Antisubmarine Warrior In The Pacific

Author : John A. Williamson
Publisher : University Alabama Press
Page : 245 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2020-12-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9780817360078

Get Book

Antisubmarine Warrior in the Pacific by John A. Williamson Pdf

A first-hand account of the USS England's accomplishments, written by its commanding officer The USS England was a 1200-ton, 306-foot, long-hull destroyer escort. Commissioned into service in late 1943 and dispatched to the Pacific the following February, the England and its crew, in one 12-day period in 1944, sank more submarines than any other ship in U.S. naval history: of the six targets attacked, all six were destroyed. For this distinction, legendary in the annals of antisubmarine warfare, the ship and her crew were honored with the Presidential Unit Citation. After convoying in the Atlantic, John A. Williamson was assigned to the England—first as its executive officer, then as its commanding officer—from the time of her commissioning until she was dry-docked for battle damage repairs in the Philadelphia Naval Yard fifteen months later. Besides being a key participant in the remarkable antisubmarine actions, Williamson commanded the England in the battle of Okinawa, where she was attacked by kamikaze planes. Williamson narrates his memoir with authority and authenticity, describes naval tactics and weaponry precisely, and provides information gleaned from translations of the orders from the Japanese high command to Submarine Squadron 7. The author details the challenges of communal life aboard ship and explains the intense loyalty that bonds crew members for life. Ultimately, Williamson offers a compelling portrait of himself, an inexperienced naval officer who, having come of age in Alabama during the Depression, rose to become the most successful World War II antisubmarine warfare officer in the Pacific.

Author : Susan Provost Beller
Publisher : Twenty-First Century Books
Page : 116 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2008-01-01
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9780822563815

Get Book

Battling in the Pacific by Susan Provost Beller Pdf

Examines the life of American soldiers fighting in the Pacific during World War II.

Author : Malcolm H. Murfett
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 18 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2008-11-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781134048137

Get Book

Naval Warfare 1919-45 by Malcolm H. Murfett Pdf

Naval Warfare 1919–45 is a comprehensive history of the war at sea from the end of the Great War to the end of World War Two. Showing the bewildering nature and complexity of the war facing those charged with fighting it around the world, this book ranges far and wide: sweeping across all naval theatres and those powers performing major, as well as minor, roles within them. Armed with the latest material from an extensive set of sources, Malcolm H. Murfett has written an absorbing as well as a comprehensive reference work. He demonstrates that superior equipment and the best intelligence, ominous power and systematic planning, vast finance and suitable training are often simply not enough in themselves to guarantee the successful outcome of a particular encounter at sea. Sometimes the narrow difference between victory and defeat hinges on those infinite variables: the individual’s performance under acute pressure and sheer luck. Naval Warfare 1919–45 is an analytical and interpretive study which is an accessible and fascinating read both for students and for interested members of the general public.

Author : Giles Milton
Publisher : Picador
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2017-02-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9781250119049

Get Book

Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare by Giles Milton Pdf

Six gentlemen, one goal: the destruction of Hitler's war machine In the spring of 1939, a top-secret organization was founded in London: its purpose was to plot the destruction of Hitler's war machine through spectacular acts of sabotage. The guerrilla campaign that followed was every bit as extraordinary as the six men who directed it. One of them, Cecil Clarke, was a maverick engineer who had spent the 1930s inventing futuristic caravans. Now, his talents were put to more devious use: he built the dirty bomb used to assassinate Hitler's favorite, Reinhard Heydrich. Another, William Fairbairn, was a portly pensioner with an unusual passion: he was the world's leading expert in silent killing, hired to train the guerrillas being parachuted behind enemy lines. Led by dapper Scotsman Colin Gubbins, these men—along with three others—formed a secret inner circle that, aided by a group of formidable ladies, single-handedly changed the course Second World War: a cohort hand-picked by Winston Churchill, whom he called his Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Giles Milton's Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a gripping and vivid narrative of adventure and derring-do that is also, perhaps, the last great untold story of the Second World War.

