Memories of My Three Years Aboard Destroyer Escorts

Memories of My Three Years Aboard Destroyer Escorts PDF Author: John J. Sheehan
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1493170031
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
John J. Sheehan, LTJG USN (ret.) John Joseph Sheehan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 27. 1935 to Margaret and Joseph Sheehan, Sr. He attended St. Timothy Parochial School in the Mayfair section of the city. He is a 1952 graduate of St. Josephs Preparatory School, (The Prep) and St. Josephs College (now University) in 1956. John enlisted in the United States Navy and graduated from the Naval Officers Candidate School in 1956. John served as Communications Officer on the USS Cross and the USS Chamber until his honorable discharge as a Lieutenant JG in 1959. Upon his retirement from the City of Philadelphia Comptrollers Office, John use the logs from the Library of Congress to research material from his real life experiences aboard ship. John lives in Philadelphia with his wife of fifty years, Ellen. He is the father of Ann Marie Matekovic, John Sheehan, Jr. and Ellyn Taylor and the grandfather of Katelyn and Laura Matekovic, Casey and Megan Sheehan and Charles, Kelley and Joseph Taylor.

Memories of My Three Years Aboard Destroyer Escorts

Memories of My Three Years Aboard Destroyer Escorts PDF Author: John J. Sheehan
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1493170031
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
John J. Sheehan, LTJG USN (ret.) John Joseph Sheehan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 27. 1935 to Margaret and Joseph Sheehan, Sr. He attended St. Timothy Parochial School in the Mayfair section of the city. He is a 1952 graduate of St. Josephs Preparatory School, (The Prep) and St. Josephs College (now University) in 1956. John enlisted in the United States Navy and graduated from the Naval Officers Candidate School in 1956. John served as Communications Officer on the USS Cross and the USS Chamber until his honorable discharge as a Lieutenant JG in 1959. Upon his retirement from the City of Philadelphia Comptrollers Office, John use the logs from the Library of Congress to research material from his real life experiences aboard ship. John lives in Philadelphia with his wife of fifty years, Ellen. He is the father of Ann Marie Matekovic, John Sheehan, Jr. and Ellyn Taylor and the grandfather of Katelyn and Laura Matekovic, Casey and Megan Sheehan and Charles, Kelley and Joseph Taylor.

