Eight Bells, and All's Well

by Daniel V. Gallery

Auto-biography of US naval officer during WWII and onwards.

Genres: Biography, Nautical, History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Daniel Vincent Gallery was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He saw extensive action during World War II, fighting U-Boats during the Battle of the Atlantic, where his most notable achievement was the June 4, 1944, capture of the German submarine U-505. After the war, Gallery was a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction. During the post-war military cutbacks, he wrote a series of articles criticizing the heavy reductions being made to the US Navy. These articles placed him at odds with the Truman administration during the episode which became known as the Revolt of the Admirals.
The so-called "Revolt of the Admirals" broke out during Louis Johnson's tenure as Secretary of Defense under Harry Truman in 1948. Johnson planned to scrap the carrier fleet, merge the Marine Corps into the Army, and reduce the Navy to a convoy-escort force. Gallery wrote a series of articles for The Saturday Evening Post fiercely criticizing these plans. The final article, "Don't Let Them Scuttle the Navy!" was so inflammatory that Gallery barely escaped court-martial for insubordination. Even so, the episode cost Gallery his third star. It effectively finished his career, though he served 12 more years on active duty. At the time of his forced retirement in 1960 (for "health reasons") he was second in seniority on the Rear Admirals' List.

Reviews

[Robert]

Autobiographical work from a retired Rear Admiral who served 43 years - from the tail end of WWI into the Kennedy administration. Full of period detail and color unimaginable to those who didn't live through it. A delightful and informative resource for any historian or sociologist.

[Justin Ridgell]

A fun read and certainly a page turner. This life story about the captain and future admiral who captured U-505 which rests in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. A combination of wit, humor, and tactics make this book an enjoyable read.

[Fred]

Wonderful book about a naval aviator and his escapades in the early days of flying in WWII. It covers in an entertaining fashion how he worked to preserve the Navy post war.

[KennyO]

A breezy autobiography by an accomplished flag officer who walked the line without toeing the line. This is the story of an unconventional man on a hyper-conventional career path. Well worth a reread and more so if you're a Navy veteran.

Also see my remarks about Now Hear This.