Bluewater Sailor: The Memoirs of a Destroyer Officer [Hardcover]

Don Sheppard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 1997

Chronicles the duty and adventures of a mustang junior officer aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 334 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press; 1ST edition (January 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891415548
• ISBN-13: 978-0891415541
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent action memoir., June 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Bluewater Sailor: The Memoirs of a Destroyer Officer (Hardcover)

Commander Sheppard's work moves as fast as an action novel in his fine memoir as a mustang on his first ship as an officer.
Sheppard's skills and training are tested constantly by turf struggles and jealousies, but his innate abilities and determination win the hard-earned respect of fellow officers and crewmen alike.
As in his "Destroyer Skipper", Sheppard's work may be of interest primarily to those interested in U.S. Navy destroyer operations and shipboard life, but it may also be profitably read as a primer in leadership,
Highly recommended.
(The numereical rating above is a default setting within Amazon"s format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this book away., April 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Bluewater Sailor: The Memoirs of a Destroyer Officer (Hardcover)

Once I turned the first few pages of the book, I was caught. The author tells his story in such a way that you always want to see what happens next. There are few, if any dull moments in this book, and if you like stories of life in the military, you will certainly like this book. I laughed, I cried, I got it on sale. END

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good picture of life in the Cold War navy., June 7, 2005

By 

J. R. Huffman "Breakneck" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bluewater Sailor: The Memoirs of a Destroyer Officer (Hardcover)

Sheppard, who passed away in 2004, wrote a memorable and thrilling memoir of his days in the navy. I have re-read it about once a year since I received it for my birthday several years ago. It is a gripping tale of a "Mustang" (a seaan who worked his way up through the enlisted ranks and finally made officer)in his first Westpac on a destroyer. It is a methodically spun story that opens a window to a myriad of things, from ship handling, psychological warfare among the officers(his relations with different officers), to the mechanics of prosecuting a submarine contact in an ageing WWII era destroyer. If you are remotely curious about the navy, the Cold War, or just want a good read that will be difficult to put down, this is your book. Enjoy.