This book describes the life of the enlisted men aboard a Farragut class destroyer during the pre–World War II years; the war preparation period in 1941; and the wartime years. It features first-person narrations collected from interviews and correspondence with the few remaining Farragut class destroyer sailors, and briefly describes the evolution of the destroyer and the Farragut class destroyers, five of which survived the war.

Engineer and author Leo Block enlisted in the Navy prior to the United States’ entry into World War II, serving aboard the Farragut class destroyer USS Macdonough as a fireman and later as a machinist mate.

Leo Block
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 240
Bibliographic Info: 28 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4222-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5343-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Preface      1

Introduction      3

1. The Ship      7

2. The Ship’s Company      19

3. The Dungaree Navy      34

4. The Hawaiian Detachment      53

5. Condition II—Underway      75

6. December 7, 1941      88

7. The South Pacific      112

8. The Aleutians      136

9. The Central Pacific and the Typhoon of December 1944      144

10. The Uniform      158

11. Liberty      170

12. The Farragut Finishing School      188

13. Ship Histories      193

Glossary      205

Chapter Notes      217

Bibliography      223

Index      225

“compelling…enjoyable”—Proceedings; “a charming and insightful examination…a wonderful oral history…recommend[ed]”—WWII Forums; “belongs in every library devoted to naval history”—The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord; “an excellent collection of anecdotes and explanations”—Baird Martime.