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Robert Sinclair Parkin
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Blood On The Sea: American Destroyers Lost In World War Ii Hardcover – December 21, 1995

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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Contains a chapter on each of the 71 U.S. destroyers that were sunk in World War II, briefly describing their operational life and then their violent demise. Also provides historical sketches of the naval heroes the lost destoyers were named for. Provides a fascinating insight into the global scope of the war, with battles from the Mediterranean to Guadalcanal to the Java Sea.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    360 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Da Capo Press
  4. Publication date
    December 21, 1995
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1885119178
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1885119179
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seventy-one American destroyers were lost during WWII, 60 of them in confrontations with enemy ships, planes, shore batteries and mines, the other 11 to accidental groundings, friendly mines or severe storms. Parkin (Under the White Ensign) here compiles sketches of each destroyer's career from launch to destruction and a detailed description of the ship's final hours. He begins with an account of the sinking of the Reuben James in 1941 off Iceland, a U-boat victim and the first American warship lost in the war, and concludes with an account of the sinking of the Callaghan in a kamikaze attack in 1945, the 13th destroyer to go down in the waters off Okinawa. Included are descriptions of the capsizing of the Warrington in an Atlantic tempest, the loss of the Corry to German shore batteries on D-Day and the unequal fight between the Monssen and the Japanese battleship Hiei. One of the destroyers, the Stewart, was raised by the Japanese and commissioned into the Imperial Navy. Parkin's colorful style adds to the pleasure this meticulously researched book offers Navy buffs. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Seventy-one U. S. Destroyers were lost in the Second World War. Blood On The Sea describes each event, taking the reader on a breathtaking tour of American military action, on a multitude of fronts and on both sides of the globe. From the stormy North Atlantic to the calm, blue Mediterranean; from the U. S. East Coast to the vast reaches of the Pacific, brought home to the reader is the enormous scale of our simultaneous war against Germany and Japan -- and the dedication of the young fighting men who prosecuted the war. Lurking enemy submarines infested both the Atlantic and Pacific; within range of the Luftwaffe, no ship could be considered safe. In the hot expanses of the Pacific a ship could suddenly find itself swarmed by Japanese aircraft, or encounter a long-range cruiser. The American Destroyers were omnipresent in every pitched battle. The infernos off Guadalcanal and Okinawa took a grievous toll of our sailors, and off Salerno and Normandy, protecting the infantry transports, the Destroyers stood fast, albeit suffering causalities. Robert Parkin has written a history of each Destroyer's actions prior to its doom, as well as a context for the battle in which it was lost. Filled with eye-witness accounts, as well as the result of many years' research, Blood On The Sea offers an entirely unique perspective on battles fought around the globe during the last World War. -- Midwest Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press (December 21, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1885119178
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1885119179
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

