Customer Reviews

Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed the book immensely- as a young officer on USS DEYO (DD 989) during a Mediterranean deployment, I sailed into many of those ports just a few years later in 1998. It was my first introduction to the Navy and to the World for that matter... I too remember thinking many times after those late night watches..."What in the world am I doing?" I also remember the beautiful scenes the author describes about the ocean and it's eternity... And Admiral Stavridis is right, God does live out in those waves.

On a professional level, I of course enjoyed hearing of the Admiral's great triumphs, but it was the failures I cherished most... Not because I enjoy seeing the great fall, as so many Americans thirst for... On the contrary, they were appreciated because I failed more times than I could count when I had Command. I battled those same questions, perhaps more so with just 9 years experience under my belt, and it was just nice to know that on occasion he had failed like me. That said, I was never prouder of my men then when we sailed into Bahrain for the final time...in our wake of a job well done. It was, as the Admiral described, such a sweet sweet period of my life. Despite all my shortcomings and failures, those six months remain the proudest of my professional life.

Even after closing the book's cover, it continues to resonate with me, especially when thinking about the supporting cast (XO, Vince, the rest of the gang) whom I would love to learn more about... What a pleasure this has been to reflect on his experiences, as well as my own in such a framework.

A true joy to read. I am grateful that the author shared his experiences with us.

LCDR Michael Brasseur
(Former Captain of USS WHIRLWIND)

I had the great privilege and good fortune to sail all 130,000 nautical miles with Admiral Stavridis during his command tour aboard USS BARRY (DDG 52). This book brought back a wave of great memories. The book brilliantly captures the many elements that made BARRY such a special ship during that time period. Although Admiral Stavridis focuses on the accomplishments of the crew and how they contributed to the success and accolades the ship enjoyed, any reader of the book will recognize the role his leadership played in, among other things, bringing out the best in every crewmember.
The occasional doubts and fears that the Admiral speaks to in the book were very revealing, even to someone who was serving aboard at the time. He certainly kept them well hidden from those of us who were watching him closely, as any great leader will do. In any case, it is a compelling view of the emotional and physical ups and downs of leadership and the unique experience of command at sea.
As someone who is preparing for his first command at sea, I found the book full of valuable insight that I am sure will serve me quite well. Great Captain, great ship, great book!
- Robb Chadwick

Adm. Stavridis takes the reader aboard the destroyer Barry with a day to day briefing.

He shares his hopes, many fears , and his personal life. He is able to convey the constant pressure from the sea, his superiors,and the members of his crew, during his command.

After reading Adm. Stavridis'diary, one has a new appreciation of the dedication of our service men and women for the defense of the United States.

An amazing read! Recommended for anyone from seaman apprentice to 4-star admiral. I had the pleasure of serving on the USS Barry with Admiral Stavridis during his last 7 months in command. He instilled a high level of discipline in his crew to understand what we were doing was important and we understood, no matter how difficult things might get, no matter how many mistakes might be made - we would be the best and we would prevail! Every captain should read this prior to accepting command. The honeymoon never ended between this crew and their Captain. The book is well written, an easy read. Any sea warrior, whether they served on the Barry with Stavridis or not, could imagine themselves serving with him - and wish they had!

Destroyer Captain is a perfectly fine book. But one of the problems with ordering books online is you literally DON'T get to judge a book by its cover. While Amazon doesn't hide the fact that the book is a little over 200 pages, you may not realize how small/short the book actually is.

Again, the book itself is a fine read. But it's something you could bang through in the airport while waiting for your connecting flight. It's a large pamphlet.

