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South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf Paperback – September 1, 2009

by Russell Sydnor Crenshaw Jr. (Author)

72 customer reviews

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Today only a select few know firsthand what it is like to feel their ship shudder from the blast of their own guns, watch enemy guns flash back, and see friendly ships erupt in flames. Russell Crenshaw is one of those few. His 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. Russell Crenshaw was a gunnery officer on the USS Maury. His vivid, balanced, and detailed narrative includes the Battle of Tassafarounga 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.

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

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Naval Institute Press; 2nd Print edition (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591141435
ISBN-13: 978-1591141433
Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 8.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 72 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2351 in Books > History > Military > Naval
- #9423 in Books > History > Military > World War II
- #11026 in Books > History > Military > United States

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5 star		61%
4 star		29%
3 star		7%
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I was especially happy to see that Crenshaw had taken the time to ...

ByRonald E. Fineton January 18, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I was close to rating this book a five star but settled for four because It was a little jumpy, dealing with extreme technical detail in some places and then skipping large areas at other times. Being an old white hat myself, I was especially happy to see that Crenshaw had taken the time to learn and understand the technical details of his ship's equipment. This is a good read for the person who wants the facts and details, and not so much for the person wanting to just be entertained. I for one liked it very much.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Enjoyed reading this account of the destroyer and the naval ...

ByIce Pick Mikeon January 2, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Enjoyed reading this account of the destroyer and the naval officer that wrote the book. Nuts and bolts story with the authors personal remembrance of early Second World War actions in the Pacific. He must have kept his own personal log as time went as it is detailed and technical with regards to tactics, the ships and weapon systems of the time. The end of the book has a short after action report on the Japanese and American torpedoes which is interesting if you have read any accounts of the devastating effect and extreme range of the Japanese torpedoes and the terrible torpedoes issued to the US naval forces. Gives one an insight to the folks that fought the war in the Pacific and how intense the fighting really was and the tremendous loss of life on all sides fighting. The depiction of the battles is on the dry side but it isn't a movie, just a guy telling what he saw and his involvement.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

No way to go through life.

Byawayaon December 10, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This was certinly a good book and his description of the islands was accurate. I was not in the Navy. I flew the islandsin the USAF for almost 5 years starting in 1960. I just cant imagine how the guys could livedown there. Where the book makes mention of rain coming in was absolutely true. Some nights we would get 7" of rain. We were not permitted to pick up any weapons or for that matter anything war related. It was still everywhere. We walked into a large cave where the natives that were with us would not go in. We found an entire kitchen area with mess kits with forks still on the trays. This was in 1962 and most of the Army had left the area in 1944. Incredable to see this.We flew from many of the small island landing strips that were 100 to 125 foot wide and about 2 thousand feet long made by the Army engineers. In fact we used the same wells they had drilled. Just a terrible hardship for those guys. For something to do at night we used to tune our Collins radio to a frequency in Viet Nam and listen to what is happening just 12 hours North. if you experenced any of the conflict inSouth East asia this book is for you.The author did a great job of making you a part of the story.

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Good, first hand perspective of the war

ByIllinimuckon June 2, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

What's unique about this book is you get the first hand perspective of a junior officer (later XO) on a fighting South Pacific destroyer. The level of detail and the personal insights are very informative. You really get a sense of what it was to "be there." You also get a sense of the hum drum and the routine convoying duties these men faced in addition to the spectacular battles.

What is missing, in my opinion, is the other half of the story. For example, the author talks about engagements where, from his knowledge at the time, multiple Japanese vessels were sunk. Yet, we now know that in that particular engagement NO Japanese ships were sunk. Yet he never really talks about that or fills in the post facto details. This makes the book somewhat flawed. The author does a much better job in his great book "the Battle of Tassaforonga" which I highly recommend!

Overall it was a unique, but limited, personal memoir of a neglected part of naval history. And it was an enjoyable read.

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Dark Nights, Hellish Battles on High Seas

ByThomas A. Knighton November 23, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

My stepdad, a Pearl Harbor Survivor, just died. He was Torpedoman First Class on the USS Radford, America's most decorated destroyer. His stories of night battles with the "Tokyo Express" in the Solomon Islands were hair-raising. I bought this book to check the veracity of Scotty's tales. All true. I am grateful to the author for the research and writing that helped fill in the blanks, bringing this fascinating account to light. Even now, few people realize that the real turning point in the war with the Empiure of the Rising Sun was in this remote island chain near New Guinea. Another book I highly recommend on the same topic is "Neptune's Inferno." I could not put it down. Scotty was very lucky to survive so many hellish nights. Our family has lost a true hero.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A Unique and Amazing read!

Byjakesully01on January 6, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is the most immersive book on naval warfare in WW II that I have ever read. And I've read a lot of them. It is not a book about the details of all the battles, or the strategies. It is simply how life was for the officers & men of one destroyer in the early stages of the Solomon Islands campaign. As they saw it. You only know what they knew, or thought they knew. This was so refreshing from the omnipotent know all, critize all books.
If you are interested in what it was really like to have been there, thus is probably as close as you can get!
As I read this book, I found that I felt like I was one of the crew. When the author had to be transferred off (towards the end), it was almost heartbreaking. As if I was leaving home and family.

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A First Hand Account of the Big Role the Small Boy Navy Played in Turning the Tide in the Solomons

Byrodinsdon September 2, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Riveting Account of the Turning of the Tide from the deck of a Tin Can! Crenshaw's 'you are there' testimony is informative and shares the history from the perspective of the sailors who were thrown into the cauldron. Especially important was the epilogue, where the after action assessment pointedly confesses the role that American arrogance and absence of naval war-fighting for 50 years truly placed u.s. Naval units in harm's way as they faced a gallant and formidable foe with superior night action and powerful long lance torpedo capabilities. In the end, however, the determination, creativity of the fighting men, coupled with the incredible capacity of American industry prevailed. As a former line officer, I found the South Pacific Destroyer top notch!

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Most recent customer reviews

War is unmerciful

The book was educational

War
Will it ever be the answer between nations.
Greed between countries and people will lead to more conflicts.

Published 1 month ago by Gerald Good

Five Stars

great book

Published 8 months ago by William J. Bosse

Courage under fire. These ships were expendable but still ...

Courage under fire. These ships were expendable but still they sailed into the mouth of the monster.

Published 10 months ago by eagle38

World War II destroyer warfare.

A finely written history of destroyer warfare in the Pacific. Met all expectations.

Published 10 months ago by Guy J. Agrati

Five Stars

Very good read!

Published 1 year ago by Stephen A. Fisk

Enjoyable

Good book

Published 1 year ago by Donald M. Smith

Five Stars

A "must read" for anyone interested in the Solomons campaign in World War II.

Published 1 year ago by D. M. Drury

Five Stars

A Great book and well written!

Published 1 year ago by ed houdek

Five Stars

great book about the dangers and lives of those who served on board a destroyer in WWII.

Published 1 year ago by john_anch_ak

Excellent Memoir

An excellent, well researched and documented memoir of the Solomon Islands campaign, told from the point of view of a junior officer, service as XO on a semi-obsolete WW II...Read more

Published 1 year ago by Max

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