Fight for the Sea: Naval Adventures from the Second World War

by John Frayn Turner

Overview

This collection of popular naval stories covers the entire span of World War II, beginning when the British Royal Navy faced fascist forces on its own until the final Allied victory over the Japanese in 1945. Fight for the Sea offers a rich mixture of accounts about such large and well-known battles and operations as the Battle of the Coral Sea, as well as lesser-known actions such as the submarine attack on Corfu harbour, the loss of the USS Leedsdown, and the saga of the USS Rich to characterize the breadth and variety of the war at sea. Also included are memories of John F Kennedy's heroic actions with PT 109 and George H W Bush's near-death experience with an aircraft known as the 'flying casket'.A sailor's eye view of the war at sea, this compelling compilation has broad appeal. John Frayn Turner's prose crackles with action and tension to keep the reader's attention, and even those who know little about the war will find the stories to be a welcome introduction to the subject. Among the book's special attractions are the little-known contributions of rescue ships and merchant seamen and the adventures of civilians, including Johnnie Ferguson, who spent three weeks adrift in an open boat when her ship was torpedoed. Readers will come away with not only a clear understanding of the giant scope of World War II but of the individual grit and determination that produced victory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473828513
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John Frayn Turner is a distinguished historian and author. Pen & Sword have published numerous of his books, including VCs of the Second World War, Service Most Silent and Periscope Patrol. He lives at Leatherhead, Surrey.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

September-December 1939

1 I Went Down with the Royal Oak 3

2 Conquering the Magnetic Mine 8

3 The Battle of the River Plate 20

January-December 1940

4 One Ship and Two Men 27

5 The Jervis Bay 36

January-December 1941

6 Malta Submarines 43

7 Pearl Harbor and After 52

January-May 1942

8 The Battle of the Channel 65

9 The Atlantic and the Pacific 69

10 Bomb Disposal on a Submarine 74

11 Enter the Rescue Ships 79

12 Submarine Attack in Corfu Harbor 88

13 The Battle of the Coral Sea 93

June-December 1942

14 Convoy PQ₁₇ 103

15 Midway 115

16 A Girl Called Johnnie 119

17 Invasion of the Solomons 129

18 Loss of the Leedstown 135

19 Guadalcanal and Tassafaronga 138

20 Rescue Ships in Trouble 147

January-December 1943

21 Americans in the Atlantic 155

22 Yanks on Their Way Back 161

23 John Kennedy and PT-109 164

24 Midget Subs Versus the Tirpitz 168

25 Saga of the Liscome Bay 177

January-December 1944

26 The D-day Armada 185

27 The USS Rich: D-day and After 197

28 George Bush and the Flying Casket 202

29 Dace, Darter, and Leyte Gulf 207

January-August 1945

30 Luzon and Iwo Jima 219

31 Okinawa and the Kamikazes 224

32 British Midget Sub Versus Japanese Cruiser 234

33 The Final Victory 240