Download or read book Memoirs of a World War II Destroyer Escort Sailor written by Bill Bowers and published by . This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author Bill Bowers made his career working with the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Cos. of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Starting on June 18th, 1941, in Arlington, Virginia, as a Frame Man, he progressed to Power Man, then Central Office Repairman, working in Arlington, Falls Church and and Alexandria, Virginia. He was married on December 4, 1942, to Lillian Bernice Felton of Arlington. Bill joined the navy May 18th 1944 and served in the navy until discharged on January 20, 1946. He served as a Radar man 3/c on the Destroyer Escort USS Lee Fox DE 65/APD 45 In World War ll covering the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of operations. This book covers his wartime experiences.
Download or read book Shepherds of the Sea written by Robert F Cross and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2010-05-15 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This compelling tale of courage, heroism, and terror is told in the words of ninety-one sailors and officers interviewed by the author about their World War II service aboard fifty-six destroyer escorts. They reveal many never-before-told details of life at sea during wartime and, along with information found in secretly kept war diaries and previously unpublished personal photographs, add important dimensions to the official record. Unseasoned teenage recruits when they first went to sea, these sailors were led by inexperienced college boys more accustomed to yachts than warships. Their ships were untested vessels, designed by a man with no formal training in ship design, and which many viewed as a waste of money. Yet, as Cross points out, these men are credited with helping turn the tide of the war in the Atlantic as they singlehandedly sank some seventy U-boats and captured U-505, the only German submarine taken during the war and the first enemy vessel captured by Americans at sea since the War of 1812. In the Pacific, the destroyer escorts fought in every major battle, side-by-side with Allied battleships and destroyers. But this story is not just about battles. It is also about American genius, hard work, honor and growing up in the Great Depression. The author provides eyewitness details about the historic first step taken to end racial discrimination in the military as African-Americans stepped aboard the destroyer escort USS Mason as full-fledged sailors for the first time and earned a Navy commendation of heroism in the Battle of the Atlantic presented to the surviving crewmen fifty-one years later. Readers also learn about an ingenious invention when a sailor breaks his silence about a secret weapon tested aboard his destroyer escort that rendered a new German radio-controlled glide bomb useless.
Download or read book One Sailor s Story A Narrative of World War II by a Destroyer Escort Sonar Man written by Malcolm Akey and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-10-05 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For Christmas of 1988 my wife, Doris, and our children Ronn, Carolyn and Phyllis gave me a tape recorder in order that I might record my story of the war. So during the winter of 1989, I taped the story of my experiences of the time leading up to World War II and the time I spent as a Destroyer Escort Sonar Man in the Navy. My story ended up being 22 ninety-minute tapes. Over the course of 4 months during the winter of 2011-12, Erma Akey, my sister-in-law, transcribed my story using these tapes. My daughter, Phyllis Akey Gregg and her husband, K.T. (Tom) Gregg, edited this story. Thanks go to Erma, Phyllis and Tom for the time they spent on my memoirs of WWII. Additional thanks goes to my granddaughter, Cynthia Kiesel, and her sister-in-law, Janet Kiesel, for designing and publishing this book.
Download or read book Destroyer Escort Sailors Association Roll of Honor written by Destroyer Escort Sailors Association and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Tin Can Sailor written by Susan Cosentino and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2000-06-09 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than eight hundred sailors served aboard the Sterett during her hazardous and demanding duties in World War II. This is the story of those men and their beloved ship, recorded by a junior officer who served on the famous destroyer from her commissioning in 1939 to April 1943, when he was wounded at the Battle of Tulagi. Peppered with the kind of vivid, authentic details that could only be provided by a participant, the book is the saga of a gallant fighting ship that earned a Presidential Unit Citation for her part in the Third Battle of Savo Island, where she took on a battleship, cruiser, and destroyer and was the last to leave the fray. Calhoun's gripping and colorful account tells what it was like to be there during those furiously fought, close-range engagements. When published in hardcover in 1993, the book was widely praised as a good read loaded with rich and interesting details.
