Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the Uss Sterett, 1939-1945 [Hardcover]

C. Raymond Calhoun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993

More than 800 sailors served aboard the Sterett during her hazardous and demanding duties in World War II. This is the story of those men and their beloved ship, recorded by a junior officer who served on the famous destroyer from her commissioning in 1939 to April 1943.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr; First edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557501084
• ISBN-13: 978-1557501080
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Finally Got It!, November 22, 2002

By 

Larry Johnson (Dickinson, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939-1945 (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

I have read many books on destroyers during WWII. This is the first book that put me on the deck during a night surface battle, and I could SEE what was going on. There is no hype, no "I was a hero" type of comments, just the facts. You can feel the pain he felt when he saw a fellow sailor dead on the deck. It almost brought me to tears.
If you want to SEE what life on a destroyer was like in WWII, this is a MUST READ book!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tin Can Sailor, December 26, 2000

By 

Dan O'Connor (Phoenix, Maryland 21131, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939-1945 (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

The book had special meaning for me in that my father was aboard the Sterett from October 1941 to October 1943. Although he had often explained many of the events aboard ship, the connection for me between the war and it's lasting affect on the men who served, was not realized until I read the gripping tales recounted by Captain Calhoun. In a well researched history enhanced with the credibility of first hand knowledge, Captain Calhoun related the Sterett's experience. Every child, grandchild, and great grandchild of every sailor who ever served during WW II on any ship of any kind should read this book and well-up with the pride of having known, or have in their lineage the brave men who stood in harms way to preserve our freedom. My regret is that I had not read it prior to my father's passing on December 10, 1999 and let him know how proud of him I am. Thank you Cal wherever you are.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers on it's Subtitle, What Life was Like on a WWII Destroyer, February 9, 2006

By 

Dianne Roberts (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939-1945 (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

I picked up this book because my grandfather was a WWII destroyer sailor (DD-727 USS DeHaven II, not the Sterret), and I wanted to get a sense of what the war must have been like for him. I think this book does an excellent job of this and "Cal" Calhoun has to be commended for pulling together the story of this destroyer.

Of course the book follows one particular destroyer but it focuses on the daily life of the sailors and officers, giving you a good concept of what their working lives and their missions were. The Sterret also had a particularly distinguished career, especially during the Third Battle of Savo in which the author took part. The Sterret engaged a Japanese cruiser, battleship, and sunk a destroyer at point blank range at night while receiving 14-inch shells, and makes for some of the best combat writing I've ever read.

The book takes you from the Sterret's comissioning, training in the pacific before the war (including adventurous attempts to try to capture turtles by steering the ship), early duty with the British home fleet in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and then on to its amazing career in the Pacific from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, and, last, its return to New York for decomissioning and scrapping.

The author had to leave the ship shortly after the action in around Savo and so about two-thirds through the book the style of storytelling necessarily changes. Despite this the book is still an excellent read throughout. At only 160 pages or so of text it's also an easy read yet still does justice to the ship, her crew, and all who served on destroyers in WWII. Definitely recommended.