Aircraft Carriers

This account of U.S. carrier development, by Norman Friedman, is based on the internal files of the U.S. Navy and presents a complete evolutionary design history at a level of detail and accuracy never before approached. The author, a recognized authority on U.S. warships, uncovers the issues behind the emergence of today's carrier, explaining the reasons for the periodic but always aborted attempts to trim back its dimensions. As a result, U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History is relevant to both current and future plans for new carrier construction. ISBN 9780870217395 / 0870217399. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.

A lasting tribute to the USS Enterprise, this heavily illustrated, new edition tells the classic tale of the carrier that contributed more than any other warship to the naval victory in the Pacific. The original book, written by Commander Edward P. Stafford, USN (Ret.) and published in 1962, has remained one of the most celebrated World War II stories for more than four decades. The Big E participated in nearly every major engagement of the war against Japan and was awarded a total of twenty battle stars. The Halsey-Doolittle Raid; the Battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa are all faithfully recorded from the viewpoint of the men who served her so well. ISBN 978-1-59114-802-9. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.

Turn into the Wind, Volume I: US Navy and Royal Navy Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers in World War II, and Contributions of the British Pacific Fleet, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.) In the Pacific in World War II, the dearth of US Navy fleet aviation capabilities became acute following the loss, in 1942, of four aircraft carriers to combat action. New Essex-class fleet aircraft carriers were being built, but would not be ready soon enough. Time was of the essence. President Franklin D. Roosevelt intervened to solve the problem—directing reluctant Navy "top brass" to turn cruiser hulls, already laid down, into light aircraft carriers. This created nine Independence-class ships, which would receive more battle stars, on average, than their bigger, better-known sisters (the twelve finally-completed Essex carriers that saw combat action). Aboard two of the light carriers were future presidents, George H. W. Bush, and Gerald R. Ford. Pilots and aircrews flying from the 622-foot "flat-tops" were awarded scores of decorations for heroism. These included two Medals of Honor, Navy Crosses, Silver and Bronze Stars, and dozens of Distinguished Flying Crosses. Some of the recipients, such as Edward "Butch" O'Hare, are familiar to aviation buffs. Others, including Hollis H. Hills, who flew in the two greatest air battles of the war: Dieppe in 1942 and the "Great [Marianas] Turkey Shoot" in the Pacific in 1944, less so. Britain similarly began construction on ten 698-foot Colossus-class light fleet carriers. Four entered service before the end of the war, and were allocated to the British Pacific Fleet, but arrived too late for front-line action. Aboard the BPF's larger carriers, which fought in the Battle of Okinawa and other actions, were members of many Commonwealth countries. Among them was Robert Hampton Gray, who (posthumously) was Canada's last Victoria Cross recipient of the war. One hundred sixty-five photographs, maps, and diagrams; appendices; and an index to full-names, places, and subjects add value to this work. 2021, 6x9, paper, index, 480 pp ISBN: 9780788408212 101-B0821 The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.

Destroyers

Auxiliary Vessels

U.S. Navy Auxiliary Vessels: This work by author Ken W. Sayers describes over 130 U.S. Navy auxiliary ship types and illuminates the vital role they play in supporting the fleet's warships with fuel, food, ammunition, spare parts and equipment. The book also discusses a variety of auxiliary ships that provide specialized support and services - such as salvage, towing, surveying, special missioning, logistical prepositioning and high-speed transport to the Navy and the other branches of the armed forces. It also documents many of the law enforcement, humanitarian and disaster relief operations performed by the Navy's auxiliary ships. ISBN: 978-1-4766-4, McFarland Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2019, 6x9, paper, index, 353 pp. The book can be previewed and purchased on the internet from Amazon Books