Three Years Aboard a Navy Destroyer

Three Years Aboard a Navy Destroyer PDF Author: Otis Ted Holly
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 1426947941
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
This book is a sea story about a U.S. Navy destroyer and her crew. The author served on this ship, the USS Brush (DD745), for 3 years and 2 months in the early 1950s. Life on the Brush involved a lot of sea duty. She spent most of this time at sea either conducting training exercises off the coast of California or steaming around somewhere in the Far east. The Brush made 3 seven month cruises to the Orient while the author was aboard her. The main objective of this book, and the reason for writing it, was to tell about what the crew of the Brush experienced on these 3 cruises. The first cruise was made in early 1953. The Brush was sent to the Korean War theatre and spent several months there doing what destroyers do during war time. The men experienced things off North Korea that they will never forget. In addition to the Korean Patrol, the Brush participated in the Formosa Patrol for a month or so and went to the island city of Hong Kong while she was down that way. The second cruise was made in May, 1954. On this cruise, the brush spent most of her time in the South China Sea, Formosa Strait, and in the Sea of Japan. The Brush commenced the third cruise in June, 1955. This was more of a peace time cruise and we never had to go into harms way. Although, the author had a number of interesting personal experiences which he wrote about. Comments by people who have read the book, Three Years Aboard A Navy Destroyer As the son of one of the USS Brushs skippers identified in Ted Hollys book, I was particularly fascinated to read of his and his shipmates many and varied experiences during their three Far East cruises. His folksy stories of a young mans explorations of the vastness of the oceans, the wonders of the orient, and the uncertainties of combat are told in a detailed and entertaining style offering multiple layers of insight to life aboard a tin can in the 1950s. In addition to his prose, Mr. Holly has included many photographs and maps which enhance and elucidate the storytelling. It is a terrific read for anyone interested in the naval service in general and the unforgotten Korean War in particular. Dennis Quigley Captain, USMC (Retired) Arizona the straightforward and unglossed memories of a young sailor, out of high school and soon into a U.S. destroyer, greyhound of the seas. Ted Holly was everybodys favorite sailor, squared away with a great attitude in a key job around the nerve center of a 2200 tonner loaded for whatever kind of scrap. This book is an honest snapshot of the times, the people, and the ships that sailed to the Korean Conflict. Ted Brown LT., USNR (Retired) New Hampshire This book, Three Years Aboard A Navy Destroyer, vividly recounts typical destroyer, i.e. USS BRUSH DD745, operations during the final days of the Korea War and the transition into post war routine operations. It accurately reports destroyer actions against North Korean trains, sinking of floating mines with rifle fire, the Wonsan Harbor actions and support of Korean Forces engaged in clandestine operations. It also provides a typical sailors view and experiences of the liberty ports in Japan and the exotic Hong Kong as a British Colony. And the author returns to Japan 29 years later and gives an interesting comparison of his experiences and the differences that he observed between his first trip and the 1982 trip. The BRUSH was my first duty station after being commissioned in June 1951 until my transfer in November 1953. So I shared with the author the destroyer actions described. I was amazed that he was able to capture these events in so much detail and I enjoyed remembering the details of these events. Herbert O. Burton Captain, USN (Retired) North Carolina Three Years Aboard A Navy Destroyer is a marvelous account of the experience of the author as a young sailor during a period that few, since the days of World War II, have had the opportunity to share. While certainly many have sailed the seas, and some have encountered hostile action, this account fills the gap for those who have not had such an experience. Ted Holly communicates in the language of the sailor his experience that draws the reader into such that it is as if he (or she) is there. He captures the attention of the reader and presents an engaging account of the experiences of life aboard a 2200 ton vessel, which is missing all of the comforts of the cruise ship, from the periods of relative boredom to the periods of action with live ammunition. Rev. Ralph H. Spiller, Jr., PhD, LMHC CWO3, USN (Retired) Florida/Maine Ted Hollys book is remarkable at several levels. First, he treats a subject from his own experience that is not often considered life on an American destroyer during the Korean War. Further, he lends authenticity to his narrative through the painstaking process of obtaining and relying on the actual ships logs, day by day throughout his entire tenure aboard the USS Brush. Added to that, he, as a quartermaster, was well-placed to hear and see much of what was happening aboard the ship. Ted includes exhaustive details on some of the high points of the ships experience, the shell hit in Wonsan Harbor and the attack on the submarine as examples. Even for we who were aboard during much of the time covered in the book, some of the events were revelations. We either remembered them differently or not at all, or in less detail, but must defer to Teds account because of his reliance on the logs. Therefore, for any member of the crew during that period, Teds book is an enjoyable and enlightening read. Don Gordon RD 3/C, USN (Retired) North Carolina Great book! As a Destroyer Sailor aboard the USS DeHaven during the Korean War, I can testify Ted has written a fine book about his navy years aboard the USS Brush. If you are a navy destroyer sailor reading this book, then get ready to relive an exciting experience. I can recommend Teds book to anyone interested in ships, shipboard life, and even to one who has never been to sea. An outstanding experience. Bill Williams YN 2/C, USN (Retired) Florida

Shepherds of the Sea

Shepherds of the Sea PDF Author: Robert F. Cross
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 9781591141440
Category : Destroyer escorts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Political Science/International Relations/General

