Osprey's Big Reveal: Anatomy of a Ship

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Next up in the Big Reveal is our Anatomy of a Ship series. Check out the titles publishing next year and don't forget to let us know what you think!

ANT: The Battleship Scharnhorst

The Kriegsmarine‘s Scharnhorst was a German capital ship and the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. She was launched on 3 October 1936 and completed in January 1939, armed with nine 28cm C/34 guns in three triple turrets. She operated with Gneisenau for much of the early portion of World War II. They took part in the German invasion of Norway, during which they sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her escort destroyers Acasta and Ardent. Scharnhorst also sank HMS Rawalpindi in November 1939. In early 1943, Scharnhorst was sent to Norway to intercept Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. On a sortie from Norway in December 1943, the German force was met by British ships and, during the Battle of the North Cape, HMS Duke of York and her escorts sank Scharnhorst.

This is the most comprehensive examination of Scharnhorst ever published, drawing on new research and technology to tell the full story of the ship. It includes a complete set of detailed line drawings with fully descriptive keys and full-colour 3D artwork, supported by technical details, photographs, and text on the building of the ship, as well as a record of her service history.

ANT: The Destroyer USS Kidd

USS Kidd (DD-661) was launched on 28 February 1943 and served in the Pacific from August 1943 until the end of World War II, taking part in operations in the Marshall Islands, the Marianas campaign, and the Philippines. In early 1945, she joined Task Force 58 for the invasion of Okinawa. After service in the Korean War as part of Task Force 77, she alternated West Pacific cruises with operations on the American West Coast. She was decommissioned on 19 June 1964 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She has been docked at Baton Rouge since 23 May 1982, when she was transferred to the Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission and is now on public view there as a museum ship. Never modernized, USS Kidd is the only destroyer to retain her World War II appearance.

This new addition to the series combines a brief narrative history of the USS Kidd, her design and construction, with a series of detailed plans of the destroyer, contemporary photographs, and Stefan Dramiński’s superbly detailed digital colour artworks.

To navigate your way through the Big Reveal please use the links in the bar above.