This volume reproduces a representative selection of official plans depicting the main types of warship with which the Royal Navy fought World War II. Carefully chosen from the incomparable collection at the National Maritime Museum, these range from battleships and fleet aircraft carriers, through cruisers, destroyers and submarines, to examples of the vast array of specialist vessels built during the war. Concentrating on "as-fitted" drawings which show the warships as they first entered service, this collection offers an unprecedented wealth of details of some of the Royal Navy's most famous ships. It also documents how their appearance changed over time. Printed in full color to highlight the modifications, alterations and additions appear in different shades of ink and wash. With text and detailed individual captions by one of the leading experts in the field, this book provides an insight into the warship design process and explains for the benefit of ship modelers and technical historians which types of plan contain the most valuable information.