Download or read book To War in a Tin Can written by James H. Patric and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2004-05-26 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II, James Patric served for two years aboard the destroyer USS George E. Badger. The ship, launched in 1918, was one of several hundred "mothballed" World War I four-pipers. As American involvement in World War II drew closer, most of them were re-activated for service in the US Navy; four-pipers such as the Badger were involved in reporting and tracking ships and aircraft approaching American shores, seizing Axis ships in American ports, occupying Greenland, and relieving the British from the defense of Iceland. The Badger was involved in every stage of the conflict, from pre-war Neutrality Patrol, escorting convoys, anti-submarine warfare (a pioneer hunter/killer), carrying Underwater Demolition Team 8, and pre-invasion (Frogmen) reconnaissance of South Pacific invasion beaches. This memoir weaves together the oral and written memories of James Patric, a Connecticut farmboy who was drafted in early 1943, with those of his shipmates on the Badger, supporting them with documents and historical records. The book records the ship's role in worldwide conflict and traces the author's evolution from raw peacetime civilian to veteran wartime sailor. Appendices list the muster rolls of the crew and commissioned officers.
Download or read book The Luck of the Draw written by C. Kenneth Ruiz and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2005-06-27 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A US Navy captain offers a no-holds-barred account of his service on the USS Pollack in the Pacific during World War II. A coin flip likely saved the life of Kenneth C. Ruiz. It was August 1942, and he was fresh out of the US Naval Academy. He and a classmate flipped a coin to see who would stand watch on the bridge of their heavy cruiser, the USS Vincennes, off Savo Island as the Marines were landing on Guadalcanal. Ruiz was on the bridge when the ship took a direct hit and sank. He ended up in the Pacific without a life jacket, but his classmate and the entire radio room crew perished in the attack. “The luck of the draw” is a recurring theme in this powerful memoir. Following the demise of the Vincennes, Ruiz volunteered to serve on submarines for the balance of the war and had numerous harrowing experiences. He spent most of his time on the USS Pollack, which was sub-standard in terms of technology, but was still deadly and made a significant impact on Japanese shipping in the far reaches of the Pacific. A worthy addition to the litany of WWII books on submariners, The Luck of the Draw is filled with heartbreaking stories of how the smallest decisions made the difference between life and death for soldiers and sailors in the war.
Download or read book Three Years Aboard a Navy Destroyer written by Otis Ted Holly and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2011-04-25 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a sea story about a U.S. Navy destroyer and her crew. The author served on this ship, the USS Brush (DD745), for 3 years and 2 months in the early 1950s. Life on the Brush involved a lot of sea duty. She spent most of this time at sea either conducting training exercises off the coast of California or steaming around somewhere in the Far east. The Brush made 3 seven month cruises to the Orient while the author was aboard her. The main objective of this book, and the reason for writing it, was to tell about what the crew of the Brush experienced on these 3 cruises. The first cruise was made in early 1953. The Brush was sent to the Korean War theatre and spent several months there doing what destroyers do during war time. The men experienced things off North Korea that they will never forget. In addition to the Korean Patrol, the Brush participated in the Formosa Patrol for a month or so and went to the island city of Hong Kong while she was down that way. The second cruise was made in May, 1954. On this cruise, the brush spent most of her time in the South China Sea, Formosa Strait, and in the Sea of Japan. The Brush commenced the third cruise in June, 1955. This was more of a peace time cruise and we never had to go into harms way. Although, the author had a number of interesting personal experiences which he wrote about. Comments by people who have read the book, Three Years Aboard A Navy Destroyer As the son of one of the USS Brushs skippers identified in Ted Hollys book, I was particularly fascinated to read of his and his shipmates many and varied experiences during their three Far East cruises. His folksy stories of a young mans explorations of the vastness of the oceans, the wonders of the orient, and the uncertainties of combat are told in a detailed and entertaining style offering multiple layers of insight to life aboard a tin can in the 1950s. In addition to his prose, Mr. Holly has included many photographs and maps which enhance and elucidate the storytelling. It is a terrific read for anyone interested in the naval service in general and the unforgotten Korean War in particular. Dennis Quigley Captain, USMC (Retired) Arizona the straightforward and unglossed memories of a young sailor, out of high school and soon into a U.S. destroyer, greyhound of the seas. Ted Holly was everybodys favorite sailor, squared away with a great attitude in a key job around the nerve center of a 2200 tonner loaded for whatever kind of scrap. This book is an honest snapshot of the times, the people, and the ships that sailed to the Korean Conflict. Ted Brown LT., USNR (Retired) New Hampshire This book, Three Years Aboard A Navy Destroyer, vividly recounts typical destroyer, i.e. USS BRUSH DD745, operations during the final days of the Korea War and the transition into post war routine operations. It accurately reports destroyer actions