-The majority of the book depicts the ship as it appeared in February and April 1945, but there's plenty of scrap views showing how the superstructure layout appeared as built, in September 1945, in 1951, 1957, and in 1963.
-The plans are presented at a satisfying large scale - 1/250 for overall views, 1/150 for hull decks, sheer and waterlines, 1/100 for superstructure decks, traverse sections, masts, 1/25 for AA guns, etc.
-The GA plans are MUCH more detailed, right down to individual buttstraps, chairs, lockers, manholes, etc. Every single compartment has something inside now. No empty grey boxes this time! The machinery spaces are finally covered in some detail, with some excellent perspective views.
-The perspective views are very sharp looking. No big surprise (regardless of what flaws his book possess, Stefan is STILL a superb graphics artist!), but they seem to "pop" more, have more detail, and just look better in general.
-The section on armament spans 61 pages, with 21 devoted to the 5-inch mounts, which receive 28 line drawings, 30 perspective views, multiple views of one of the handling rooms, and sectional views of different ammunition types. I complained about the lack of
-ALL of the main fire control devices are covered with keyed drawings, including the interior of the Mk 37, the stable element, the 40mm directors, and the Mk 27 torpedo director. Wasn't expecting this, so I was pleasantly surprised.
-There's more focus on hull structure, including numerous perspective views of the framing, longitudinals, deck beams, etc., a shell expansion plan, and views of the structure and vent ducks under the superstructure decks. Not as much structural detail as you'd find in a classic "Anatomy," but a step in the right direction.
All in all, I'd give this book four out of five stars, but a strong four out of five. I still prefer the style of the classic anatomies, and my favorite are still those by the three Johns - Lambert, McKay, and Roberts. While the structural and machinery details in their volumes are generally superior to the ones here, it's still a pretty impressive showing and a step in the right direction. I also notice that Stefan mentions the USS Abbot website (https://abbot.us/main/), so he probably consulted the shipyard plans there, and he also talked with staff at the three Fletchers on display in the US, so it's less likely he spitballed the details this time around.
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