Whether you serve in the military or not, you will find terrific leadership insights from one of the most successful (and literate) leaders of our 21st century U.S. military. Admiral Jim Stavridis has courageously opened his personal journal written during his service as the commanding officer of a U.S. Navy warship in the mid-1990s. The journal offers rare insights into the joys, rewards, frustrations, and fears of a young man charged with leading our nation's men and women into harm's way. The journal also offers loads of valuable leadership insights. Having served with the author later in his career, I know firsthand that he practices what he writes about leadership - that he is, indeed, a "dealer in hope." The fact that he is now a four-star admiral is proof that many others see him the same way. Admiral Stavridis' personal success confirms the simple but profound truth expressed in "Destroyer Captain": If you treat people as if you expect them to excel, they will. If you are responsible for people - at work, at home, in any number, or at any level - you must read this book!

Admiral Stavridis brings to life the thrills, struggles, rewards, and anxieties of life in command, and, as well, offers the reader a good lesson in leadership. I enjoyed reading the book on many levels. We see a slice of dramatic history from a unique perspective, from a man who appreciates both the art of warfare and the vagaries of international politics. We see how even an experienced officer who has excelled at all levels still faces uncertainty and doubt when taking his first command. We see the pain of family separation, the shared responsibilities, the rare but romantic meetings in exotic ports, and the missed events at home that can never be recaptured. The ups and downs continue, even as the USS Barry claims many successes and receives top awards. It is clear that this level of achievement is in large part a result of a Captain who values his crew, does not over-value himself, offers praise freely, metes out discipline consistently, and has high expectations. The crew members, as a result, work together, take pride in their accomplishments, and have a high regard for each other, the ship, and their Captain. This is a formula for success that applies to a military unit, a business, or any team endeavor.

Admiral Stavridis' vivid descriptions and the fresh prose of a daily journal evoked memories of my own experiences at sea, and I re-lived events (both pleasant and exciting) in my mind as I read these passages. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in adventure, military history, the sea, leadership, or just a good read.

A must read for those considering taking command of a naval ship. ADM Stavridis' masterful telling of the highs and lows of being a destroyer captain at sea is instructional and gives those of considering the vocation insight into the profession. Far from being textbook, his book draws you into the life of one man and his fears, thoughts and actions. I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down.
The friends, shipmates and other naval officers in ADM Stavridis' book are the who's who of the US Navy. It is fascinating to get a look at these outstanding naval officers when they were in command themselves or working as department heads.
Truly an exceptional read.
-Jamie Burts

You...will...love...this...book. But only if you want to know of honesty, humility, humor, the courage of everyday acts of service by others, and the peaks and valleys of leadership. Not to mention wonderful writing, anecdotes, and insights by a distinguished military commander writing as a young officer, a decade and a half before pinning on the four-stars of an admiral.
If you want a great book about the wanderings of a homesick warrior with duties he must discharge before being reunited with his family, Homer's "Odyssey" is pretty tough to beat. If you are looking for a primer on leadership, Stephen Covey's "7 Habits..." is the blockbuster choice of millions. For inspirational stories of ships and men and the sea, Jack London, Patrick O'Brien and a few others invented and nurtured a timeless genre. For a personal catalog of humility and insignificance against the greatness of life and a higher power, "The Confessions of St. Augustine" are available.
And then there is "Destroyer Captain," which has a tincture of these works and more, is entirely accessible, and a terrific read. Painfully well-written, poignant, and complete, this book opens a window onto a world that hums along with quiet, powerful, efficient ordinariness everyday across the globe: the U.S. Navy defending the empire of liberty.
Jim Stavridis, one of our nation's most senior military officers, has published the journals he kept while a first-time captain at sea in the mid-1990s. Stavridis is a friend of many years, and someone I know to be of great good humor and a fine leader. Even so, there is nothing like the well written word for true insight. Stavridis gives brutally raw honesty as he describes his expectations, his fears, his longing for home and hearth while thousands of miles away, and the timeless bonds that develop among the crew of a ship at sea.
Stavridis paints with equal skill in bold brush strokes and pointillist precision as he colors the everyday routine at sea, and the non-stop demands on the captain. As he puts it -- and the book is infused with the obviousness of it -- "for no one is the term service more applicable than the commanding officer who is doing his job." Stavridis describes in wonderful detail -- and with an easy but extraordinarily fine style -- the 24/7 nature of what it means to be a captain of a weapon-packed man of war, with a crew whose average age is probably about 22 years old, and the captain himself in his thirties. He describes what it is like to sit in judgment of others at "captain's mast," the navy's unique system of self-discipline that reaches back to ancient times. Forget what you may think you know of the all-powerful captain at sea; here's the real deal as Stavridis describes a mast at which he restricted to the ship a young petty officer who had been thrown in jail for a shoreside brawl: "As the captain's mast concluded, I walked out, feeling diminished myself. Judgment is the hardest of human tasks..."
But this is no "woe is me for the burdens of command" cri de coeur. The book fairly tingles with the sheer pleasure Stavridis takes in being "the captain." He knows he is a lucky man, having been entrusted with the most advanced warship ever built, a crew of 350 men he clearly loves, and ordered by his country to ply "the magic monotony of existence between sky and water," as Stavridis quotes Conrad. An avid reader, Stavridis writes of his early decision to sit in his elevated chair on the bridge of the ship while at sea, generally observing the daily routines but benignly ignoring them as he reads -- not from important dispatches or operational manuals, but "a good novel." Why? "I think it's important to show the younger folk that (a) reading matters and, more important, that (b) it is a good deal being the captain. If I can't communicate the joy of command to my wardroom, why would any of them want to stick around? It sure isn't for the pay!"
Captain Bligh, step aside. You have been relieved as proto-typical literary commander at sea. READ THIS BOOK and know about duty, honor, country...and seasickness, liberty call, carving turkeys for a Thanksgiving dinner of 350, and lots lots more.