against North Korean trains, sinking of floating mines with rifle fire, the Wonsan Harbor actions and support of Korean Forces engaged in clandestine operations. It also provides a typical sailors view and experiences of the liberty ports in Japan and the exotic Hong Kong as a British Colony. And the author returns to Japan 29 years later and gives an interesting comparison of his experiences and the differences that he observed between his first trip and the 1982 trip. The BRUSH was my first duty station after being commissioned in June 1951 until my transfer in November 1953. So I shared with the author the destroyer actions described. I was amazed that he was able to capture these events in so much detail and I enjoyed remembering the details of these events. Herbert O. Burton Captain, USN (Retired) North Carolina Three Years Aboard A Navy Destroyer is a marvelous account of the experience of the author as a young sailor during a period that few, since the days of World War II, have had the opportunity to share. While certainly many have sailed the seas, and some have encountered hostile action, this account fills the gap for those who have not had such an experience. Ted Holly communicates in the language of the sailor his experience that draws the reader into such that it is as if he (or she) is there. He captures the attention of the reader and presents an engaging account of the experiences of life aboard a 2200 ton vessel, which is missing all of the comforts of the cruise ship, from the periods of relative boredom to the periods of action with live ammunition. Rev. Ralph H. Spiller, Jr., PhD, LMHC CWO3, USN (Retired) Florida/Maine Ted Hollys book is remarkable at several levels. First, he treats a subject from his own experience that is not often considered life on an American destroyer during the Korean War. Further, he lends authenticity to his narrative through the painstaking process of obtaining and relying on the actual ships logs, day by day throughout his entire tenure aboard the USS Brush. Added to that, he, as a quartermaster, was well-placed to hear and see much of what was happening aboard the ship. Ted includes exhaustive details on some of the high points of the ships experience, the shell hit in Wonsan Harbor and the attack on the submarine as examples. Even for we who were aboard during much of the time covered in the book, some of the events were revelations. We either remembered them differently or not at all, or in less detail, but must defer to Teds account because of his reliance on the logs. Therefore, for any member of the crew during that period, Teds book is an enjoyable and enlightening read. Don Gordon RD 3/C, USN (Retired) North Carolina Great book! As a Destroyer Sailor aboard the USS DeHaven during the Korean War, I can testify Ted has written a fine book about his navy years aboard the USS Brush. If you are a navy destroyer sailor reading this book, then get ready to relive an exciting experience. I can recommend Teds book to anyone interested in ships, shipboard life, and even to one who has never been to sea. An outstanding experience. Bill Williams YN 2/C, USN (Retired) Florida
Download or read book The Uss Blessman and I written by Edward Hinz and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2007-12-10 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a memoir of shipboard life during World War II, the story is an accurate depiction of life aboard a combat vessel during the invasions of Normandy, Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and landing in Wakayama, Japan. From escorting convoys crossing the Atlantic and working with Under Water Demolition Team UDT15 now called Seals, in the Pacific, the USS Blessman survived a 500 pound bomb blast at Iwo Jima. After limping to Mare Island for repairs, she sailed at full speed carrying UDT-17 team to join the forces landing on Japan soil.
Download or read book Destroyer Escort Sailors Association Roll of Honor written by Destroyer Escort Sailors Association and published by . This book was released on 1994* with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book US Navy Destroyer Escorts of World War II written by Mark Lardas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-11-26 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Destroyer Escort was the smallest ocean-going escort built for the United States Navy – a downsized destroyer with less speed, fewer guns, and fewer torpedoes than its big brother, the fleet destroyer. Destroyer escorts first went into production because the Royal Navy needed an escort warship which was larger than a corvette, but which could be built faster than a destroyer. Lacking the shipyards to build these types of ships in Britain, they ordered them in the US. Once the US unexpectedly entered World War II, its navy suddenly also needed more escort warships, even warships less capable than destroyers, and the destroyer escort was reluctantly picked to fill the gap. Despite the Navy's initial reservations, these ships did yeoman service during World War II, fighting in both the Atlantic and Pacific, taking on both U-boat and Japanese submarines and serving as the early warning pickets against kamikazes later in the war. They also participated in such dramatic actions as the Battle of Samar (where a group of destroyers and destroyer escorts fought Japanese battleships and cruisers to protect the escort carriers they were shielding) and the capture of the U-505 (the only major naval vessel captured at sea by the US Navy). The destroyer escorts soldiered on after World War II in both the United States Navy and a large number of navies throughout the world, with several serving into the twenty-first century. This book tells the full story of these plucky ships, from their design and development to their service around the world, complete with stunning illustrations and contemporary photographs.
