South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf (Paperback)

~ Russell Sydnor Crenshaw Jr. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Russell Crenshaw's riveting account of the savage night battle for the Solomon Islands in early 1943 offers readers a unique insider's perspective from the decks of one of the destroyers that bore the brunt of the struggle. Drawing on his experience as a gunnery officer in the USS Maury, his vivid, balanced, and detailed narrative includes the Battle of Tassafaronga in November 1942 and Vella Gulf in August 1943, actions that earned his warship a Presidential Unit Citation and sixteen battle stars. Crenshaw also discusses the impact of radar and voice radio, the shortcomings of U.S. torpedoes and gunfire, and the devastating effectiveness of Japan's super torpedo.

About the Author

Capt. Russell Sydnor Crenshaw Jr., USN (Ret.), is the author of Naval Shiphandling and lives in Drayden, MD.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591141435
• ISBN-13: 978-1591141433
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #210,575 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Technically and historically excellent, November 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf (Hardcover)

In addition to his eye witness knowledge as Gunnery Officer and XO aboard USS MAURY(DD-401), CAPT Crenshaw is apparently an expert in Naval Science. The accurate technical detail excels that normally found in this type of book. "Snipes" and "Techs" will be impressed and entertained. The history is well researched and written with consummate skill, approaching that of John Lundstrom. I just wish he had written more.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A solid and well-written naval history., August 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf (Hardcover)

The naval actions around the Solomon Islands were a series of hard-fought actions between two well-matched opponents. The Japanese ability to fight aggressively at night challenged the U.S. Navy. Eventually, increased tactical ability joined with an advantage in radar allowed the Americans to defeat the Japanese, but as Crenshaw shows, it was not easy. The pleasant surprise in this book is the emphasis the author (a former gunnery officer on the USS MAURY) puts on the effectiveness and use of weapons and fire control systems. His narrative flows, and shows the reader the many tasks destroyers were called upon to do. I don't get a real personal feel for Mr. Crenshaw, to me the biggest drawback of an otherwise-admirable work. Good set of maps! Recommended to those appreciating naval history, the Pacific Campaigns in WW2, and destroyers.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Enough Personal Experience, November 3, 2000

By	John H. Phillips (Williamsville, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf (Hardcover)

I purchased the book hoping that it was a first person account of a Pacific WWII destroyer officer who was involved in much of the action prior to 1944. About 25% of the book is truly that and was exactly what I had hoped for. I really enjoyed his description of the people and organization and functioning of the USS Maurie. This and the physical descriptions of the power plants and related systems are also unique in my reading experience.

The Author,however, also attempts to interleave in the narrative a history of the surface actions in the South Pacicfic theater in 1942-1943. It appears that he liberally summarizes the Morrison hisory "Breaking the Bismark Barrier" without adding much if anything and deleting a lot. The presentation is certainly mechanical. Even the charts are cheap reproductions from the Morrision book.

For some reason the author does not describe his experinces with the destroyer from Pearl Harbor through Midway and etc. This to me would be much more interesting than a repeat of a book I have read several times and a lengthy discussion of the fallacies of the US torpedo program that thousands of authors have already covered ad nauseum. The torpedo problem was,though, a hugely important issue. What the author did add was that prior to the battle at Vella Gulf, he insisted that the Maurie's torpedo depth settings be set to mininum to compensate for faulty controls. This truly may have had a significant effect on the outcome of the battle.