Destroyer Skipper: A Memoir of Command at Sea (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Destroyer Skipper: A Memoir of Command at Sea concludes Don Sheppard's trilogy of books (the others are Blue Water Sailor and Riverine) about his life in the Navy. This time out, Shappard details his adventures at the helm of a U.S. Navy destroyer.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Sheppard (Bluewater Sailor, Presidio, 1996), who was a highly decorated sailor, tells here the story of his naval career, which spanned almost 30 years. He concentrates on his command of the destroyer USS Cambridge. A "mustang" of an officer who came from the enlisted ranks, Sheppard gives a very compelling and interesting story of life for the captain of a U.S. Navy warship. He describes how he went to his command with an idea of what a captain should be but quickly learned otherwise. In a narrative as gripping as any modern technothriller, Sheppard tells how he took command of a decaying ship and a crew with low morale and turned the Cambridge into a top-notch warship. In an appropriate naval term, his work deserves a "bravo Zulu" (well done). Essential for any library dealing with naval or military science.?Terry L. Wirick, Erie Cty. Lib. System, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press; First Edition edition (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891415556
• ISBN-13: 978-0891415558
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,045,960 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The real Navy - Destroyers, January 31, 2000

By	GARRY E. BLAGG (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

As an ex-sailor I couldn't put this book down. I served aboard a 2250 FramII can and this book is right on the money portraying life aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer (WESPAC) during the late 60's-early 70's Navy. I felt like I was back on the bridge, passing the word for watch relief's, making 12 o'clock reports to the skipper, or heading for the galley after the 20-24 for mid-rats. . I hope Mr. Sheppard continues to write. I'll buy anything he writes about the Greyhounds of the Sea.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, February 3, 2007

By	Ralph R. Echtinaw (Alma, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sheppard entered the Navy as a seaman recruit in 1948, became an officer and retired as a full commander in 1977. This book is the third in a series covering Sheppard's career in the Navy. It covers the period 1970 to 1977 when Sheppard was executive officer of one destroyer and captain of another. I found it particularly interesting because I was in the Navy from 1977 to 1983. Sheppard answered some questions I've had for a while, such as why officers wore V-neck T-shirts and enlisted personnel wore crew neck T-shirts. My only complaint is that none of the names (save the author's) is real. Sheppard explains that the characters are real people with phony names, or composites of two or more people. Of course, once I got 50 pages or so into the book I realized why he couldn't use real names. He would have been sued. For example, when Sheppard was executive officer of a destroyer visiting Olongapo City in the Philippines, his captain got infatuated with a teenage filipino girl and completed paperwork to have a $400/month allotment sent to her, claiming she was his sister. Sheppard intercepted the paperwork and saved his captain's career. I supposed Sheppard might be embellishing events, or even writing fiction, but it rings true to me.