"Go forth and do great things" and "a leader must be a dealer of hope" are two quotes included in U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis' "Destroyer Captain: Lessons of a First Command." The first quote is Abraham Lincoln's and the second is Napoleon's. In both cases, a mentor and friend of Jim Stavridis, Vice Admiral John Morgan, used these words in separate visits to the Destroyer Captain's ship, USS Barry. As demonstrated in deed and word, Jim Stavridis lived these sentiments as the Destroyer Captain -- and continues to do so today as Commander, Southern Forces.

In this short (199-page), tightly written "diary" of the at-sea periods in a 27-month command tour of an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis cruiser, then-Commander Stavridis shares insights into real experiences -- including "the highs are so high and the lows are so low." This work is not a typical how-to leadership text. At the same time, it is a wonderful leadership book. Jim Stavridis names names -- people who influenced him -- such as Laura Stavridis (his wife), Mike Franken (his executive officer), John Morgan (his commodore), Stan Brown (his master chief), and this is just the beginning of a very long list. The defining point is Jim Stavridis listens to and learns from others.

He believes captains have "an obligation to create new leaders, new captains." He believes captains have a responsibility to project "cheerful confidence and good humor and professional competence." And Jim Stavridis tells how he always tried to achieve these goals -- while not always succeeding.

The result is an outstanding leadership book by a proven leader. One does not have to aspire to go to sea and someday command a warship to learn about leadership from this book. What makes "Destroyer Captain" powerful is one can trust that every word is true. Three hundred forty Sailors cruised the 130,000 miles with this Destroyer Captain.

For those who believe leadership books are not for them, "Destroyer Captain" will nevertheless appeal to them by giving an appreciation of what Sailors and Marines at sea are doing every day to protect this Nation.

A personal note about Admiral Stavridis: I have been privileged to know and work with Jim Stavridis for 33 years, meeting him when he was a midshipman and I was a junior editor of the Sea Services' professional monthly magazine, "Proceedings." In 1994, during his tour as the commanding officer of Barry, Jim Stavridis was selected as the Proceedings Author of the Year. This officer has been a dealer of hope in every assignment he has served in, and he currently is going forth and doing great things for this Nation. Jim Stavridis is one of this Nation's finest leaders.