another fine book by Nicholas Veronico. Like his Hidden Warbirds and Hidden Warbirds II he shows readers what is often hidden in plain sight — this time spanning the globe where ships are on the bottom (explored by submersibles), wrecked or on exhibit. Veronico is no gratuitous author. He writes with a wonderfully clear though lively style about the histories, the crews and of discovery and restoration where applicable."

—Seattle Post Intelligencer "Travel for Aircraft" Blog

"Hidden Warships: Finding World War II's Abandoned, Sunk, and Preserved Warships is well written and fun to read and will appeal to wreck divers and anyone that is interested in naval history. You do not need to get wet to enjoy this book, just love history. It is the perfect book to read this fall while planning that big trip for next year to go do some serious wreck diving!"

—Wreck Diving Magazine

From the Publisher