Sea Hawks: With the P.T. Boats at War [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Edgar Hoagland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Seventy-feet long, powered by three Packard 12-cylinder engines, the Navy's patrol torpedo boats were the greyhounds of the sea.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If not as elegantly written as John F, Kennedy's PT 109, this no-frills tale of boats and men at war gives a clear account of life aboard the dangerous fighting boats of the Pacific war. Hoagland was 24 in 1940, a college graduate convinced that the U.S. would not long remain at peace. He joined the U.S. Navy as an officer candidate and, once commissioned, was assigned to a destroyer. Finding convoy work and participation in the North African invasion too tame, Hoagland volunteered for PT boats. The rest of his war was spent in the Pacific as a boat captain, then as a squadron commander. He participated in all the missions of the "plywood navy," strafing shore defenses, stalking barges, rescuing downed airmen. Kamikaze pilots found PT boats attractive targets, and small arms fire posed a mortal risk to laminated wooden hulls full of gasoline and high explosives. Hoagland earned a silver star for leading a mission that destroyed a Japanese PT base. As a squadron commander, he rode the lead boat into action as a matter of course. Hoagland's narrative is matter-of-fact, with neither retrospective swagger nor false modesty. He tells tales of other PT men, some he served with and some that are just part PT lore. He leaves no doubt of his conviction that the PT boats and their volunteer crews belonged to the navy's elite. We were "aggressive, determined, innovative and independent." His book offers a portrait of the ideal of an American citizen officer: learning his craft on the job, leading by skill and example, becoming a warrior while remaining decent and honorable. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Mining the popularity of World War II memoirs, Hoagland's literary debut offers a rather flat and uninspiring personal record of his own wartime experiences in the U.S. Navy serving aboard a destroyer in the Atlantic and commanding PT boats in the Pacific. There is much activity here, but little drama, less humor, and no spark. Hoagland is a former naval officer whose PT boat exploits would be intense and exciting if his narrative were not so dull and self-promotional. His descriptions of PT boat tactics and operations against Japanese warships, barges, and shore installations are clear and realistic, and his cocky view of war is obvious. However, this book, with its 50-year hindsight, comes across as a transparent exercise in cavalier self-image, with the author throwing a lot of credit in his own direction. Best are his sketches of kamikaze attacks, rescues of downed pilots, and shore bombardment of enemy-held islands in the Philippines. Otherwise, this is a forgettable memoir.ACol. William D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891416846
• ISBN-13: 978-0891416845
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,993,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars PT boats are a great subject for memoirs, but..., November 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sea Hawks: With the P.T. Boats at War (Hardcover)

One of the most neglected aspects of World War II combat was the service of the shallow water hunters, the PT boats. These small warships, the most heavily armed for their size in the war, and their brave crews did some pretty extraordinary things. This memoir by a boat commander and later squadron commander could have benefited from some editing. Not for errors necessarily, after all the events recounted occurred 50 plus years ago, but to clean up the writing. The author repeats himself and it almost seems that he was thinking that he would be paid by the word. The style itself is bombastic and full of braggadocio in places, but is frequently leavened with rather straight-forward recitations of brave events. The author too recounts his amorous exploits, thankfully not in too much detail as that really would be bragging, and that detracts somewhat. Makes you wonder what the sailors were doing while the officers squired the nurses around... All told, this is a fairly good read and has the advantage of being written by someone who actually rode the boats into battle.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, July 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sea Hawks: With the P.T. Boats at War (Hardcover)

Great summer reading. This whopping tale of one mans service in the PT boats is great history and adventure. There are awkward bits but all in all I think this adds a key element to the PT story!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Book- Poorly Written, March 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sea Hawks: With the P.T. Boats at War (Hardcover)

Having read most of the books available on WWII PT Boats, I find this work full of factual and biographical material, but alas, very poorly written. I would wonder how the publisher let this text material reach the publication stage without some severe editing and/or rewriting.