Book excerpt: This fully illustrated guide offers historical context and step-by-step instruction for building and modifying US aircraft carrier models. This volume in the ShipCraft series covers the Yorktown class of American aircraft carriers. These legendary ships kept the Japanese at bay through World War II, in the dark days between Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway, where the USS Yorktown herself was lost. The USS Hornet launched the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan before being sunk at Santa Cruz in October 1942, but the USS Enterprise survived the fierce fighting of the early war years to become the US Navy's most decorated ship. This lavishly illustrated guide takes readers through a brief history of the development and careers of the Yorktown class. With its unparalleled level of visual information—including paint schemes, line drawings and photographs—it is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build one of these famous carriers.