Brave Ship, Brave Men

by Arnold S. Lott

A masterpiece of World War II heroism, this book catches the spirit and tone of an incredible fighting ship, the USS Aaron Ward , a destroyer-turned-minelayer on the radar picket lines in the Pacific.

Genres: Naval History, History, Nonfiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[J.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The USS Aaron Ward was a destroyer that served for 11 months during WWII. It is noteworthy for the 6 hits it took from kamikazes on May 3, 1945 while on station off Okinawa. In spite of extensive damage and 42 men killed, the captain and crew kept the ship afloat and were able to be towed to port and subsequently sailed to San Diego then New York, where the ship was decommissioned following the surrender of Japan.

For 175 pages this was actually kind of boring. It covers the routine day to day workings of the ship. Lott profiles quite a few of the officers and sailors, which was interesting and reminded me of Ernie Pyle's Brave Men. But once the action hit it was chaotic and exciting and heartbreaking and inspiring all at the same time. And I appreciated that he followed the ship to its end as well as some of the men - who truly were brave men. And since this was written in 1964, it was a lot closer to the actual events than we are now. A great insight into a small part of the war.

[Steven Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was originally published in 1964. The author, a Naval officer, did his research when most of the ship’s survivors were alive and relatively young. The kamikaze attack featured in the book took place less than twenty years before the book was published. The book is accurate and written by someone familiar with the Navy. As a former Navy Surface Warfare Officer and destroyer sailor I can vouch for the book’s authenticity with respect to life aboard a Navy man o’ war. I read this book over twenty years ago and rarely re-read anything. However, I had liked the book so much then that I thought I would read it again. It was time well spent.
The story line is well known. When the United States invaded Okinawa on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, the Japanese struck back with a vengeance. Okinawa was part of the Japanese homeland and the American’s arrival marked the first time an invader had reached Japanese shores in centuries. Over the next two months fierce fighting took place on land and sea. The United States suffered the largest number of killed and wounded in a Pacific theater battle. Although largely unknown, the U.S. Navy suffered its greatest casualties in World War II as the attacking Japanese kamikaze aircraft hit over 300 warships, sinking over 30 and killing over 4,000 American sailors, a higher number than what was suffered by the Marines and the Army respectively.
Brave Ship, Brave men chronicles the story of one destroyer-mine layer, the USS Aaron Ward (DM-34) assigned to Radar Picket Station 10 (RPS 10), some seventy miles off of Okinawa. She, like other ships on duty at other RPSs, provided early warning of approaching kamikazes to the fleet, and acted as a first line of defense. On the evening of May 3, 1945 the Aaron Ward and several other vessels were overwhelmed by over twenty attacking Japanese aircraft. Another destroyer and a smaller vessel were sunk. Six Japanese planes struck the Aaron Ward, leaving her dead in the water and sinking. 41 sailors were killed. Through extraordinary efforts of the crew, the ship was saved and towed back to Kerama Retto, Okinawa. From there the ship hobbled back first to the west coast, and then on to New York for repair. With the end of the war in August, the Aaron Ward was declared so severely damaged that it was scrapped.
The focus of the book is the men of the Aaron Ward. The author crafts a tale where the reader learns about the individuals who sailed the Aaron Ward and gave it life. Most were 20 years old or younger, just kids caught up in a war thousands of miles from home, a home many never saw again. Brave Ship, Brave Men reminds us how savage was their war and how devastating the loss of lives was to these men’s families. There is no joy in in this tale, but there is admiration; there is no glory, but there is gratitude; there is no winner, but there are an abundance of quiet heroes.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unforgettable true story about the heroic Officers, CPOs, and men of the Aaron Ward off Okinawa on 3 May 1945.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

stimple put it is one of the best book I've ever read.

[Esteban Stipnieks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great story telling and honest story telling you know the ship you know its history and you know how the men died. This view from a worms eye view is potent description of the horrors at the end of WWII. The author knows the material and clearly understands what happens he tells how the brave men died

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glimpse into the horrors thousands of sailors faced while serving aboard destroyers on Radar Picket Stations off Okinawa in 1945 and how quickly things can go from calm to unimaginable.

[Mike Prochot · Rating 5 out of 5]

The inspiring story of the USS Aaron Ward, destroyer/minesweeper DM34 during the battle of Okinawa. As explained, the book as written is laid out in "watches", following the ships log - details supplied by surviving crewmen and witnesses to the events.

A too typical story of small ships manned by everyday Americans, brave men with big courage and hearts to match doing what had to be done.