In the Trough

In the Trough PDF Author: Thomas F. Jaras
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1491706546
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
A few months out of college, followed by a sixteen-week course on how to be a naval officer, author Thomas F. Jaras found himself standing bridge watches on the USS Vance in the middle of nowhere, providing navigational aid for aircraft flying to the polar ice. Now, almost fifty years later, Jaras recalls the three years he spent aboard the Vance in the 1960s, on the ramparts of the Cold War. In his memoir, In the Trough, Jaras attempts to understand his love-hate relationship with the USS Vance, an insignificant radar picket ship that supported Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic Ocean for a year and then spent two years on the Pacific Distant Early Warning Line. He describes life on an endurance ship afloat in midocean, battling eighty-foot walls of water crashing over the bridge. In the Trough chronicles Jarass transition from a boy to man as he dreamed of life ashore during long weeks at sea that were punctuated by short, intense visits to terra firma. Young, inexperienced, and nave, he feared the best years of his life were being wasted at sea. He searched desperately for women, love, and a normal existence while ashore for precious short stints in Tahiti, New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii. Despite three stressful, unhappy, and difficult years at sea, Jaras acknowledges a tearful departure but promised himself to never go to sea again.

Shepherds of the Sea

Shepherds of the Sea PDF Author: Robert F Cross
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 1612512720
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
This compelling tale of courage, heroism, and terror is told in the words of ninety-one sailors and officers interviewed by the author about their World War II service aboard fifty-six destroyer escorts. They reveal many never-before-told details of life at sea during wartime and, along with information found in secretly kept war diaries and previously unpublished personal photographs, add important dimensions to the official record. Unseasoned teenage recruits when they first went to sea, these sailors were led by inexperienced college boys more accustomed to yachts than warships. Their ships were untested vessels, designed by a man with no formal training in ship design, and which many viewed as a waste of money. Yet, as Cross points out, these men are credited with helping turn the tide of the war in the Atlantic as they singlehandedly sank some seventy U-boats and captured U-505, the only German submarine taken during the war and the first enemy vessel captured by Americans at sea since the War of 1812. In the Pacific, the destroyer escorts fought in every major battle, side-by-side with Allied battleships and destroyers. But this story is not just about battles. It is also about American genius, hard work, honor and growing up in the Great Depression. The author provides eyewitness details about the historic first step taken to end racial discrimination in the military as African-Americans stepped aboard the destroyer escort USS Mason as full-fledged sailors for the first time and earned a Navy commendation of heroism in the Battle of the Atlantic presented to the surviving crewmen fifty-one years later. Readers also learn about an ingenious invention when a sailor breaks his silence about a secret weapon tested aboard his destroyer escort that rendered a new German radio-controlled glide bomb useless.

It Wasn't Just a Job; It Was an Adventure

It Wasn't Just a Job; It Was an Adventure PDF Author: Donald Johnson
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595261027
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Have you ever wondered what your sailor husband, wife or friend does at sea or at that overseas Navy facility? This book will tell you some of the things that go on. You will read about "The Perfect Storm", practical jokes, Navy food, the loss of a shipmate at sea and much, much more. Sit back and read these Sailors' stories.

The Travels of a Happy Hooligan

The Travels of a Happy Hooligan PDF Author: Elizabeth Smith Doerning
Publisher: Author House
ISBN: 1481721836
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Sixteen-year-old twins, Frank, Jr. and Gerry wanted to help their mother make ends meet after their father became estranged from their Boston family. The year was 1942; America was at war in Europe and the South Pacific. The twins saw the chance to earn military pay to send back home to Mom. There was one problem. The minimum age for enlistment in the United States military was 17. Together they hatched a plan to enlist. Gerald is accepted into the US Navy. Frank finds a way into the US Coast Guard. These are Franks stories, sometimes funny, of the brave young men and women he served with until President Harry Truman announced the end of World War II on September 2, 1945.

