Product Description
Secret Scurvy Dog Society members relate stories, many humorous, some pointedly not, of life on US Navy destroyers during the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars.


"The proudest Marine and the toughest SEAL will tell you, “… destroyers? Now, there's the REAL Navy.” Find out why in the pages of Scurvy Dogs, Green Water and Gunsmoke written by the true men of destroyers; those greyhounds of the sea; those TIN CAN SAILORS." -- John J. Gobbell, author of The Brutus Lie, The Last Lieutenant and A Code For Tomorrow


"This is how I remember my time in the Fleet - stories, people, incidents. A navy has ships, but men bring those ships to life. Service in the Navy is exciting, hard, funny, boring, and many other things best told by the men who were there.Give this book to someone who may join the Navy, and they'll get a better picture of shipboard life than from any recruiter.Give this to someone who's been in the Navy, his eyes will get misty, and then he'll start telling his own stories.And of course, these stories are all absolutely true." -- Larry Bond, author of Red Phoenix, Dangerous Ground and The Mighty Fallen


“Deck apes, snipes, and powder monkeys alike will just eat up these evocative and entertaining tales of life in the United States destroyer fleet. Smartly told, irreverent and fun, Scurvy Dogs, Green Water and Gunsmoke upholds the honor of the surface navy and captures the big-hearted spirit of the tin can sailor of every generation. This book belongs on every Navy man’s shelf.” -- James D. Hornfischer, author of Ship of Ghosts and The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
... Read more

Product Description
The second of two books on the Navy's Phantom II MiG killers of the Vietnam War, this book covers the numerous actions fought out over North Vietnam during the Linebacker I and II operations of 1972-73. No fewer than 17 MiGs were downed during this period, five of them by the Navy's sole aces of the conflict, Lts Randy Cunningham and Willie Driscoll of VF-96. Drawing on primary sources such as surviving Phantom II aircrew and official navy documentation, the author has assembled the most precise appraisal of fighter operations involving US Navy Phantom II units and those elusive MiGs ever seen in print. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent account of Phantom Mig-Killing Operations in Vietnam
This is a superb volume (with U.S Navy Phantom Migh-Killers 1965-1970) on U.S navy Phantom operations in Vietnam with many rare photos and first person accounts. It tells how the U.S navy having learnt it's lesson with the poor performance in the Rolling Thunder Campaign, created Top Gun and resulting in much better kill ratio for Linebacker I & II.

Great Value for the Price!
In 1972 and 1973 Navy F-4s ruled the skies over North Vietnam, downing 24 MiGs while racking up a 12-to-1 kill ratio. Statistically EVERY time Navy F-4s clashed with VPAF MiGs, they kiiled at least one MiG. The outstanding record set by Navy F-4s during the Linebacker I and II campaigns is vividly chronicled in Elward and Davies' volume.

The Navy F-4 experience over North Vietnam in 1972 and 1973 was far different from the combats waged in the 1965-70 period. (See Osprey Combat Aircraft #26). During the Rolling Thunder years the kill-loss F-4 ratio steadily dwindled with many kills lost due to poorly peforming missiles, crews lacking in ACM training and poor radar controlling.

Fortunately, the Navy responded to its poor showing and through a variety of measures - the Ault Report, Have Drill/Have Doughnut MiG testing, Topgun, etc. - produced F-4 crews that became MiG Masters in 1972 and 1973.

Like their earlier Osprey volume on Navy F-4 MiG killers, Elward and Davies' book boasts many first-person narratives, rare photographs and great color profiles by Jim Laurier. Both volumes serve as useful and exciting introductions to Navy F-4 fighter ops over North Vietnam.

For more exhaustive works on the air war over North Vietnam, readers should check out Marshall Michel's excellent CLASHES book and the reviewer's own MIG KILLERS OF YANKEE STATION. ... Read more

Product Description
Although the U.S. Navy was a relatively small force during the Age of Sail, the radical thinking and innovative design of its warships impressed larger maritime powers. Until now, however, information about these ships has come from the works of Howard Chapelle, a practical naval architect and amateur historian whose drawings were impeccable but whose information was often inadequately documented. This large-format volume by an American ship authority is the first to look critically at Chapelle's findings and compare them with rare original drafts, many published here for the first time, contemporary paintings, prints, and important documents such as the building specifications for the USS Constitution.

