Battleship at War

From Battleship at War by Ivan Musicant.  The subheading is The epic story of the USSS Washington.  

The blurb:

The USS Washington - commissioned in 1941 and launched on a perilous career across two war-bloodied seas . . . an invincible battleship, destined to become the pride of the Navy and the hope of the nation at war.  

That is the Washington's story - a riveting chronicle of awesome andurance and unshakeable heroism.  Whether she was slicing through the sub-infested waters of the Atlantic or spearheading the American drive in the Pacific, the Washington was unstoppable, the only U.S. battleship ever to sink an enemy battleship on-on-one.  From Honolulu to Murmansk to Iow Jima, Okinawa, and Guadalcanal, THE BATTLESHIP AT WAR is the unforgettable saga of one of the most illustrious vessels of all time . . . and of the valiant men who guided her to victory.

The blurb over-eggs the pudding.  The Washington was a battleship in an aircraft carrier war.  She served diligently and honorably in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.  She was involved in many engagements but rarely in the sole lead role.

Because it is the biography of the ship, the officers and crew and largely walk on parts and therefore lose some of the narrative drive.  

The strong suit of Battleship at War is that it covers the operationally mundane but critical details which allow a capital ship to be where she needs to be, when, and with what crew and capabilities.  This isn't the bok for someone new to military history but is interesting to someone already well read in modern naval warfare.