With entry into World War II, the United States of America faced a daunting task of delivering men and material on two distant fronts on opposite ends of the world. Due to this, a logistical system was developed like never seen before. This book tells the story of the fleet oiler, USS Chiwawa AO-68. How both men and machine, not primarily designed for war, were called from civilian life to defend their country and become part of the backbone of the navy helping to tip the balance in the Allies favor. Loaded with cargo consisting of kerosene, gasoline, diesel oil, Navy Special Fuel Oil, top side cargo, and passengers, the Chiwawa participated in nine trans-Atlantic convoys, delivering the goods to the European theater. Facing bad weather and the imminent threat of U-boats, the Chiwawa performed the delicate job of refueling the escort ships protecting the convoy while underway. When the war in Europe was won, the Chiwawa was transferred to the Pacific theater to confront ever present mines and two typhoons. This often overlooked aspect of World War II is examined using U.S. Navy records, crew interviews, diaries, and letters written during the war, telling the Chiwawa’s story through first-hand accounts of life at sea and land while visiting ports throughout Europe, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Pacific. This story is unique because the Chiwawa avoided scrapping after the war to return to civilian use, and serves to the present day on the Great Lakes as the ore carrier M/V Lee A. Tregurtha. Publication date, July 25, 2007, ISBN-10 1592981917, ISBN-13 978-1592981915. The book can be purchased directly from the author at email adddress Jon Strupp The book can also be Previewed and purchased on the Internet from Amazon Books

Eyes of the Fleet: The U.S. Navy's Seaplane Tenders and Patrol Aircraft in World War II - CDR. David D. Bruhn, USN (Retired). Cloaked by jungle foliage, the unheralded seaplane tenders operated ahead of the Fleet, like the Navy’s famed PT boats. As Halsey’s South Pacific, MacArthur’s Southwest Pacific, and Spruance’s Central Pacific forces advanced toward Japan, these ships served as afloat-bases for patrol planes referred to as the “eyes of the fleet.” The large fabric-clad PBY “Catalinas” and later PBM “Mariners” combed the seaways for Japanese forces and carried out bombing, depth charge, and torpedo attacks on enemy ships and submarines. Nighttime anti-shipping operations—“Black Cat” or “Nightmare” missions—were dangerous and daytime combat operations even more so, when encounters with more maneuverable and heavily-armed fighters necessitated hiding in clouds to survive. The Japanese were keen to destroy the scouts and their floating bases, and seaplane tenders often lived a furtive existence, particularly early in the war. Pilots, plane crews and shipboard personnel received scores of awards for valor, including the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Silver and Bronze Star Medals. 2016, 6x9, paper, index, 546 pp. 101-B5707 ISBN: 0788457071 The book can be Previewed and purchased on the Internet from Amazon Books

"APC-48" is the story the US Navy Coastal Transports. Very little has been written about these small wooden ships and their brave crews and their contribution to the Pacific war effort. APc's were invaluable in the efforts to dislodge the Japanese from the many small islands in the South Pacific. APc's transported troops and their equipment, delivered need supplies to small isolated outposts and were vital in the amphibious operations to recapture many of the islands. APc's, because of their shallow draft, led many larger landing craft into beachheads. Lightly armed with only four single 20mm guns and occasionally with an additional two .50cal machine guns they faced the enemy knowing that a single mortar or artillery shell could sink them. "APc-48" is really two books in one. Book One describes the contribution of one middle America family to the war effort at home and overseas. It also provides an overall description of World War II both at home and abroad and how family members fit into the picture. Book Two follows the operations and travels of APc-48 and family member 19 year old draftee William Vernon Johnson MM2/c USNR who served in the ship during World War II. ISBN 978-1-387-32291-6. The book can be purchased on the Internet from LULU Press

Amphibious Vessels

Jim Tusing LSM 372 Editor Emeritus Alligator Alley has recently had a new book published "We Land at the Break of Day", a collection of LSM/LSMR that were previously published in the "Alligator Alley". The book has 25 Sea Stories and 30 pictures chosen by Jim that hopefully tells a little about what it was like in World War II to in these great little ships. The book can be Previewed and purchased on the Internet from the Blurb web site