The main chapters are devoted to the major ship types, from ships of the line to brigs and schooners, as well as vessels of the Great Lakes. More than 125 half-tones, plans, and drawings accompany the text. Appendixes deal with gunboats, galleys, and revenue cutters. This fresh perspective on the American sailing Navy is a must for any Age-of-Sail bookshelf. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book- horrible service
This is a great reference book for naval history buffs. I bought it as a companion to Ian Toll's "Six Frigates". The many reproduced artworks and line drawings give the reader a clear picture of not just what our frigates looked liked, but also the lesser known 74's, brigs, and sloops.
Unfortunately, Amazon's service was a disaster. The first "new" copy that I ordered from Amazon was damaged (ripped dustjacket) so I returned it and asked for a replacement. The replacement was so poorly packaged that it arrived in worse shape than the first copy. I returned it and wound up buying a clean, used copy from an independent online bookseller.

Another great read
I am always fascinated by historical importance of ships and how far they've come.This book gives a great historical perspective, but is a little narrow in its scope since it only covers naval ships.I recommend checking out Sailing Ships of New England by George Francis Dow.It has recently been reprinted and is full of wonderful illustrations of the kinds of ships us civilians used to sail.

A fine companion to Howard Chapelle's classic work
In his preface to "Sailing Warships of the US Navy" author Donald Canney pays tribute to Howard Chapelle's "The History of the American Sailing Navy", but also notes the limitations of that classic work in its failure to meet the standards of modern historical research by inadequately documenting source citations and, sometimes, in poorly evaluating primary sources.Canney explains that he does not seek to replace, but to complement Chapelle's book with its meticulously executed ships' plans.And Canney well succeeds in this goal.

All of the ships built for the American navy before the era of steam are covered, most of them in considerable detail, showing the original lines plans where available (it should be noted that due to the age and physical condition of these plans, some lack clear detail).These are supplemented by paintings and, especially for the vessels built after the early 19th Century, photographs.Special attention is given to design and construction considerations, although the full career and ultimate fate of each vessel are summarized.Furthermore, in the course of discussing the individual ships, Canney develops a more general history of design trends and employment.

While Paul Silverstone's "The Sailing Navy, 1775-1854" is a useful quick reference to the ships of this era, Canney's book provides a much greater in-depth look."Sailing Warships of the US Navy" does not mean that Chapelle's history is obsolete, but you should make a space on the bookshelf next to it for Canney's volume.This is a book which is truly a "must have" for anyone interested in the US Navy during the Age of Sail.

United States had ships-of-the-line
We all know the frigate Constitution, but what about other US sailing warships? This book answers it all. I bought it especially for the chapter on ships-of-the-line, although the section is not as big as i would have liked, it was the first time i read accounts of these big ships that never saw action. Every ship has a litte history on it.

Missing are the steam warships which are covered in another book by the same author. Only reserve is the focus on seeking the primary source of information, which maybe a noble goal but may leave out some valuable secondary information that we may have liked to see anyway. There are still great pictures, though. ... Read more

Product Description
US Navy, Hospital Corpsman, NAVEDTRA 14295, 2000, Survival Medical Manual

1 Anatomy and Physiology
2 Fundamentals of Patient Care
3 First Aid Equipment, Supplies, Rescue, and Transportation
4 Emergency Medical Care Procedures
5 Poisoning, Drug Abuse, and Hazardous Material Exposure
6 Pharmacy and Toxicology
7 Clinical Laboratory
8 Medical Aspects of Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare
9 Diet and Nutrition
10 Emergency Dental Care/Preventive Medicine
11 Physical Examinations
12 Health Records
13 Supply
14 Administration
15 Healthcare Administration
16 Decedent Affairs Program
APPENDIX
I History of the Hospital Corps, United States Navy
II Commonly Used Abbreviations
III Prefixes and Suffixes Used in Medical Terminology
IV Common Pharmaceuticals
V Glossary
... Read more

Product Description
This work contains, in alphabetical order, the names of all officers of the navy and marine corps, commissioned, warranted and appointed, including volunteer officers who have entered the service since the establishment of the navy department in 1798, showing the dates of their original entry, progressive rank, and the manner in which those no longer in the service severed their connection from it. The data has been compiled from the original manuscript records of the navy department and from the official navy registers, issued semi-annually by the department. The volume also contains a list of all midshipmen, cadet engineers and naval cadets who have entered the Naval Academy since its establishment, arranged alphabetically by classes through the year 1900. A sketch of the navy from 1775 to 1798, with a register of the officers in service between those dates, as well as a complete and carefully revised list of vessels of the United States Navy from its inception to the present time, form a valuable feature of the work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Priceless Resource
Worth it's weight in Gold!The best reference on Naval Officers in existence for Naval researchers.If it happened before 1900 in the U.S. Navy it's in this book in some way or other.A must have for serious Naval Historians. ... Read more

