Customer Reviews

Blood on the Sea: American Destroyers Lost in World War II

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2 star:		(1)
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This is a very good reference book. It covers all of the important information that relates to the Destroyer during the war. I wished the book would have been huge, and covered more information about each destroyer, but alas, with so many lost during the war, it would have taken volumes. This book tells you the name, type, date of loss, location of loss, and details on all destroyers lost during WWII. There are mentions of some other ships lost at the same time, but the author chose not to get into other ship types. I really enjoyed this book, couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it for people who are interested in the WWII naval war.

With my father recently passing away, I found myself wanting to know more about what he and the other gallant sailors faced while serving on a destroyer in WWII. While some may find the listing of each ship lost, as repetitious; I found it helpful and a fitting tribute for all the destroyers lost in WWII. In the introduction, the author indicates his desire to convey to later generations, the understanding of what our destroyermen faced - you sir, have succeeded! I found the listing of each ship essential and a fitting reminder for those who make the supreme sacrifice.

This is the kind of book you can pick up and open to any chapter without losing the thread or missing out on anything. Each chapter is distinct and self-contained. The format for each is the same: capsule biography of the person for whom the ship was named; description of its building, launching, and subsequent patrols; and, brief recounting of the ship's final mission. The connection between the chapters is only accidental, e.g., when two ships were lost in the same engagement, the one which is not the subject of the particular chapter is mentioned in passing. Also, there is not much detailed discussion about the sailors and officers who manned these vessels. The chapters are about the ships, not about the crews, except in those instances where a crew member won a prestigious medal. In sum, this book reads more like a naval vessel catalogue than a book for the interested lay historian. I will keep it among my reference books.

An excellent work, describing the loss of various classes of U.S. destroyers sunk in WWII. With help from crew members of the many ships, Mr. Parkin describes the horrors of fighting losing battles against man and nature. Having served aboard a Fletcher class DD in the Viet Nam conflict, I can appreciate the efforts by which the "tin can sailors" of WWII fought to keep their ships afloat under circumstances that can only be described as hellish. This book also contains short biographical data of the men for whom each ship was named, and at the end of each description of loss, data such as ship class, launching and loss dates, sponsor, builder, keel laying,commanding officers at time of commissioning and loss, and place where the ship was lost is featured, in addition to awards won by the ship. I enjoyed this book very much, and recommend it to all who are interested in destroyer operations in WWII.

"Blood On The Sea" by Robert Sinclair Parkin. Subtitled: "American Destroyers Lost In World War II"
Sarpedon Publishing, Fifth Avenue, New York, New York. 1995.
The U.S. Navy lost 71 destroyers in World War II; their stories are told in this book. Some of the ships were sunk by enemy gun fire. Some of these "tin cans" were sunk by Kamikaze action. Others were lost to the all powerful sea. Each of the 71 vessels is given a short, (perhaps 3 pages on average) history.
The book's general format begins each of the 71 sections with a few paragraphs on the history of the name of the destroyer. Once, it was Navy policy to name battleships after states, aircraft carriers after battles, cruisers after cities and so on. Destroyers were named after people who were famous in naval history or who had performed some act of gallantry, or good performance in the naval service. For example, the USS Blue (DD-387) was named for Rear Admiral Victor Blue (1865-1928) who had "...excellent intelligence missions in Cuba during the Spanish-American War..." and later commanded the battleship "New York... during her service ... in World War I". (Page 78).
The next part of each section deals with the actions the destroyer was involved in and the cause of the sinking of that ship. In the back of the book, there is an appendix summarizing the various methods used to sink the American destroyers: naval gun fire, Kamikaze attack, explosion, storm and so on. The book lists the sinking of the destroyer in general chronological order. Interestingly, the first destroyer sunk by enemy action in World War II was the USS Reuben James (DD-245), lost on October 31, 1941, some five weeks before the dastardly Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The notes on the torpedoing of the Reuben James show that her captain, Lt. Commander H. L. Edwards, died when the ship was lost.
So, each section gives a history of the ship's name, a brief listing of the actions the destroyer was involved in, how she was sunk and where she was sunk. I was intrigued by the single ship listed as "scuttled". The American naval tradition is never to scuttle a ship. The USS Stewart, (DD-224), was involved in the disastrous retreat of the American, British, Dutch and Australian navies before the onslaught of the Imperial Japanese Navy, early in the war. The USS Stewart was disabled and brought to a floating to dry-dock in Surabaya. The dry-dock collapsed , trapping the damaged vessel, so the Stewart's crew was split up amongst other ships and the trapped vessel blown up with demolition charges. The explosives did not do a complete job, and, as the author, Robert Parkin, recounts, ..."the frugal Japanese had raised the damaged destroyer, effected temporary repairs and ...(incorporated her) ... as Imperial Japanese Navy Shoaki-tei...Patrol Boat 102". Interesting story.
Finally, there were those destroyers sunk by the might of the ocean, off Iceland, or on the rocks near Nova Scotia, or by that famous (infamous) typhoon in the Pacific. Navy Hymn: " Oh hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea."
The author, Parkin, has done an excellent job of gathering much information in one place. You can read the book from front to back, in more or less chronological order, or you can skip from ship to ship, depending upon your interests. All in all, this is a fine book.