Download or read book Sailors Journey Into War written by Robert A. Maher and published by Kent State University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1943, the navy destroyer, USS Borie, and a German U-boat, were engaged in a fierce battle north of the Azores Islands. This personal account from a crew member of the Borie follows the action, as well as illustrating the determination and courage shown by servicemen during the war as a whole.
Download or read book Tin Can Titans written by John Wukovits and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An epic narrative of World War II naval action that brings to life the sailors and exploits of the war's most decorated destroyer squadron. When Admiral William Halsey selected Destroyer Squadron 21 (Desron 21) to lead his victorious ships into Tokyo Bay to accept the Japanese surrender, it was the most battle-hardened US naval squadron of the war. But it was not the squadron of ships that had accumulated such an inspiring resume; it was the people serving aboard them. Sailors, not metallic superstructures and hulls, had won the battles and become the stuff of legend. Men like Commander Donald MacDonald, skipper of the USS O'Bannon, who became the most decorated naval officer of the Pacific war; Lieutenant Hugh Barr Miller, who survived his ship's sinking and waged a one-man battle against the enemy while stranded on a Japanese-occupied island; and Doctor Dow "Doc" Ransom, the beloved physician of the USS La Vallette, who combined a mixture of humor and medical expertise to treat his patients at sea, epitomize the sacrifices made by all the men and women of World War II. Through diaries, personal interviews with survivors, and letters written to and by the crews during the war, preeminent historian of the Pacific theater John Wukovits brings to life the human story of the squadron that bested the Japanese in the Pacific and helped take the war to Tokyo.
Download or read book The Buckley Class Destroyer Escorts written by Bruce Hampton Franklin and published by Bloomsbury Academic. This book was released on 1999 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Destroyer escorts were built in greater numbers than any other kind of Allied fighting ship during World War II, and more than 100,000 British and American sailors served aboard them. This book combines photographs, ships' plans, eyewitness accounts and a researched text to tell the history of the largest class of destroyer escorts ever built - the Buckley.
Download or read book Red Tobruk written by Gregory Smith and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2009-04-21 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Red Tobruk, the war memoir of the Captain of HMS Eridge from late 1940 until August 1942 is a superb account of wartime action at sea. Frank Gregory-Smith_s war started on the destroyer Jaguar and he saw action off Norway and during the Dunkirk evacuation, when she was hit by enemy air attack with 25 men killed. Command of the new escort destroyer HMS Eridge followed (he was to be her only Captain) and they deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean, and so began a gruelling 18 months of convoys to Tobruk and Malta under German controlled skies. ORed Tobruk_ was the name for the enemy aircraft warning that the Tobruk radar station put out which all sailors dreaded as it meant yet another attack was imminent. Eridge survived countless such attacks. She fought in the famous Battle of Sirte when the powerful Italian fleet was seen off. She had to pick up survivors, take stricken ships in tow and once had only blanks to fire at attacking enemy aircraft. Among Eridge_s achievements was the sinking of U-568 in May 1942. The author's luck finally ran out in August 1942 when Eridge was torpedoed by an Italian MTB. Under constant air attack, she was towed to Alexandria but was irreparable. Saddened by the loss of his ship but cheered by the Allies' increasing superiority, Gregory-Smith returned to Britain having been awarded two DSOs and one DSC (a second followed at D-Day). All this and more is told in the most graphic and moving fashion in this exceptional memoir, which will recall to many readers that naval classic The Cruel Sea. The big difference, of course, is that Red Tobruk is a true personal account.
Download or read book Memoirs of a Gob written by Murry Wolffe and published by . This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Dangerous Seas written by David L. Williams and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