Product Description
US NAVY FACT FILE
USS Constitution
Old Ironsides


Everything you need to know. ... Read more

Product Description
The US Air Power series is the definitive illustrated guide to recent American dominance in the skies. Covering the planes and crews of the USAF as well as Naval, Marine, and Army air wings, these books cover a period from World War II through to the present day in which American pilots have prevailed in all combat situations and have laid the foundation for the swift and decisive victories achieved during that time. The series covers all of the major conflicts in which the U.S. has been involved recently, including both Gulf wars, the Balkans, and Afghanistan. Modern US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft features the cutting edge of America's Navy and Marine Corps aircraft that contribute to its massive combat might. The book includes some of the most famous names in operation today: the F-14 Tomcat, the AV-88 Harrier, the T-45 Goshawk, and CH-46 Sea Knight, among others. The 72 pages include well over 100 photographs, 16 pages of which are in full color. Every photo features a detailed caption outlining combat history and technical specifications. ... Read more

Product Description
Since the formation of the Continental Navy in 1775, US Navy ships have donned numerous colors. During WWI, when the German U-boat threatened to stop US and Canadian supplies from reaching their European allies, the British Royal Navy began using a splinter-type camouflage to confuse the enemy about the speed, distance, and the course of its ships. The US also adopted similar camouflage during this timeframe. When the Bureau of Construction and Repairs began issuing instructions for different camouflage schemes and colors, the Navy took note, and by WWII, USN destroyers sported several different camouflage schemes that ranged from blue to gray to black and included painted bow waves and multiple dazzle schemes. When WWII ended in 1945, the fleet was restored to Standard Navy Gray to await the next revolution in deceptive paintwork. Illustrated with 116 b/w photos, 2 color photos, and over 30 color renderings/profiles. 68 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Contains significant flaws & Missing information
US Naval Camouflage in WWII is a topic that has had a lot presented on the web, but few books dedicated to the subject have existed. Unfortunately, this book does not fill the void.

The author demonstrates a basic lack of information about Naval camouflage; for instance, he labels "Measure 3" as the same as the pre-war camouflage, even though they used completely different paint formulas and markings. In one case, a photo is shown to depict a Camouflage Measure 5 false bow wave, but what the picture is showing is a REAL bow wave and hull wet from water.

There are significant gaps in what is presented as well. The book covers the early and mid war basic camouflage and dazzle schemes, but omits the amphibious camouflage used on many APDs (destroyers and destroyer escorts used for carrying assault troops). Additionally, it makes no mention of the 1945 shift from blue-toned camouflage paints to neutral gray paints.

Readers who take this book as canon will have significant misinformation and gaps in their knowledge. ... Read more

Product Description
This is everything you need to know about the Attack submarine fleet.

Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces; carry out Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support Carrier Strike Groups; and engage in mine warfare.


Every class and hull number is listed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A book about planes using by US Navy/Marine corps
If you are looking for introductory information about aircraft/helicopters using by US Navy/Marine corps, you should love this book.

This book contains colorful pictures, specifications, operators and variants of over 50 different modern aircraft/helicopters.However, this book is not forthose who is finding detailedstory of a specific aircraft, norinformation about submarines/carriers... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The Real Deal
Cmdr. Stubblefield has hit the nail on the head. This book is a "Must Read" for anyone interested in SPECWAR. It is filled with great, real world information. Also goes into some of the political problems that service men face in thier careers. If you want some 4.0 insite into the life of a SEAL, then this is the book to read. I am somewhat biased as I had the honor of serving under his command on the Wimbrown 7 back in '88.
ENC(SW) "Rodge" USN(Retired)

SEAL of approval
The most important word in the title of this book is "inside."That is to say, this book is not written by some journalist or other who is merely writing about personal "observations" of the SEAL community.Nor is it written by someone who is offering idle speculation from the outside on what he believes the SEALS are all about.Instead, Gary Stubblefield has had a distinguished career as a SEAL himself, and there is no better qualified person to tell their story.

