Nearly a decade after he saw extensive battle action in the Pacific during World War II, Joe Meredith had a rare chance to return to the western Pacific for a more tranquil look at the breathtaking beauty of the region. As captain of the destroyer escort Hanna, Meredith was tasked with patrol and surveillance duty throughout Micronesia and also in the Bonin and Volcano Islands. He remembers it as the choicest independent duty a young commander could imagine and recorded his thoughts and activities in a daily journal that inspired this book. Taking the title of his memoir from Joseph Conrad's writing about the same islands, Meredith offers an evocative account of his voyages. He combines his own sense of discovery with the colorful descriptions of previous travelers. Ulithi, Yap, Truk, Ponape - exotic place-names that emerge from more than four hundred years of exploration narratives and the region's recent violent history - dot this insightful, lyrical narrative of his experiences. It celebrates both the author's love for a ship and pride in the naval service, as well as his fascination with the islands and the people of the far Pacific. Meredith's literary talents - calling to mind earlier well-known literature of the region - will transport readers of this atmospheric memoir to a time and place where most have never traveled. It also provides a historic snapshot of post-war conditions in the islands under navy administration, long before they achieved independent status.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For those who were there, a very true book.,
By A Customer
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This review is from: A Handful of Emeralds: On Patrol with the Hanna in the Postwar Pacific (Hardcover)
World War II in Micronesia laid a foundation for hundreds of books and thousands were written. For those of us who were there right after the war few books have recorded what it was like. This author, a naval captain of a Destroyer Escort, told his story and wove in history and the continuing story of the people. And he told the story we lived. Casual inspection tours of twenty islands in fifteen days. Landings that started in a small boat and ended swimming in across a rocky beach. Local administrators who had shamefully little support from the US government and still carried on trying to do a decent job. Priest and missionaries who carried on in the wake of war, building communities with Navy discards. Hopeless ocean searches that sometimes were successful. And a little boredom. For those who were there, a very true book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Sailors Glimpse into Post-WWII Micronesia and It's History,
By Scott L. Hanna (slhanna@hotmail.com) (Newbury Park, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Handful of Emeralds: On Patrol with the Hanna in the Postwar Pacific (Hardcover)
I ran across this book looking for information about the USS Hanna (DE 449), a WWII Destroyer Escort ship named after Private Billy T. Hanna USMC, who died on Guadalcanal in 1942.I highly recommend reading this to anyone interested in Micronesia and War in the Pacific. It is very readable and well worth the effort. Written by the USS Hanna's captain, Joseph C. Meredith, the book details the ship's patrols of Micronesia, and the Bonin and Volcano Islands in 1953-54. Captain Meredith describes the seven patrols he captained, giving intimate observations on the islands they visited, the people, history and geology. The stories of the attempts of foreigners to discover, exploit and dominate the islands, provide a real understanding of the islands and their people. His emphasis on Japanese influence on the islands gives a real understanding of WWII and the Pacific, of what it was like to be there, and of the reasons and strategy of the War in the Pacific. He researched the history of Micronesia in great detail, providing an accurate view of how Micronesia became what it is today.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book on the islands that WE visited,
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This review is from: A Handful of Emeralds: On Patrol with the Hanna in the Postwar Pacific (Hardcover)
To me the amazing coincidence of the narrative by Joseph C. Meridith on the Patrols of the USS. Hanna DE449 in 1953-1954 is that it almost perfectly coincides with the time that I was a Radarman on the Hanna. It is like he wrote my history of that time in my Navy experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and it will be treasured by me and my family. The Patrols were a great experience with all the sailors on board wanting to be on the small parties that were able to go ashore to walk around the islands. The ones that I remember the most were Ponape, with its absolute breathtaking beauty and Truk with its abundant Japanese navy ships that had been damaged during World War II. The book is a great treasure of information on the islands written by a man who recorded his observations in a colorful and well written manner
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