Author : Mark Stille
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 81 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2022-01-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472843067

Get Book

USN Submarine vs IJN Antisubmarine Escort by Mark Stille Pdf

This fully illustrated study examines and compares the roles of the US Navy submarines and the Imperial Japanese Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities during World War II. In 1941 and 1942, US Navy submarine operations in the Pacific were largely ineffective, hampered by faulty torpedo design, conservative tactics, and insufficiently aggressive submarine captains. Eventually, though, a new generation of wartime submarine commanders, combined with reliable torpedoes, new generation boats, improved intelligence, and advanced radar, inflicted devastating losses on Japanese shipping. Antisubmarine warfare was initially accorded a low priority by the Imperial Japanese Navy; the lack of ASW escorts and modern weaponry, and an inability to develop tactics, resulted in devastation to vital convoys, and hampered its ability to deter and destroy enemy submarines. This book explores all these factors, and the role that US submarines played in supporting the major fleet operations in the Pacific Theater, notching up almost 500 patrols by war's end for the loss of 52 submarines to the Japanese. The technical and tactical developments implemented by the opposing sides are documented in detail, including US improvements to submarine design and weaponry and more aggressive tactics, and the Japanese development of destroyer escorts, changes to depth charge design, and improved submarine detection capacity.

Author : Vice-Adm. Charles A. Lockwood
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 375 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2017-07-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781787207257

Get Book

Sink ‘Em All by Vice-Adm. Charles A. Lockwood Pdf

Originally published in 1951, in Sink ‘Em All: Submarine Warfare in the Pacific Vice-Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, who commanded the U.S. submarines in the Pacific during the greater part of World War II, provides an official account of wartime successes and tragedies. Writing with writes complete authority and authenticity, he describes his efforts to improve the provisions and after-patrol accommodations of the submariners, and of his on-going struggle to improve the effectiveness of torpedoes and other tools vital to the war effort. “It is to be hoped that this interesting narrative will be widely read, and that the exploits of our “Silent Service” will take their proper place in the minds of our citizens. Certainly no one is better qualified to tell this story than the author, Vice-Admiral Charles A. Lockwood [...]”—Foreword by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, U.S. Navy Another fascinating read from Vice-Admiral Lockwood, and a valuable addition to your collection.

Author : Colin F. Baxter
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2018-05-18
Category : History
ISBN : 9780813175317

Get Book

The Secret History of RDX by Colin F. Baxter Pdf

The noted historian offers “a compelling sociohistorical account of an often overlooked yet critical” WWII explosive twice as powerful as TNT (Choice). During the early years of World War II, American ships crossing the Atlantic were virtually defenseless against German U-boats. Bombs and torpedoes fitted with TNT barely dented the hulls of Axis naval vessels. Then, seemingly overnight, a top-secret manufacturing plant appeared near Kingsport, Tennessee, producing a sugar-white substance called Research Department Explosive, code name RDX. Twice as deadly as TNT and overshadowed only by the atomic bomb, RDX proved to be pivotal in the Battle of the Atlantic and directly contributed to the Allied victory in WWII. In The Secret History of RDX, Colin F. Baxter documents the journey of the super-explosive from conceptualization at Woolwich Arsenal in England to mass production at Holston Ordnance Works in east Tennessee. Baxter examines the debates between RDX advocates and their opponents and explores the use of the explosive in the bomber war over Germany, in the naval war in the Atlantic, and as a key element in the trigger device of the atomic bomb. Drawing on archival records and interviews with individuals who worked at the Kingsport “powder plant,” Baxter illuminates both the explosive’s military significance and its impact on the lives of ordinary Americans involved in the war industry. Much more than a technical account, this study assesses the social and economic impact of the military-industrial complex on small communities on the home front.

Author : Clint Johnson
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2019-02-12
Category : History
ISBN : 9781621577676

Get Book

Tin Cans and Greyhounds by Clint Johnson Pdf

For men on destroyer-class warships during World War I and World War II, battles were waged “against overwhelming odds from which survival could not be expected.” Those were the words Lieutenant Commander Robert Copeland calmly told his crew as their tiny, unarmored destroyer escort rushed toward giant, armored Japanese battleships at the Battle off Samar on October 25, 1944. This action-packed narrative history of destroyer-class ships brings readers inside the half-inch-thick hulls to meet the men who fired the ships' guns, torpedoes, hedgehogs, and depth charges. Nicknamed "tin cans" or "greyhounds," destroyers were fast escort and attack ships that proved indispensable to America's military victories. Beginning with destroyers' first incarnation as torpedo boats in 1874 and ending with World War II, author Clint Johnson shares the riveting stories of the Destroyer Men who fought from inside a "tin can"—risking death by cannons, bombs, torpedoes, fire, and drowning. The British invented destroyers, the Japanese improved them, and the Germans failed miserably with them. It was the Americans who perfected destroyers as the best fighting ship in two world wars. Tin Cans & Greyhounds compares the designs of these countries with focus on the old, modified World War I destroyers, and the new and numerous World War II destroyers of the United States. Tin Cans & Greyhounds details how destroyers fought submarines, escorted convoys, rescued sailors and airmen, downed aircraft, shelled beaches, and attacked armored battleships and cruisers with nothing more than a half-inch of steel separating their crews from the dark waves.