During my time in the Navy I had a few acquaintences who were SEALS.I had expected Special Forces types to be very pompous and always looking to start trouble and "mix it up" with regular sailors in order to validate SEAL superiority. The reality of the matter was quite different.The contact I had with these people surprised me as I found them to be very down-to-earth, soft spoken and not out to toot their own foghorn.

Stubblefield brings that same sort of insouciance in the present book. This is not a collection of exagerrated war stories, but rather a detailed explanation of what REALLY happened during sundry covert operations. He tells it like it is, both the glamorous attributes to being a SEAL as well as the not-so-glamorous ones.Stubblefield does not paint himself as any kind of war hero, but by the end of the book the reader cannot help but have an immense appreciation for his career.

The author does a very good job of painting a realistic picture of the SEALS; both their strengths as well as their weaknesses.He dispels rumors and myths about the SEALS and concentrates on projecting an accurate representation of what the life of a SEAL is like. Are SEALS one of the most elite fighting forces on the planet?Certainly.Are they invincible military demi-gods?No.Stubblefield presents many fatal examples of instances where higher-ups in the chain-of-command treated SEALs as the latter.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to have an inside glimpse at this prestigious organization.Also, anyone who has a general interest in Special Forces will find plenty in this book worth pondering as well. For anyone who has any intentions of becoming a SEAL himself, this book is a MUST read!

I made it!
I finished the book. (...). This book was difficult to get through, primarily because at least 100 of its pages are dedicated to complaining about what's wrong with the SEALS. What bad equipment they have, the political decisions in military appropriations, the lack of combat experience in commanders, the "ticket punch" syndrome of the military. None of these complaints are new and none are exclusive of the SEALS. If you have been in the military at all you have see all of it before. Some critisism is warrented and benificial. This book goes beyond that and made this reader yawn and turn a deaf ear after awhile. If the complaining wasn't enough, then the frequent reminders that the author had been on secret missions but could not talk about them certainly capped the book for me. I would have much preferred actual info on equipment, tactics, and training as opposed to complaints. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the author is an expert in his field and some of what he wrote was eye opening, particularly the Granada invasion.

Welcome and refreshing views...
Cmdr. Stubblefield gives an interesting look into not only the SEALs but Special Forces in general. I often wondered while reading this book, why there wasn't just one special forces program rather than having each branch with their own program. No doubt egos and enmity keep the Armed Services from joining forces forSpecial Operations.

I appreciated his personal comment, about his training, his missions and his current life.Good read without the boasting and chest beating that readers have come to expect in this genre.

Format a tad disjointed, but ultimately enlightening
I have recently become interested in the SEALs, as their dedication, skill, and responsibility continue to astound me with every book I read; Mr. Stubblefield has provided us civilians an excellent understanding ofwho these people are and what they're up against (hostile orotherwise).

The book is written somewhat as a collection of notesdiscussing various topics regarding the SEALs... Perhaps I'm being overlycritical, as I personally found this "style" to be somewhat confusing as topics would seem to wander a bit;but the format was quiteapproachable and well written. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Photo-History of USN WWII Carrier Ops!
Carrier combat enthusiasts and modelers alike will enjoy this Squadron/Signal volume. There have been numerous histories of the Navy's carriers in action but S/S and author Al Adcock have taken a different tack with this book. While furnishing a basic overview of USN carrier ops, they cram the book's 64 pages with over 150 black & white and color images of carriers, aircraft and aircrews in action. Coupled with eight pages of color profiles by Don Greer and Andy Probert and you've got quite a nice package.

In-depth history, no; appealing photo-history, YES!

Recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
Since the limited Desert Fox campaign against Iraq in December 1998, the Tomcat has been integral to virtually all combat operations involving the US Navy in the Arabian Gulf. Indeed, on every carrier deployment to the Persian Gulf since Desert Fox, the F-14 unit(s) on station has ventured into ‘The Sand Box’ over southern Iraq and prosecuted targets operating in contravention to United Nations security council resolutions. This book covers the F-14 Operation Iraqi Freedom actions against battlefield targets and integrated air defence sites, command and control centres, regime leadership targets and military installations in Baghdad, Tikrit, Mosul and Kirkuk. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book
Yet again Osprey have produced a conscise but excellent history cataloging the use of the F-14 units over Irag.

Good pictures and profiles. The book also draws heavily on first person accounts from the pilots who flew the missions.

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Why is Colonel pronounced "kernal"? Why does a Lieutenant General outrank a Major General? Why is Navy Captain a higher rank than Army-Air Force-Marine Captain? Why do Sergeants wear chevrons? Was John J. Pershing a six-star General?

