Inspired as a boy, Paul Wright embarked upon a career as apainter and illustrator maintaining his passion for the steel-hulled warships that dominated the oceans of the world for over a century. His meticulous paintings of famous warships of the 20th-21st century capture the grace, strength and sheer brutal power of these massive vessels. The paintings included in Hearts of Steel represent the leading battleships, carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates and submarines of the Royal Navy, the US Navy, the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Imperial German Navy, the Kriegsmarine, the Italian Navy and the French Navy. Each painting is accompanied by a brief history of the ship, the purpose for which she was built and her consequent career at sea. The artist also describes the technique used in his paintings, the importance of understanding the architecture of the vessel, and the need to create drama with the sea and sky as background.