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Frederick J. Bell
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Condition Red: Destroyer Action in the South Pacific Paperback – September 18, 2017

by Frederick J. Bell (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,874 ratings
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“Condition Red” was an expression that we used to indicate the imminence of any type of engagement. Aboard the G it was a colloquialism that served to express the conviction that the next few hours or days or weeks were going to be packed with action. We first heard it soon after we arrived in the Solomons, where the term was used on Guadalcanal and Tulagi to indicate the approach of the enemy, and when our voice radio blared out the words we went to General Quarters and prepared to greet the Tokyo Express or the Zeros and Mitsubishis when they came within view. Frederick J. Bell
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  1. Print length
    130 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 18, 2017
  4. Dimensions
    8.5 x 0.33 x 11 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1976500214
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1976500213
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 18, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 130 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1976500214
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1976500213
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.33 x 11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,874 ratings

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Frederick J. Bell

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
3,874 global ratings
What I like about this book is the style of narration
5 Stars
What I like about this book is the style of narration
Many sailors in the US Navy consider Destroyer duty as the backbone of Naval operations. This type ship, small, maneuverable, and versatile, is the workhorse of the fleet. In WWII when USS Grayson, the subject of this book, was active in both the Atlantic and, later, the Pacific fleet, DDs performed many duties. They served as convoy escorts, ferried troops, delivered vital supplies, provided air defense for carriers, sank submarines, battled enemy combat ships with guns and torpedoes, served as command and control vehicles, and provided shore bombardment in battle. Mr. Bell, who served as the Grayson's commanding officer, has written a book chronicling his ship's participation in WWII. What I like about this book is the style of narration; it's as if he's telling sea stories to fellow sailors. I served a total of 6 years on Destroyers during the cold war era (3 years on a Gearing Class "Tin Can" in New York city and 3 years on a Spruance class homeported in Charleston) so I understood the story he told. This is an excellent book in my opinion, although I can understand why some readers would think that he goes into deeper detail on some points that have less importance to the story line. This book dwells less on the details of the war that the Grayson was participating in, and more on the daily lives of the men fighting the war - the constant fatigue, GQ and battle stations at all hours, little time for recreation or rest, sleepless nights, interrupted meals, and such. This book should invoke memories (some good, some not so much) on former Tin Can sailors, and give others some insight on what sailors experience in wartime. As a side note: a ship of the US Navy should be identified as "USS Grayson", not The USS Grayson. The latter implies the Grayson is the only United States Ship. Say "He served in USS Grayson" or "He serves in the Grayson". Proper terminology that most people screw up today.Proud to have been a Tin Can Sailor for 6 of my 22 years service!
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Top reviews from the United States

Blu
5.0 out of 5 stars REMARKABLE EXPOSE OF A FRONTLINE BATTLE DESTROYER IN WWII.
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
Copyrighted in 1943 before the conclusion of WWII by Commander Frederick J. Bell who shared his personal sojourn aboard the destroyer which, due to wartime censorship, referred to as "G." (A Google search revealed that "G" was the "USS Grayson" which worked until the end of the Pacific hostilities and suffered only one (1) casualty.) Bell's alacrity with language gives rise to stimulating engaging captivating prose. (Due to minor proofing errors, e.g., pp. 95, 101, 129, rated book 4.5 STARS.) Bell provides an insightful tour, including, the crew, routines, lifestyle, food, duties. In addition, the destroyer actions undertaken: reconnaissance, rescue, escorting, artillery/torpedo engagements. A sample of Bell's quirky sense of humor which resounds throughout: "The morning was beautiful, ... you could picture the local Chamber of Commerce ... urging one and all to visit the Sunny Solomons. 'Plan to be here for the Cannibal Convention; bring the family -- see beautiful Guadalcanal; forget your troubles as you sail the tranquil waters of the Coral Sea'" (p. 24). A worthwhile experience.
3 people found this helpful
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Bski
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good read of the detailed life aboard a destroyer.
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is a really good book detailing the life aboard a USS destroyer in the South Pacific, mainly around the action at Guadalcanal. There are complete articles from the onboard newspaper and great details about individual crew members experiences.

