Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939-1945 (Bluejacket Books)

I picked up this book because my grandfather was a WWII destroyer sailor (DD-727 USS DeHaven II, not the Sterret), and I wanted to get a sense of what the war must have been like for him. I think this book does an excellent job of this and "Cal" Calhoun has to be commended for pulling together the story of this destroyer. Of course the book follows one particular destroyer but it focuses on the daily life of the sailors... Read Full Review

I have read many books on destroyers during WWII. This is the first book that put me on the deck during a night surface battle, and I could SEE what was going on. There is no hype, no "I was a hero" type of comments, just the facts. You can feel the pain he felt when he saw a fellow sailor dead on the deck. It almost brought me to tears. If you want to SEE what life on a destroyer was like in WWII, this is a MUST READ book!... Read Full Review

Like a previous reviewer, my father also served on a WWII Pacific destroyer. This book helps to capture what life on a destroyer must have been like. Interestingly, it follows the life and action of this ship from it's beginning in the shipyard; through its exciting sea battles, and then to her decommissioning. Thankyou Capt. Calhoun for a book well done.

The book had special meaning for me in that my father was aboard the Sterett from October 1941 to October 1943. Although he had often explained many of the events aboard ship, the connection for me between the war and it's lasting affect on the men who served, was not realized until I read the gripping tales recounted by Captain Calhoun. In a well researched history enhanced with the credibility of first hand knowledge, Captain... Read Full Review

The only problem with this book is that the author didn't stay on the Sterett past 1943 so the book could have been longer. Very good reading. Hard to put down.