Author : David Hackett Fischer
Publisher : Vintage Canada
Page : 864 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2009-11-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9780307373014

Get Book

Champlain's Dream by David Hackett Fischer Pdf

In this sweeping, enthralling biography, acclaimed Pulitzer Prize–winner David Hackett Fischer magnificently brings to life the visionary adventurer who has straddled our history for 400 years. Champlain’s Dream reveals, with rare immediacy and drama, the story of a remarkable man: a leader who dreamed of humanity and peace in a world riven by violence; a man of his own time who nevertheless strove to build a settlement in Canada that would be founded on harmony and respect. With consummate narrative skill and comprehensive scholarship, Fischer unfolds a life shrouded in mystery, a complex, elusive man among many colorful characters. Born on France’s Atlantic coast, Samuel de Champlain grew up in a country bitterly divided by religious wars. But, like Henry IV, one of France’s greatest kings whose illegitimate son he may have been and who supported his travels from the Spanish Empire in Mexico to the St. Lawrence and the unknown territories, Champlain was religiously tolerant in an age of murderous sectarianism. Soldier, spy, master mariner, explorer, cartographer, and artist, he maneuvered his way through court intrigues in Paris, supported by Henri IV and, later, Louis XIII, though bitterly opposed by the Queen Regent Marie de Medici and the wily Cardinal Richelieu. But his astonishing dedication and stamina triumphed…. Champlain was an excellent navigator. He went to sea as a boy, acquiring the skills that allowed him to make 27 Atlantic crossings between France and Canada, enduring raging storms without losing a ship, and finally bringing with him into the wilderness his young wife, whom he had married in middle age. In the place he called Quebec, on the beautiful north shore of the St. Lawrence, he founded the first European settlement in Canada, where he dreamed that Europeans and First Nations would cooperate for mutual benefit. There he played a role in starting the growth of three populations — Québécois, Acadian, and Métis — from which millions descend. Through three decades, on foot and by ship and canoe, Champlain traveled through what are now six Canadian provinces and five American states, negotiating with more than a dozen Indian nations, encouraging intermarriage among the French colonists and the natives, and insisting, as a Catholic, on tolerance for Protestants. A brilliant politician as well as a soldier, he tried constantly to maintain a balance of power among the Indian nations and his Indian allies, but, when he had to, he took up arms with them and against them, proving himself a formidable strategist and warrior in ferocious wars. Drawing on Champlain’s own diaries and accounts, as well as his exquisite drawings and maps, Fischer shows him to have been a keen observer of a vanished world: an artist and cartographer who drew and wrote vividly, publishing four invaluable books on the life he saw around him. This superb biography (the first full-scale biography in decades) by a great historian is as dramatic and richly exciting as the life it portrays. Deeply researched, it is illustrated throughout with 110 contemporary images and 37 maps, including several drawn by Champlain himself.

Author : Don Keith
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2011-11-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781101545478

Get Book

Undersea Warrior by Don Keith Pdf

The remarkable true story of Dudley “Mush” Morton, the most admired—and feared—submarine commander of World War II Mush Morton was a warrior without peer. At the helm of the USS Wahoo he completely changed the way the submarines fought in the Pacific War. He would relentlessly attack the Japanese at every opportunity, burning through his supply of torpedoes in record time on every patrol. Over the course of only nine months and five patrols, Morton racked up an astounding list of achievements, including being the first American skipper to wipe out an entire enemy convoy single-handedly. Here, for the first time, is the life and legend of a heroic submarine commander who fought the war on his own terms, and changed the course of the undersea war in the Pacific.

Author : David Owen
Publisher : US Naval Institute Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Anti-submarine warfare
ISBN : 1591140145

Get Book

Anti-submarine Warfare by David Owen Pdf

The author of more than twenty books on scientific and historical subjects, David Owen presents an authoritative yet highly readable account of the ongoing battle between naval forces above and below the sea's surface. Without question, the submarine was the most potent purely naval weapon of the twentieth century, yet the fact that it was usually defeated is an important part of the story described in this book. With the support of nearly 200 illustrations, the author examines both the successful innovations and the inevitable counter-measures made by each side in their lethal struggle for supremacy. Known for picking just the right incident to illustrate a point, Owen fills his book with examples of individual heroism and devotion to duty along with accounts of the ingenuity, originality of tactical thought, and technological advances to provide a complete picture. He shows clearly that development was not a straight line--wrong ideas and assumptions sometimes led to defeat and disaster. Concluding the book is a survey of recent ASW developments carried out by teams of scientists, engineers, commanders and crews of ASW aircraft, ships, and other submarines working together to defeat the current threat of hostile raiders who hide in the ocean depths.

