USS New Jersey (BB-62)

One of the last class of American battleships, USS New Jersey epitomizes the brute projection of power. Its nine 16-inch guns capable of pummeling targets more than 20 miles away helped end the war in the Pacific. But even as the aircraft carrier supplanted the battleship in naval supremacy, New Jersey still had a role to play bombarding targets in Korea and then recommissioned to do the same in Vietnam. Modernizations kept the ship in service until 1991 and it is now a museum in Camden, New Jersey.

Modelers wanting to replicate the ship at any point in its long career can find plenty of reference in David Doyle’s USS New Jersey (BB-62): From World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Museum Ship, part of Schiffer’s Legends of Warfare series. This premium 112-page hardcover is filled with more than 200 photos and detailed captions that trace the famous vessel’s service, including details taken by the author aboard the museum ship. Photo reproduction is first-rate. If you have one of the numerous kits of BB-62 in your stash, you need this book.