Blood on the Sea: American Destroyers Lost in World War II

"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 f

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.

An excellent work, describing the loss of various classes of U.S. destroyers sunk in WWII. With help from crew members of the many ships, Mr. Parkin describes the horrors of fighting losing battles against man and nature. Having served aboard a Fletcher class DD in the Viet Nam conflict, I can appreciate the efforts by which the "tin can sailors" of WWII fought to keep their ships afloat under circumstances that can only be described as hellish. This book also contains short biographical data of the men for whom each ship was named, and at the end of each description of loss, data such as ship class, launching and loss dates, sponsor, builder, keel laying,commanding officers at time of commissioning and loss, and place where the ship was lost is featured, in addition to awards won by the ship. I enjoyed this book very much, and recommend it to all who are interested in destroyer operations in WWII.

Robert Sinclair is the bomb! He writes the best war book. This book rocks! I would recommend it to anyone. I never knew the actual detailed loss of so many destroyers. I study World War two naval battles and find this book facinating."Admiral" Nathaniel Bartels