Three Minutes Off Okinawa: The Sinking of the Radar Picket Destroyer, the U. S. S. Mannert L. Abele, by Japanese Kamikaze Aircraft

by Roy S. Andersen

340 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2007

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Andersen's book about the U.S.S. Abele is a very informative book in that he took chapters to develop the structural makeup of the Abele and gave the reader a good understanding of the structure of the ship and then the makeup of the crew. He at times is confused with his tone, is he a dispassionate observer of events or emotionally involved. I felt more in tune with his observations when he was emotionally involved. His writing style is short easy to read but also engaging, he observes the event as a whole by bringing in every possible point of view affected by the events of April 12, 1945 except the families of the kamikaze pilots and dead sailors. However even without those perspectives the reader feels apart of the tragedy. Dr. Andersen has some fantastic pictures that are placed in the text near where they are described by Andersen. He concludes the book with a series of appendices that give the reader a better understanding of ancillary issues such as who was Mannert Abele and the award citations for crewmembers. This is a book for anyone interested in destroyers, kamikazes or the waning days of WWII.