The answers to these and other such questions as well as information on the origins and histories of the military ranks and rank insignia are now easily available in this book. A must have for everyone interested in military and the US armed forces. ... Read more

Product Description
True tales of life and death as told by those who fought in the briny depths.

From the undersea warfare of World War II through the Cold War stand-offs in the deep to the cutting-edge technology of the modern U.S. Navy, submarines have evolved into the front line of our nation's defense at sea. And the men who sail them have become heroes above and below the waves. These are their stories.

Compiled from interviews and recollections from submarine veterans and accompanied by detailed photos and illustrations of both man and machine at work, Sub is a gripping chronicle of undersea warfare as told by those who know firsthand what it means to drop through the hull of a boat, to sink into the dark, freezing waters of the deep-and to have death never more than one torpedo away. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Sub An oral history of u.s. navy submarines
The book is full of errors. It is supposed to be submarine sailors telling their own stories.Stan Nicholls states "We surfaced and manned the five-inch thirty-eight.Submarine never carried 5"38's.Early boats had a long barrel 5"-51, and by war's end they all had 5" 25's.A Thomas Innocente writes from his 1962 sub school days "We took our sea school on old fleet boats from the 1920's and 30's.All pre war submarines were decommissioned at the end of world war II.The boats in New London in the 60's were all Gato,Balao,and Tench class.A Lieutenant Commander named Chris Kreiss writes "they had experimental equipment for making fresh water called a Kleinschmidt.A Kleinschmidt is a instrument used to test purity of the battery water, not make water.If LCDR Kreiss said this he should turn in his dolphins. There are many misidentified photo's.Page 200 caption says The USS Sturgeon (SS 637) (should be SSN), and the boat in the photo is the USS Parche not the Sturgeon. A Harry Jacob Jefferson is quoted as saying the mess deck on the USS Sablefish was in the afterengine room.The mess deck on all diesel electric submarines in the US Navy is in the after battery.A Wade Thode says "the 636's andn 637' all had bow planes. But by the late seventies and partway through the eighties, they were moved to sail planes..All the 637 class submarines were built with Sail planes.The only boats built with bow planes that had them moved to the sail were the three Barbel class boats that were diesel electric with tear drop hulls like the nukes.Photo on Page 252 says USS Ohio (SSBN 726) the photo is of a Washington class
SSBN not an Ohio class.Chris Kreiss also mentions a boat named Prado.We had no sub by that name. A Joseph McGrievy is quoted as saying the USS Sailfish was the old USS Whalen.There never was a Whalen the sailfish was the USS Squalis that sank, and was raised and renamed the Sailfish. There are many Hull number errors.Stan Nicholls keeps calling the USS Buffalo (SSN 681) The Buffalo is SSN 715, 681 is the Batfish.The photo on page 56 says it's the USS Reuben james FFG 57, but the photo is a British built Leander class Frigate not the James. Again to Kreiss in mentions a boat he calls Toffey...Again no boat named Toffey....

Remarkable Inaccuracies
This book has some of the most startlingly incorrect "facts" I've ever seen. It claims the U-505 is at the Navy's Great Lakes training facility (it's been at the Museum of Science and Industry for decades). It lists the USS Patrick Henry's hull number as "SS-599" (it's SSBN-599) (inexcusable because only boomers were named after people). Other reviews have pointed out other mistakes, so I won't reiterate. But the oral histories (i.e. the parts NOT written by the author) are interesting enough for me to give it two stars instead of just one.

a real good book to read.
I like to read fictional submarine stories and this is of course non fiction. It sitll is good to read.

Ditto.
The book contains oral history from those who served on U.S. Navy submarines from just before WWII to the present. Interviews seem to have been taped and transcribed. Sailors interviewed add details to stories about famous boats (Wahoo); they also add tidbits, such as the fact that submariners on leave couldn't get the smell of diesel fuel from their skin; that training for propulsion officers on nuclear subs was conducted in Ames, Iowa; and that some officers were committed to developing enlisted men and changing their lives for the better.

The book contains many transcription errors. Chief Robert A. Brown is quoted as saying that he was from Tiffin, Iowa and went to school in "Coreville, Iowa, which is seven miles from Rapid City" (p. 118). There are no such places. He must have said "Coralville" and "Iowa City" and had his words garbled. Another error locates Weewak, New Guinea at "400 degrees South and 144 degrees East" (p. 62), in outer space. This book wasn't edited properly.