One Sailor’s Story: A Narrative of World War II by a Destroyer Escort Sonar Man

One Sailor’s Story: A Narrative of World War II by a Destroyer Escort Sonar Man PDF Author: Malcolm Akey
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1300272163
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description
For Christmas of 1988 my wife, Doris, and our children Ronn, Carolyn and Phyllis gave me a tape recorder in order that I might record my story of the war. So during the winter of 1989, I taped the story of my experiences of the time leading up to World War II and the time I spent as a Destroyer Escort Sonar Man in the Navy. My story ended up being 22 ninety-minute tapes.Over the course of 4 months during the winter of 2011-12, Erma Akey, my sister-in-law, transcribed my story using these tapes. My daughter, Phyllis Akey Gregg and her husband, K.T. (Tom) Gregg, edited this story. Thanks go to Erma, Phyllis and Tom for the time they spent on my memoirs of WWII. Additional thanks goes to my granddaughter, Cynthia Kiesel, and her sister-in-law, Janet Kiesel, for designing and publishing this book.

U.S.S. Holt (DE-706) Destroyer Escort

U.S.S. Holt (DE-706) Destroyer Escort PDF Author: Jeffrey E. Cope
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1434377733
Category : Destroyer escorts
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
This is the true story of the men aboard the destroyer escort U.S.S. HOLT (DE-706) during World War II. The HOLT story begins with the ship's construction in 1943, launching in 1944, continues through its missions in the Pacific, and concludes with its decommissioning after the war in 1946. Major missions included Leyte Gulf Landings, a slow-tow convoy to Mindoro, the Lingayen Gulf Campaign, and the Legaspi Operation. The HOLT was one of twenty-two Rudderow class destroyer escorts built during WWII. The HOLT and five other destroyer escorts became part of Escort Division 74 and participated in various task groups and units in the Philippine area. Enjoy learning about the ship's missions and the crew with their many stories as they served their country with valor.

Fentanyl, Inc.

Fentanyl, Inc. PDF Author: Ben Westhoff
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
ISBN: 080214795X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
A four-year investigation into the world of synthetic drugs—from black market factories to users & dealers to harm reduction activists—and what it revealed. A deeply human story, Fentanyl, Inc. is the first deep-dive investigation of a hazardous and illicit industry that has created a worldwide epidemic, ravaging communities and overwhelming and confounding government agencies that are challenged to combat it. “A whole new crop of chemicals is radically changing the recreational drug landscape,” writes Ben Westhoff. “These are known as Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and they include replacements for known drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana. They are synthetic, made in a laboratory, and are much more potent than traditional drugs” —and all-too-often tragically lethal. Drugs like fentanyl, K2, and Spice—and those with arcane acronyms like 25i-NBOMe—were all originally conceived in legitimate laboratories for proper scientific and medicinal purposes. Their formulas were then hijacked and manufactured by rogue chemists, largely in China, who change their molecular structures to stay ahead of the law, making the drugs’ effects impossible to predict. Westhoff has infiltrated this shadowy world. He tracks down the little-known scientists who invented these drugs and inadvertently killed thousands, as well as a mysterious drug baron who turned the law upside down in his home country of New Zealand. Westhoff visits the shady factories in China from which these drugs emanate, providing startling and original reporting on how China’s vast chemical industry operates, and how the Chinese government subsidizes it. Poignantly, he chronicles the lives of addicted users and dealers, families of victims, law enforcement officers, and underground drug awareness organizers in the United States and Europe. Together they represent the shocking and riveting full anatomy of a calamity we are just beginning to understand. From its depths, as Westhoff relates, are emerging new strategies that may provide essential long-term solutions to the drug crisis that has affected so many. “Timely and agonizing. . . . An impressive work of investigative journalism.” —USA Today “Westhoff explores the many-tentacled world of illicit opioids, from the streets of East St. Louis to Chinese pharmaceutical companies, from music festivals deep in the Michigan woods to sanctioned ‘shooting up rooms’ in Barcelona, in this frank, insightful, and occasionally searing exposé. . . . Westhoff’s well-reported and researched work will likely open eyes, slow knee-jerk responses, and start much needed conversations.” —Publishers Weekly “Our 25 Favorite Books of 2019” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Best Books of 2019” —Buzzfeed “Best Nonfiction of 2019” —Kirkus Reviews “50 Best Books of 2019” —Daily Telegraph “Best Nonfiction Books of 2019” —Tyler Cowen “Best Books of 2019” —Yahoo Finance