Return to Midway

Dr Robert D. Ballard seems not to know when to stop - and why should he? We who admire his work and, of course, his books, are much the richer through his sharing of his many adventures with us. Just as soon as I took delivery of "Return to Midway" I was aware I was a holding a 5 Star Book and there was nothing contained within it's 190 pages to make me take away any of those stars. On the contrary, I could so easily have added stars for the factual detail, the readable style of writing, the photography and undoubtedly the artwork. But, in the same way as 5 stars are the most that can be awarded to either a military Generals or an hotel, so 5 stars are the most I could possibly allot to this particular book - and each one is thoroughly well deserved. As the name suggests, this book is about the author's return to Midway - the scene of one of the fiercest naval battles of WW2. In what has become his customary style, Dr Ballard skilfully takes the reader through his own journey towards his eventual goal whilst giving an accurate account of the Battle of Midway itself. In so doing, he treats us to historic facts, memories from some of those who were there (Americans and Japanese), documents, maps, historic photographs and his own photography which are all combined to produce a story which is as complete as it should be. The greatest loss on the US side during the battle was the 19,900 ton Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown - and Ballard's discovery of this wreck almost 3 miles down on the seabed is as great a discovery as either the Titanic or the Bismarck. Having found this famous and yet elusive ship so deep, the author has again skilfully put together the most complete account of his search, discovery and final success. The various underwater photographs of the ship are then cleverly matched with a description of what the reader is looking at coupled with a photograph of that particular view from when the ship was afloat. As I have said before when reviewing this man's work; As I know from researching and writing about lesser ships, he really has done the most thorough job of work on all fronts. Once again, the book's front cover shows the artwork of Ken Marschall. From thousands of photographic images taken far below the surface, montage after montage of the various sections and profiles of the USS Yorktown were created so that Mr Marschall was able to provide us with a number of paintings which are every bit as accurate as a colour photograph. I congratulate Dr Ballard on yet another excellent and professional job of work. Once again he has succeeded where others only dream. NM

In June, 1942, the Japanese and American navies clashed near a small island in the central Pacific; Midway. This battle turned out to be the turning point of the war for both sides. For the Americans, they finally managed to stop the Japanese advance, while the Japanese suffered a crushing defeat and were put on the defensive, never to regain the offensive again. One of the ships sunk in this momentous battle was the American aircraft carrier Yorktown. This ship, the "fighting lady" as she was known to her crew, became the objective of undersea explorer Robert Ballard.Ballard, who discovered the Titanic, Bismarck, and the lost fleet of Guadalcanal, journeyed to Midway to locate the sunken Yorktown. What he managed to find was a ship in almost pristine condition. The excellent photographs and drawings of the Yorktown contained in the book bring her back to life. Resting in several thousand feet of water, the Yorktown looks in remarkably good condition. The torpedo holes on her side are visible, but the flight deck and island are in very good condition. Also included in the expedition were several Japanese survivors of the battle. Ballard had hoped to locate the four Japanese carriers sunk during the battle, but he unfortunately could not locate them.The book also describes in great detail the battle itself, and there are many actual photos from the battle contained in the book as well. I have the video of the expedition entitled The Battle For Midway, and this book makes a fine companion to the video. I highly recommend both the video and the book. They do an excellent job describing one of the most important battles of the 20th century as well as bringing a "fighting lady" back to life.

Bob Ballard again uses his expertise and access to cutting-edge technology to explore an underwater historical treasure. There are few moments in the 20th Century as critical as the Battle of Midway, yet prior to this expedition little or no attention has been paid to the lasting physical artifacts of that battle scattered on the sea floor. As always seems to be the case with Ballard's expeditions, the only regret is that he was not able to search the area longer and find more of the carriers ... but hopefully there's another expedition in the works!

This was an excellent overview of both the battle and the expedition to find the 5 carriers. Well illustrated. The only thing I would like to have seen more of was the details of the Yorktown wreck. Only a few photos of the wreck are included, although the text mentions that they took hundreds of detailed photos. Get the companion video, too!