Ron MacKay, Jr. the Secretary-Storekeeper/Historian of the USS LSM-LSMR Association has recently completed a new book released in April 2016 "The US Navy's 'Interim' LSM(R)s in World War II: Rocket Ships of the Pacific Amphibious Forces" The “Interim” LSM(R) or Landing Ship, Medium (Rocket) was a revolutionary development in rocket warfare in World War II and the U.S. Navy’s first true rocket ship. An entirely new class of commissioned warship and the forerunners of today’s missile-firing naval combatants, these ships began as improvised conversions of conventional amphibious landing craft in South Carolina’s Charleston Navy Yard during late 1944. They were rushed to the Pacific Theater to support the U.S. Army and Marines with heavy rocket bombardments that devastated Japanese forces on Okinawa in 1945. Their primary mission was to deliver maximum firepower to enemy targets ashore. Yet LSM(R)s also repulsed explosive Japanese speed boats, rescued crippled warships, recovered hundreds of survivors at sea and were deployed as antisubmarine hunter-killers. Casualties were staggering: enemy gunfire destroyed one, while kamikaze attacks sank three, crippled a fourth and grazed two more. This book provides a comprehensive operational history of the Navy’s 12 original “Interim” LSM(R)s. McFarland web site

Mine Warfare

U.S. Navy Minecraft: A History and Directory from World War I to Today. This work by author Ken W. Sayers shines the spotlight on the U.S. Navy mine warfare community. A little known area of Naval warfare, yet it is a large community numbering some 2,265 hulls in 26 different Classifications. These vessels serve unassumingly with scant notice from the public. However, if a mine sinks or damages a merchant ship of a warship is lost, mine warfare does get the attention of reporters. broadcasters, politicians and admirals. In the meantime, these small ships work tirelessly perfecting their craft by practicing their mission laying mines to prevent enemy vessels from penetrating our defenses and removing enemy mines to allow the rest of our Navy's ships to move across the sea without fear of striking an enemy mine. ISBN: 978-1-4766-8202-0, McFarland Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2019, 7x10, paper, index, 491 pp. The book can be previewed and purchased on the internet from Amazon Books

Patrol Vessels

Uncommon Types

World War I

World War II

Ingram’s Fourth Fleet: U.S. and Royal Navy Operations Against German Runners, Raiders, and Submarines in the South Atlantic in World War II - CDR. David D. Bruhn USN (Retired). The story of the South Atlantic campaign in World War II, and that of the U.S. 4th Fleet and Royal Navy forces in the theater, was primarily one of ships and land-based planes hunting enemy submarines, commerce raiders, and blockade runners, while also safeguarding convoys. Admiral Ingram was the commander of a small seagoing force that grew into a fleet, charged at first with reconnaissance, later with the protection of shipping, and finally with the waging of relentless warfare against the enemy. The accomplishment of this required great teamwork; between the U.S. and Royal navies, various branches of the American military services, and Americans and Brazilians. Overshadowed by many larger actions and amphibious landings in the European and Pacific theaters, and therefore little known to the public, the South Atlantic campaign helped win the war. Companion book to Eyes of the Fleet: The U.S. Navy’s Seaplane Tenders and Patrol Aircraft in World War II. 2017, 6x9, paper, index, 414 pp. 101-B5757 ISBN: 0788457578 The book can be Previewed and purchased on the Internet from Amazon Books

A lasting tribute to the USS Enterprise, this heavily illustrated, new edition tells the classic tale of the carrier that contributed more than any other warship to the naval victory in the Pacific. The original book, published in 1962, has remained one of the most celebrated World War II stories for more than four decades. The Big E participated in nearly every major engagement of the war against Japan and was awarded a total of twenty battle stars. The Halsey-Doolittle Raid; the Battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa are all faithfully recorded from the viewpoint of the men who served her so well. ISBN 978-1-59114-802-9. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.

War Bound from Stockton - U.S. Navy Ships from California Central Valley, In Harm's Way in Pacific Waters in World War II - CDR. David D. Bruhn USN (Retired). These are stories of the wooden ships built at Stockton, California, a Central Valley city on the San Joaquin River River, during Wold War II. Upon the United States entry into World War II it became apparent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former Assistant Secretary of the Navy and a yachting enthusiast that existing yards turning out steel ships as fast as possible could not meet the Navy's needs. Accordingly, he directed work to the under utilized wooden boat and yacht building yards across the county, resulting in thousands of ships and other vessels joining the Fleet. These are the stories of some of the various ships and craft built in Stockton yards. Stockton yards built many different types of vessels for the Navy, Coast Guard and Army. Among theNavy ships and craft were Rescue and Salvage Ships, Rescue Tugs, Net Layers, Patrol Craft, and various Yard Craft, Dry Docks and barges. Mostly crewed by Naval Reserve officers and men they earned collectively thirty-eight battle stars and one a Presidential Unit Citation. With the conclusion of the war the Navy released the reservists back into the civilian economy and disposed of almost all of the wooden vessels. ISBN: 978-0-7884-2912-5 The book can be Previewed and purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books