Author : Peter Padfield
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 652 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2013-06-07
Category : Anti-submarine warfare
ISBN : 1909609374

Get Book

War Beneath the Sea by Peter Padfield Pdf

This is the first book to cover all submarine and anti-submarine operations of the major powers, U.S., British, German, Japanese and Italian in the Second World War. The canvas is broad and deep, from the strategic perspective at the top to the cramped and claustrophobic life of the crews in their submersible steel tubes; from the feats of 'ace' commanders to the terrifying experiences of men under attack in this most pitiless form of warfare. Peter Padfield describes the technical and tactical measures by which the Western Allies countered Admiral Karl Donitz's U-boat 'pack' attacks in the all-important North Atlantic battle; the fanatical zeal with which, even after defeat, Donitz continued sacrificing his young crews in outmoded boats, dubbed by one veteran 'iron coffins'; while in the Pacific the superiority of American fleet submarines and radar allowed the U.S. to isolate Japan from her overseas sources of supply. Padfield argues that if this strategic potential had been realised earlier it could have saved thousands of lives in the bloody Pacific island campaigns, and even rendered the use of atomic bombs unnecessary. 'Peter Padfield is the best British naval historian of his generation...His book...will now become the standard work on the subject.' John Keegan, The Daily Telegraph 'This looks set to become the definitive work on submarine warfare in the Second World War...' Paul Hoxton, Military Illustrated 'By far the best and most complete critical history of the submarine operations of all the combatants in the Second World War, at the same time providing vivid narrative accounts of particular actions...' Alan Cameron, Lloyd's List 'Peter Padfield has written a superb history of a complex and controversial subject. It is a valuable addition to our body of history of World War II, and I recommend it highly.' Vice Admiral James F. Calvert USN Rtd., U.S.N.I Proceedings 'This monument to the submarine arms of the major belligerents tells the story of their triumphs and tragedies and comes from one of our ablest naval historians...' Graham Rhys-Jones, R.U.S.I.Journal '...the book is very well written and enjoyable to read. The facts and statistics are mixed with well penned character studies and fast-moving descriptive narrative in a way that confirms the author's stature as a leading military historian...' The Naval Review '...a near flawless work of history that can be recommended both as a serious study and a compelling read.' The Officer Magazine 'Probably one of the most valuable books ever written on submarine operations and countermeasures for World War II history...in the 'Bravo' category.' Canadian Military History Book Review Supplement 'Padfield keeps an unwavering balance between providing the depth of history and maintaining an exciting narrative.' The Times

Author : Charles A. Lockwood
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2017-10-03
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1549889052

Get Book

Sink 'Em All by Charles A. Lockwood Pdf

'This is a book of substantial importance. Here is an account of U.S. Navy submarine operations in the Pacific by the flag officer responsible for their direction throughout the war. It is that sort of book-written by a prime authority who holds strong opinions and is not afraid to air them; whose treatment is always suggestive and strikes sparks in every chapter.' - The Naval Review Sink 'Em All, was originally published in 1951 by Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, the U.S. Navy commander of the Pacific submarine fleet during World War II. Lockwood, in his leadership role, knew the skippers and crews of the submarines, and retells their wartime successes and tragedies with an intimacy and realism often missing in second-hand accounts. Lockwood also recounts his efforts to improve the provisions and after-patrol accommodations of the submariners, and of his on-going struggle to improve the effectiveness of torpedoes and other tools vital to the war effort. 'It is a balanced and surprisingly objective account adequately supported by statistics and containing some interesting conclusions.' The Naval Review Charles Andrews Lockwood (May 6, 1890 - June 7, 1967) was a vice-admiral and flag officer of the United States Navy. He is known in submarine history as the commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet during World War II. He devised tactics for the effective use of submarines, making the members and elements of "silent service" key players in the Pacific victory.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 1008 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : American literature
ISBN : UCD:31175030094687

Get Book

The Publishers Weekly by Anonim Pdf

Author : Charles Andrews Vice-admiral Lockwood (U.s. Navy)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 1951
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:817051697

Get Book

Sink 'em All: Submarine Warfare in the Pacific by Charles Andrews Vice-admiral Lockwood (U.s. Navy) Pdf