Customer Reviews

Subchaser (Bluejacket Books)

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As he did for the Abercrombie in "Little Ship, Big War," Lt. Cmdr. Stafford makes the day-to-day detail of life aboard an even smaller warship compelling.

SC 692 was about as small as they came in World War II, other than PT boats. Like the PTs, the subchasers also were made of wood. Meaning, among other things, they had to be careful about scraping up against steel hulls. Stafford commanded it in the Caribbean, across the Atlantic and throughout the Mediterranean, mainly for the invasions of Palermo and Salerno.

The story concentrates, appropriately, on the minutia of a little ship which seemingly everyone on bigger craft could order about. But it's rarely boring, especially not when shore artillery is finding the 692's range or the sonar and radar are failing at crucial times. Or rough seas are standing the little boat on its fantail or bullnose. Once again the grandson of Admiral Peary of North Pole fame turns a little story into a big one--and a fun read.

A human story, interspersed with technical details. You feel as if you are there. Stafford is an excellent story teller.

SUB-CHASER, A GREAT FIRST HAND LOOK AT DAILY LIFE ON A SMALL 110 FOOT LONG 18 FOOT WIDE SHIP CAUGHT UP IN WW2. PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND THE BIG PICTURE OF THE MED WAR

Subchaser is a terrific personal account of what life was really like for the brave men who served on a frail and dangerous little fleet of boats. The style is literate and the vignettes compelling. A definite read for anyone interested in WWII.