Cold War

Most books on the Cuban Missile Crisis tell the story using the memoirs of those who advised President Kennedy as he struggled to avoid World War III. This book is the only known personal account of the lead photographic reconnaissance squadron's scouting dangerous low-level operations, flying the supersonic RF-8A Crusader, during the classified Operation Blue Moon. Captain William B. Ecker was the commanding officer of US Navy Light Photographic Squadron 62 (VFP-62, otherwise known as "Fightin' Photo") during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a team created for reconnaissance and aerial photography, and consulted on the movie Thirteen Days, which included dramatic scenes of his first mission over Cuba on 23 October 1962. Kenneth V. Jack also served in VFP-62 and is now webmaster of the squadron's website. Blue Moon over Cuba is an authoritative and complete account of the low-level reconnaissance that might be said to have helped JFK avert nuclear Armageddon. ISBN 1780960719 / 978-1780960715. The book can be purchased on the Internet from Osprey Publishing.

Vietnam

Eyes of the Fleet Over Vietnam, by Kenneth Jack. Veteran and historian Kenneth V. Jack pieces together the chronological history of photo recon in the Vietnam War between 1964 and 1972, describing all types of missions undertaken, including several Crusader vs. MiG dogfights and multiple RF-8 shootdowns with their associated, dramatic rescues. The narrative focuses on Navy Photo Squadron VFP-63, but also dedicates chapters to VFP-62 and Marine VMCJ-1. The historical narrative is brought to life through vivid first-hand details of missions over intensely defended targets in Laos and North Vietnam. While most books on the Vietnam air war focus on fighter and bombing action, this book provides fresh insight into the air war through its focus on photo reconnaissance and coverage of both versions of the Crusader. 2021, 7x10, hardcover, digital, 272 pp ISBN: 9781636240749 The book can be purchased on the Internet from Casemate Publishers.

On the Gunline: U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy Warships off Vietnam, 1965–1973, by CDR David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.) During the Vietnam War, 270 U.S. Navy and four Royal Australian Navy warships served at various times on the gunline. Within this armada were the battleship New Jersey, ten cruisers, 212 destroyers, fifty destroyer escorts, and the inshore fire support ship Carronade. When necessary, naval guns poured out round after round, until their barrels overheated and turned red, exterior paint blistered, and rifled-barrel liners were worn smooth. Allied troops locked in battle with North Vietnamese Army or Viet Cong troops in South Vietnam were grateful for artillery support from the sea. When North Vietnam launched the Easter Offensive across the DMZ in 1972, eight to ten ships in line, abreast, often firing simultaneously and around the clock, delivered desperately needed fire support. At one point, over forty cruisers and destroyers were serving together on the gunline. Warships conducting Sea Dragon and Linebacker operations—naval bombardment of military targets along the coast of North Vietnam—came under fire on a number of occasions. Runs in to within five miles of a hostile shore, to strike Vinh, Haiphong, and other targets, often preceded duels with shore batteries. Most such action occurred at mission completion as ships zigzagged, while racing seaward at high speed to clear the coast, to throw off the aim of enemy gunners. This book highlights the grit, determination, and heroism of young men—many who would likely have preferred the laid-back lifestyle of the 1960s, were it not for their country's call to arms. Photographs; maps and diagrams; appendices; a bibliography; and an index to full-names, places and subjects add value to this work. 2019, 6x9, paper, index, 374 pp ISBN: 9780788458958 101-B5895 The book can be purchased on the Internet from Heritage Books.

Biographies

Admiral John S. McCain and the Triumph of Naval Air Power, by William F. Trimble, covers the life and professional career of ADM John S. McCain Sr. (1884–1945). Spanning most of the first half of the twentieth century, McCain's life and career highlight the integration of aviation into the Navy, emphasizing the evolution of the aircraft carrier from a tactical element of the fleet stressing sea control to a strategic force capable of long-range power projection. ISBN 1682473708 | 9781682473702. The book can be purchased on the Internet from the U.S. Naval Institute.

This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo