Tin Can Sailors - The National Association of Destroyer Veterans

NEW! Murder on Pratas Reef by Rick Ainsworth $19.95 Media Rate ($25.00 Priority Rate) Item B-66 Finalist for the 2007 National Best Books Award for Historical Fiction, this book is a must-read! It is July, 1965, just before dawn in the South China Sea. The USS Frank Knox, a proud US Navy ship en route from Vietnam to Hong Kong, has just run aground on a reef. The officers and crew must work together to find a way to free the ship, but just as they thought matters could not be any worse, a body is discovered after the grounding. Much worse, it was not accidental, but a murder! Click here for book review.
NEW! Thunder and Storm: The Haverfield Incident by Rick Ainsworth $24.95 Media Rate ($30.00 Priority Rate) Item B-65 This award-winning novel set in the US Navy in 1963 highlights a neglected period of history. This story of a young man's journey to maturity, set in the early Sixties, illustrates the eventful transition from the Greatest Generation to the turbulence, idealism and hope of the Vietnam era. Exciting, thought-provoking and romantic, enjoyed by men and women, this novel is a must-read! Click here for book review.
NEW! Morning of the Rising Sun by Kenneth I. Friedman $39.99 Media Rate ($53.99 Priority Rate) Item B-64 When it comes to the Pacific theatre of the Second World War, Morning of the Rising Sun: The Heroic Story of the Struggle for Guadalcanal by author and historian Kenneth I. Friedman, Ph.D. is the quintessential guide to the epic and stirring tale of the six-month conflict between the United States and the Japanese Empire over the vital island of Guadalcanal. Meticulously researched, the author uses a bipartisan approach to convey the great dedication and bravery of both the Allied and Japanese fighting men. Click here for book review.
Scurvy Dogs, Green Water and Gunsmoke by Bob Cohen & Terry Miller Volume One $14.95 + $3.00 Shipping Item B-62 Volume Two $14.95 + $3.00 Shipping Item B-63 Scurvy Dogs, Green Water and Gunsmoke: Fifty Years in U.S. Navy Destroyers is a two-volume work of 18 destroyer veterans, many of whom, including TCS Executive Director, Terry Miller, have had stories published in The Tin Can Sailor. These two books are filled with stories from the experiences of these men. All profits from the sales of this book will go to benefit Navy-Marine Corps Relief.
Quicksilver: A Greyhound at Sea by CDR. Jack L. Wells $18.95 Media Rate ($23.95 Priority Rate) Item B-60 This book portrays men at sea in a difficult and unpopular war. In the fall of 1967, Vietnam was on the way to becoming an American nightmare. Yet each man had to find his own way to cope with the exhaustion, boredom, and, ultimately, combat with a resourceful and persistent enemy. Ens. Patrick Dillan was assigned to the USS LARTER (DD 766). Only 26, he was a bit of a rebel on what was supposed to be a six-month WestPac deployment. The reader will learn how he dealt with normal evolutions, port calls, and combat while wrestling with his own and his ship mate=s emotions. Click here for book review.
Black Oil Chief USN by William E. Sneed $19.95 Media Rate ($24.95 Priority Rate) Item B-61 Chief Boiler Technician Phillip Keith is just three weeks short of his much-anticipated retirement. Spoiled by his post with a modern class cruiser, Keith is counting on an easy voyage to the United States from the Philippines. When fate intervenes, he is reassigned to an old World War II destroyer, the USS Biscay, to ensure its safe return to the States. This action-packed novel with a compelling spiritual message about courage, faith, and destiny will both entertain and inspire. Click here for book review.
Tales from a Tin Can by Michael Keith Olson $20.00 Media Rate ($25.00 Priority Rate) Item B-59 The first oral history of one combat ship's adventures, sometimes comic, sometimes mundane, sometimes heart wrenching, over the entire course of America's involvement in the Pacific. An impressive accomplishment and highly recommended. WWII History. Click here for book review.
Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-1988 by Harold Lee Wise $30.00 Media Rate ($35.00 Priority Rate) Item B-58 A history of U.S. military involvement in the Persian Gulf in 1987 and 1988--a time of burning ships, air strikes, and secret missions--the prelude to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Desert Storm, and the most recent U.S. invasion of Iraq. Based largely on first-hand accounts from veterans of that era, it is an up-close, detailed report from the front lines of a guerrilla war at sea. Many of the dramatic incidents of this period are told in depth, with new information and details never before seen in print. Click here for book review.
Halsey's Typhoon by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin $22.00 Media Rate ($27.00 Priority Rate) Item B-53 In December 1944, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey and the U.S. 3rd Fleet confronted an onslaught as relentless and deadly as any Japanese attack. A powerful typhoon, surging with 150 mile-per-hour winds, struck the warships in the deepest, most shark-infested waters of the Pacific. Using recently declassified official documents, Halsey's Typhoon captures the unfolding of this "natural" wartime calamity. Click here for book review.
DESTROYER DESIGN by Howard A. Chatterton, Jr. $14.95 (Shipping charge $2.36) Item B-49 This publication describes the destroyer design process. Use of a computer allows the techniques described here to be done quickly and consistently in much greater detail than was possible by hand.
NO HIGHER HONOR by Bradley Peniston. $23.00 Media Rate ($28.00 Priority Rate) Item B-50 The USS Samuel B. Robert (FFG-58) was a small warship built for escort duty much like its namesake vessel, on of the "tin can" heroes of Leyte Gulf. Journalist Bradley Peniston draws on hundreds of documents and interviews to present the first book about the Roberts heroic actions.
SHIP OF GHOSTS by James D. Hornfischer. $22.00 Media Rate ($27.00 Priority Rate) Item B-51 James D. Hornfischer, acclaimed author of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, delivers an unflinching account of heroism and honor at the limit of human endurance--and of the unsung warriors who waged one of the most remarkable battles of World War II. Using journals and letters, rare historical documents, including testimony from postwar Japanese war crimes tribunals, and the eyewitness accounts of Houston's survivors. Click here for book review
MODERN U.S. NAVY DESTROYERS by S. F. Tomajczyk. $14.95 Item B-52 Media Rate This book takes you below the deck of some of the most feared ships in the world. A tour inside the destroyer including the computerized Combat Information Center, the spacious Arleigh Burke-class dining area, the cramped Spurance-class crew's quarters, the surprisingly quiet engine control room and the flight control room. Click here for book review
A CALL TO COLORS by John J. Gobbell. $8.00 Media Rate ($13.00 Priority Rate) Item B-54 The Battle of Leyte Gulf took place on October 24 and 25 in 1944. Without a doubt it was the final battle in the history of the world where naval surface combatants were in actual physical sight of each other. The author takes us back to that tenuous time late in the war when most of the strategic minds within the U.S. and Japanese militaries were certain of one thing. The Japanese had lost the war. The questions that remained were, how would the remaining resources of the Japanese armed services be used. Click here for book review
"Truman's Decision" by Bill Sholin. $12.00 Media Rate ($17.00 Priority Rate) Item B-56 U.S. destroyermen stood between thousands of Kamilkazes and the U.S. Fleet. They paid a terrible price -- but virtually saved America. The following pictorial review will give our readers a hint of what American sailors went through to keep the United States of America free.
Sea of Thunder by Evan Thomas. $27.00 Media Rate ($32.00 Priority Rate) Item B-57 The book tells the story of the Japanese and American commanders whose fates converged in history's last great naval engagement, the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. It is also a story of competing traditions and the extraordinary influence of personality, organizations and culture on warfare -- despite the advanced technologies wielded in World War II. Click here for book review.
THE NEPTUNE STRATEGY by John J. Gobbell. $22.00 Media Rate ($27.00 Priority Rate) Item B-47 This is Gobbell’s fourth book in the series. Commander Todd Ingram finds himself in many dangerous situations and is successful in “getting out” of his dilemmas. As in the previous stories, actual military events, real persons and warship details are carefully woven into the telling of the story. Click here for book review.