There is an unexpected focus on US Navy damage control procedures I found fascinating. Not surprising since the ship did damage control exercises/problems daily when they were not in action and when in action they were not exercises.

The one major issue and the reason I knocked this down a start is because the timeline is a nightmare to follow. It bebops all over the place and often the is no clear indication of when the timeline changed. I found this extremely annoying. The timeline is really not that critical to the points the book is making, but its something that I cling on to for dear life when reading a non-fiction book so it may just be me.

A must read for one wanting to better understand life on a Destroyer during the Solomons campaigns.
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Foxbat
3.0 out of 5 stars Time capsule of early WWII on a South Pacific Destoryer
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2014
Verified Purchase
Interesting book written early in the war with much of the flavor of the war and the bumbling the US command went through in those early months. Its most unique value is in the reflection of the attitudes -- good, bad, inept and often confused -- of the time.

To preseve the flavor time in which it was written but account for historical accuracy, the book needs a new edition with editors footnotes to clarify that, for instance, "Candy" was actually "Cactus" and Cactus was Guadalcanal. This also applies to the many other ship names and locations. It would also help in reconciling the claims of ship sinkings and planes lost with the post-war confirmations of actual losses. I would not touch the text itself, it's too much of a time capsule. The book is not purely chronological, if you expect that you will find yourself confused. The confused sequencing may reflect the attempts of the time to mislead the Japanese; if so, I suspect it was more more annoying than effective

Three greats value of the book are its unintentional portrayal of early WWII paranoia (a good application of "just because you're paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you"), the learning curve US forces were suffering through, and life aboard a WWII destroyer in the South Pacific.
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Eagletree
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful personal account
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful book. It is solid enjoyable personal anecdote. Where it touches on large well-known historical events, it is of course rendered in the inaccuracies that occur from the normal localized perception which can't benefit from the historians process of taking the larger view. But who cares, we know the well-studied details of the major battles, and this provides something far more valuable... the personal view of the events from one man's on-the-spot perspective. But it's value still lies in something deeper than that. This narrative gives the day-to-day picture of both simple and major events, through the eyes of someone there, and does so without all the re-framing (for accuracy) that occurs when people write long after the war. As a result, it's written in a way that is fresh... written while the war still raged. The writing style is quite good too, not surprising given the attention to editorial detail required to publish a book in those days. I noticed no typos such as are common in currently rendered accounts.

You will only get 6 hours out of reading this, but it's a feeling of being there, and well worth every minute. Personally, I find it exciting to find a book that gives the minutia of a local experience during WWII, rather than the big picture. This book delivers that, I could not stop reading it.

My 91 year old father, who can barely talk, told me the other day how much he hated the boredom of his years shipboard in the Pacific. Even in his advanced state of dementia, he can still bring a grimace to his face and curse the hours shipboard as he cruised between all the big names of the war's islands. Sadly, that is all he remembers now. This book gives that picture in a much kinder way, and with a detail that is long forgotten in the few vets now remaining. As I look through the pictures of dad's service photo album, I glimpse a story that will now never be told. Fortunately, this man immediately documented his experience and did not wait till the years would seal it up as happened with so many vets. It gives those of us born later, a chance to understand their sacrifice, when they themselves are no longer able to bring the memories to the forefront. I am thankful that minutia laden books like this and Helmet For My Pillow exist. They are treasures.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Blast from the Past
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a true account of six months aboard a US navy destroyer during the first year of WW II. The action takes place in the Pacific, around Guadalcanal. It was written in 1943, fresh off the experience and with the war not yet won. The author, captain of the ship, has an interesting, breezy style of writing that well conveyed what life on a destroyer was like. It creates the atmosphere well and transports one back to that time and place. A fascinating read.
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