Battleship Sailor (Bluejacket Books) [Paperback]

Theodore C. Mason (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bluejacket Books | Publication Date: April 1994

This portrait of an enlisted man's life aboard the U.S. battleship California depicts the devastation at Pearl Harbor from the open "birdbath" atop the main mast.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Part of the new audiobook series Now Hear This, Battleship Sailor offers the memoir of radioman Mason aboard the USS California during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While Mason delivers a front-row account of his harrowing experiences during the raid, he also provides a social and cultural view of his life in the Navy. Richard Rohan is believable as the author's voice, relating in an orderly account his life aboard ship and on shore. Rohan is expressive without overdramatizing, reflecting Mason's recollections of his buddies, the shore leaves, and the nightlife in port. The small details will strike a chord with many listeners. There iscertainly an audience that is likely to be enthusiastic about this and other personal accounts presented in the Naval Institute Press audiobooks. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557505799
• ISBN-13: 978-1557505798
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #350,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real sailor of the blue water Navy, September 11, 1998

By 

[e-mail] Art Lee (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battleship Sailor (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

I couldn't lay this book down, once started. Ted Mason put me back in Hawaii during those dark days of 1940/41. He vividly describes how it was to be a sailor in the rigid "pecking order" of the "Old Navy." As a Pearl Harbor Survivor myself, he made that day come alive. More important, he reminded me of the days of the fleet at San Pedro in 1939. Read it if you have any interest in how it was to be a young bluejacket in the pre-war Navy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating behind-the-scenes look, January 26, 2004

By 

Christopher C. Chandler (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battleship Sailor (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

This is a great look at life in the Navy just before the outbreak of World War II. Mason provides unique insight to a world that has been obscured by myth and movies over the past sixty years. It really gives a sense of a sailor's life in the old Navy, and his revisitation of the Pearl Harbor attack is simply riveting. A must-read for students of naval history!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Dad was a shipmate at Pearl, June 6, 2003

By 

Michael Bender (Havre de Grace, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battleship Sailor (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

My Dad was assigned to the USS California from 1936 until she was sunk on December 7th. The book reads just like the stories he would tell. My Dad past away Nov 2002. He spent 30 years in the Navy and most of the stories he told were when he was on the "Prune Barge". He played football and baseball on the ships team. I always wondered if the sailor Mr. Mason spoke to when he was touring the ship when first assigned was my Dad - he was a MM3 - "snipe" - worked in the engine room. It sure did sound like a response my Dad would give. One of the sailors awarded the Medal of Honor, Robert Scott (Zeke) was my fathers best friend on the California. They were "Battleship Sailors".