THE LAST LIEUTENANT by John J. Gobbell. $8.00 Media Rate ($13.00 Priority Rate) Item B-41 This is the first book in a series of three books. This book focuses on an escape from Corregidor as it succumbs to incessant bombardment, thus ending U.S. organized resistance in the Philippines. Paperback.
A Code for Tomorrow by John J. Gobbell. $9.00 Media Rate ($14.00 Priority Rate) Item B-42 The second in a series of three. From the whispers of lovers parted by war to the explosive, harrowing naval action in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, "A Code for Tomorrow" brilliantly portrays WW II and the lives it irrevocably touched. Paperback.
When Duty Whispers Low by John J. Gobbell. $20.00 Media Rate ($25.00 Priority Rate) Item B-43 The third in a series. Highly recommended. Although fiction, this book uses actual historical events to follow the exploits of LCDR. Todd Ingram during WW II. Linked to the story are the shooting down of Admiral Yamamoto and the introduction of the highly secret VT proximity fuze. An excellent book. Hard Cover. Click here for book review.
USS KIDD (DD-661) by Robert F. Sumrall. $14.95 (Shipping charge $2.36) Item B-38 The latest in our book series. Our USS KIDD book has 80 pages of text, drawings, and photos. Written for Tin Can Sailors by internationally known author Robert F. Sumrall. This book details the ship’s history, construction, and equipment. An outstanding publication that you will find both enjoyable and informative. An excellent value.
U.S. NAVY DESTROYERS LOST OR DAMAGED DURING WORLD WAR II by Tin Can Sailors. $10.95 Item B-15 Media Rate Twenty eight pages of listings of ships lost or damaged due to enemy action, collisions, storms, friendly fire, etc. Gives the name of the ship, location, and cause of damage. Over 40 photos. A Tin Can Sailors exclusive! Third edition.
USS CASSIN YOUNG (DD-793) by J. Scott Harmon. $8.00 Item B-9 Media Rate This large format paperback showcases the service life of CASSIN YOUNG from her launching until her current status as a memorial. Excellent photos, a color rendering, and outstanding diagrams make this a fine addition to anyone's library. Paperback, 48 pages.
DESTROYER ESCORTS OF WORLD WAR II by Thomas F. Walkowiak. $9.00 Item B-4 Media Rate This inexpensive, large-format paperback present a truly exceptional overview of the destroyer escorts developed during the Second World War. Paperback, 48 pages, with photos, illustrations, diagrams, and color renderings.
FLETCHER DDs IN ACTION by Jerry Scutts. $12.00 Item B-7 Media Rate This Squadron-Signal "In Action" publication features the FLETCHER-Class destroyers in WWII. An inexpensive way to expand your knowledge about this extensive destroyer class. Paperback, 48 pages with photos, illustrations, diagrams, and color renderings.
WARSHIP'S DATA: USS BOWFIN (SS-287) by Robert F. Sumrall. $8.50 Item B-23 Media Rate In depth descriptions of Bowfin and her career. Paperback, 40 pages with photos, illustrations, diagrams, and color renderings.
WARSHIP'S DATA: USS MISSOURI (BB-63) by Robert F. Sumrall $9.50 Item B-22 Media Rate In depth descriptions of the Missouri and her career. Paperback, 64 pages with photos, illustrations, diagrams, and color renderings.
COLD WAR AT SEA by Kit and Carolyn Bonner. $24.00 Media Rate ($29.00 Priority Rate) Item B-32 Mighty ships of the U.S. and Soviet navies squared off continuously throughout the Cold War: monitoring each others’ maneuvers, intercepting radio transmissions, targeting one another with weapons, and forcing each other off course. This book chronicles the key combatants, detailing naval growth and development through intense moments of superpower brinksmanship. Paperback, 160 pages, 200 illustrations.
HISTORIC NAVAL SHIPS GUIDE by the Historic Naval Ships Association. Completely revised and updated for 2005. $6.95 Item B-16 Media Rate This guide to more than 130 ships on public display is packed with color photos, information about the ships, and their locations, phone numbers, and web sites. Paperback, 98 pages and about 200 photos.
Print an Order Form