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Robert Sinclair Parkin

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
30 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars If you like WWII Naval History
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2017
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Outstanding book!!! If you like WWII Naval History, then this needs to be in your library!!!
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peter martin caron
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2017
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this is a very useful book.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2016
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A must read so we don't forget
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DukesDad
4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of history in this book of some of our fighting ships.
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is good reading. It has the history of all of the destroyers that have been lost over the years, the reason they were lost, the amount of men that were lost and goes into alot of detail. Good reading. Great Shape on the book also. Thank You.
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HMLTM
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2015
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prompt delivery, great book
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John P. Rooney
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2009
"Blood On The Sea" by Robert Sinclair Parkin. Subtitled: "American Destroyers Lost In World War II"
Sarpedon Publishing, Fifth Avenue, New York, New York. 1995.
The U.S. Navy lost 71 destroyers in World War II; their stories are told in this book. Some of the ships were sunk by enemy gun fire. Some of these "tin cans" were sunk by Kamikaze action. Others were lost to the all powerful sea. Each of the 71 vessels is given a short, (perhaps 3 pages on average) history.
The book's general format begins each of the 71 sections with a few paragraphs on the history of the name of the destroyer. Once, it was Navy policy to name battleships after states, aircraft carriers after battles, cruisers after cities and so on. Destroyers were named after people who were famous in naval history or who had performed some act of gallantry, or good performance in the naval service. For example, the USS Blue (DD-387) was named for Rear Admiral Victor Blue (1865-1928) who had "...excellent intelligence missions in Cuba during the Spanish-American War..." and later commanded the battleship "New York... during her service ... in World War I". (Page 78).
The next part of each section deals with the actions the destroyer was involved in and the cause of the sinking of that ship. In the back of the book, there is an appendix summarizing the various methods used to sink the American destroyers: naval gun fire, Kamikaze attack, explosion, storm and so on. The book lists the sinking of the destroyer in general chronological order. Interestingly, the first destroyer sunk by enemy action in World War II was the USS Reuben James (DD-245), lost on October 31, 1941, some five weeks before the dastardly Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The notes on the torpedoing of the Reuben James show that her captain, Lt. Commander H. L. Edwards, died when the ship was lost.
So, each section gives a history of the ship's name, a brief listing of the actions the destroyer was involved in, how she was sunk and where she was sunk. I was intrigued by the single ship listed as "scuttled". The American naval tradition is never to scuttle a ship. The USS Stewart, (DD-224), was involved in the disastrous retreat of the American, British, Dutch and Australian navies before the onslaught of the Imperial Japanese Navy, early in the war. The USS Stewart was disabled and brought to a floating to dry-dock in Surabaya. The dry-dock collapsed , trapping the damaged vessel, so the Stewart's crew was split up amongst other ships and the trapped vessel blown up with demolition charges. The explosives did not do a complete job, and, as the author, Robert Parkin, recounts, ..."the frugal Japanese had raised the damaged destroyer, effected temporary repairs and ...(incorporated her) ... as Imperial Japanese Navy Shoaki-tei...Patrol Boat 102". Interesting story.
Finally, there were those destroyers sunk by the might of the ocean, off Iceland, or on the rocks near Nova Scotia, or by that famous (infamous) typhoon in the Pacific. Navy Hymn: " Oh hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea."
The author, Parkin, has done an excellent job of gathering much information in one place. You can read the book from front to back, in more or less chronological order, or you can skip from ship to ship, depending upon your interests. All in all, this is a fine book.
3 people found this helpful
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Heather L. Parisi
5.0 out of 5 stars 71 U.S. DESTROYERS & MANY OF THEIR CREWS WERE LOST DURING WW2: THIS IS THEIR STORY
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2006
IN A NUTSHELL: AN HONORABLE AND WELL EXECUTED EPITAPH TO BRAVE MEN & THEIR SHIPS

Every one of the 71 lost destroyers has a story. Most of the stories go beyond their last action and include other actions which are noteworthy.

WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT: 71 CHAPTERS ABOUT 71 LOST SHIPS & THEIR CREWS

Each ship gets a chapter and they all start out with a short biography of the ship's namesake. Then, actions in which the ships received 'Battle Stars' or citations are concisely discussed, always ending with the ships last action, for which the most detail and space is reserved.

Their are several clusters of photos which include some of the destroyers included in this volume. Some show extreme battle damage that is survived until a later action and some show the ships in prime condition cutting through the waves at 30 knots.

BUT THERE IS MORE: APPENDICES HELP TO GRASP THE SUBJECT

APPENDIX A]- AMERICAN DESTROYER CLASSES OF WW2
----- Brief listing of the various destroyers that were used in WW2, could have included more detail.

APPENDIX B]- THE HONOR ROLL
----- List of the U.S. Destroyers that were subsequently named in honor of the officers and men who are listed in this volume.

APPENDIX C]- U.S. DESTROYER LOSSES [ALPHABETICAL ORDER]

APPENDIX D]- THE "DIVINE WIND"
----- A list or about 57 Destroyers that survived 'Kamikaze' attacks [with significant casualties].

APPENDIX E]- DESTROYER ESCORTS
----- A short explaination of the difference between 'Destroyers' and 'Destroyer Escorts' as well as their varying roles.

BOTTOM LINE: FITTING AND HONORABLE REQUIEM FOR MANY LOST SAILORS

Each short chapter that covers the life and death of one ill-fated destroyer reads like a fitting memorial to the families of these young men whose lives were dramatically cut short.
4 people found this helpful
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M. A. Ramos
5.0 out of 5 stars Reference Book of the U.S. Four-Stackers Lost in W.W.II
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2008
I would consider this book to be more a reference book on the destroyers lost during World War II. In this book we have descriptions of the seventy-one U.S. destroyers that were lost during this war. Their individual accounts include eyewitness accounts of their finale hours.

Relates the ships' launchings and naming, their tour of duty, and the causes of their destruction. These include a short overview of the Ship's namesake and a short yet detailed account of what citations the ships received and their final action that resulted in their destruction and inclusion in this book.

The author makes it quite clear that this book is about these seventy-one U.S. destroyers' final days and not a study of the great battles that they were in. If you are seeking out a book that covers the strategy and tactics of these destroyers, this is not the book for you. I find this to be a great reference guide and a good addition to my library of naval history.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2018
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Awesome book.
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