IN A NUTSHELL: AN HONORABLE AND WELL EXECUTED EPITAPH TO BRAVE MEN & THEIR SHIPS

Every one of the 71 lost destroyers has a story. Most of the stories go beyond their last action and include other actions which are noteworthy.

WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT: 71 CHAPTERS ABOUT 71 LOST SHIPS & THEIR CREWS

Each ship gets a chapter and they all start out with a short biography of the ship's namesake. Then, actions in which the ships received 'Battle Stars' or citations are concisely discussed, always ending with the ships last action, for which the most detail and space is reserved.

Their are several clusters of photos which include some of the destroyers included in this volume. Some show extreme battle damage that is survived until a later action and some show the ships in prime condition cutting through the waves at 30 knots.

BUT THERE IS MORE: APPENDICES HELP TO GRASP THE SUBJECT

APPENDIX A]- AMERICAN DESTROYER CLASSES OF WW2
----- Brief listing of the various destroyers that were used in WW2, could have included more detail.

APPENDIX B]- THE HONOR ROLL
----- List of the U.S. Destroyers that were subsequently named in honor of the officers and men who are listed in this volume.

APPENDIX C]- U.S. DESTROYER LOSSES [ALPHABETICAL ORDER]

APPENDIX D]- THE "DIVINE WIND"
----- A list or about 57 Destroyers that survived 'Kamikaze' attacks [with significant casualties].

APPENDIX E]- DESTROYER ESCORTS
----- A short explaination of the difference between 'Destroyers' and 'Destroyer Escorts' as well as their varying roles.

BOTTOM LINE: FITTING AND HONORABLE REQUIEM FOR MANY LOST SAILORS

Each short chapter that covers the life and death of one ill-fated destroyer reads like a fitting memorial to the families of these young men whose lives were dramatically cut short.

In some ways, Blood on the Sea is a very tough read. The author gives a brief history of every US Destroyer that was lost during WW2, 71 in total. That's 71 short chapters of sinking's, air or sea battles, fires, battles, torpedoes and toss in a few groundings, hurricanes and collisions, that adds up to a lot of sorrow. But then again, there is a tremendous amount of courage, self sacrifice, heroism and bravery to offset that sorrow.

Author Robert Parkin served for 20 years in the navy knows of what he writes and was able to speak with many of the survivors who were able to bear witness to what happened. It's amazing how much punishment these sleek craft could take and the pride of each crew who knew that there ship simply was the best on the ocean, bar none. I also liked the intro to each ship - destroyers are named after naval heroes dating back to the Revolutionary war. A few select B&W photos to show the different classes of destroyers, the appendix has statistical data of destroyers and a short, concise bibliography of sources.

This is a very factual, fitting tribute to the memories who served, especially during the early phases of the war when the US was still learning the ropes. A tough emotional read, perhaps best done in small doses, but it's a good book.

Robert Sinclair is the bomb! He writes the best war book. This book rocks! I would recommend it to anyone. I never knew the actual detailed loss of so many destroyers. I study World War two naval battles and find this book facinating.

"Admiral" Nathaniel Bartels

I purchased this book to learn about a subject I knew little about. I have since become fascinated with the subject.

It is story in brief, of every American Destroyer lost during the Second World War.It is the kind of book you could read at one (very long) seating, or read on the hurry - one ship at a time. If you like tales of the sea, you will love this book.

I would consider this book to be more a reference book on the destroyers lost during World War II. In this book we have descriptions of the seventy-one U.S. destroyers that were lost during this war. Their individual accounts include eyewitness accounts of their finale hours.

Relates the ships' launchings and naming, their tour of duty, and the causes of their destruction. These include a short overview of the Ship's namesake and a short yet detailed account of what citations the ships received and their final action that resulted in their destruction and inclusion in this book.

The author makes it quite clear that this book is about these seventy-one U.S. destroyers' final days and not a study of the great battles that they were in. If you are seeking out a book that covers the strategy and tactics of these destroyers, this is not the book for you. I find this to be a great reference guide and a good addition to my library of naval history.