The compiler adds his take on naval history at the start of each interview. This adds little, and some is questionable. Roberts would have better served himself and his book if he had commented less and interviewed more. Maybe it was his editor's idea.

He, or his editor, were compelled to edit statements from sailors with bracketted grammatical corrections that clarify nothing and add little more than an assertion of superiority. This is unnecessary and bad form.

Stories from sailors are worth reading, but are too few to do justice to service in U. S. submarines. Consequently, this book will mean most to those who served on boats or who have read many books about them.

Subpar
Mr. Roberts's book started out with great promise and a great premise however multiple misspellings and erroneous facts quickly dashed all hopes for the book. It is obvious that this book was not well proofread or many of these mistakes would have been caught.One example is that on page 195 he referenced Secretary of the Navy Nimitz however Fleet Admiral Nimitz was never the Secretary of the Navy and was dead at that moment in the narration. Mr. Roberts also lets his political views get in the way of his narration and attacks President Carter and any other official with whom he disagrees with and uses incorrect information by saying President Carter had commanded a submarine. Carter was qualified for command a step for him to be an officer qualified in submarines.Mr. Roberts opinions mars the purpose of an oral history collection which is to let the participants own words describe their recollections of history.

Another point of confusion is when the author makes it seem as though one of the paticipants in this oral history served from World War II on war patrols and retired in April of 2005 after participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom from active duty in the Navy.It seems obvious that this man must have been a consultant to the Navy as a civilian contractor after retiring much earlier from active duty but Mr. Roberts doesn't say that this man was a civilian employee for the Navy leaving the reader with the idea that this man had a sixty plus year career in the Navy on active duty.

Also there are many misspellings such as the Kanoupus (USS Canopus AS-9 is the correct spelling) to saying the Sailfish used to be the Whalen which in reality the Sailfish was the resurrected USS Squalus ((read Peter Mass' excellent The Terrible Hours for the Squalus' story)).A search of the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" on the Naval Historical Center's website produced no record of a USS Whalen ever serving in the Navy.These two mistakes are easily found on page 8 of the book.Yet another example is the USS Toffey found on page 181 which sank due to a circular run, in reality the submarine he meant was the Tullibee SS-284. On last example of too many to count is on found on page 280 where Roberts says the hull number of the second USS Aspro was the SSBN-648 when it was the SSN-648.While this may seem nit picking it gives the reader false information and does not add to the historical record.

Roberts's book has good intentions but through obvious mistakes and inconstancies his book suffers and this book is a must avoid for submarine historians and readers.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

30THANNIVERSARYCONFERENCE
A major international conference on this subject was convened in 1993.It assembled virtually every significant surviving military and civilian decision maker from the USA, USSR/Russia, and Cuba: including our former SECDEF Robert McNamara and Presidential Advisor Arthur Schlesinger... Russian naval leaders and Nikita Khrushchev's son...and the Cuban officer in charge of their two batteries of nuclear-armed surface-to-surface coastal defense missiles.This gathering lasted for several days and was covered in separate 2 or 3 hour long broadcasts by every major television network in the United States.Their interview testimony and its briefly-availale transcripts provided new information dramatically different from official accounts of The Cuban Missile Crisis both before and [unfortunately] after this documentation.Military-industrial politics still controls "history" as it does the "news".

Small Book, But the Most Complete Story
This book, really more of a booklet at 56 pages is the most complete that I've seen that describes the Navy's contribution to the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was originally written in 1993 and just reprinted after being very hard to get.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the major powers came to actual combat during the Cold War. While all of the services played their part (I can remember nuclear armed bombers parked at the end of Boston's Logan Airport's runways.) the main tasks fell on the Navy.

The pictures on this book show just how ready the Navy was. Pictures of planes in the air and on carriers show them fully armed with rockets and bombs.

Only at the end of the crisis did the tensions go down. And in one point a Navy helicopter lowered a Navy tie clasp to the Russian freighter 'Alapayevsk.' The Russians returned with a gift of a bottle of vodka.

I also remember discussions that we should invade Cuba. Only since the end of the Cold War have we learned that the Russian military forces on the island had short range nuclear weapons and were prepared to use them. Phew! That was close. Closer than we got again. ... Read more

Product Description
This story is about common sailors serving on Fleet Ocean Tugs. It discusses the crews discord and their camaraderie. It is about their adventures, or their misadventures on these vessels. ... Read more