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In the tradition of his acclaimed warship design histories, Norman Friedman describes the forces--technical, political, and operational--that shaped a vital element of U.S. sea power. For example, he examines the evolution in missions, such as forward-based antisubmarine warfare and strategic deterrence, that transformed the submarine from its former subsidiary role to the center of national power. U.S. Submarines Since 1945 is also the story of a technological revolution: first the emergence of fast diesel-electric craft, then the shock of nuclear power, followed by the appearance of submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Nowhere else can a reader find so complete or sophisticated an account of the development of the U.S. submarine force, including not only the hulls, but also the weapons and sensors they carry.