South Pacific Destroyer Audiobook By Russell Sydnor Crenshaw cover art

South Pacific Destroyer

The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf

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South Pacific Destroyer

By: Russell Sydnor Crenshaw
Narrated by: Alan Bomar Jones
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Russell Crenshaw's riveting account of the savage night battle for the Solomon Islands in early 1943 offers listeners a unique insider's perspective from the decks of one of the destroyers that bore the brunt of the struggle. Drawing on his experience as a gunnery officer in the USS Maury, Crenshaw's vivid, balanced, and detailed narrative includes the Battle of Tassafaronga in November 1942 and Vella Gulf in August 1943, actions that earned his warship a Presidential Unit Citation and sixteen battle stars. Crenshaw also discusses the impact of radar and voice radio, the shortcomings of U.S. torpedoes and gunfire, and the devastating effectiveness of Japan's super torpedo.

©1998 Russell Snydor Crenshaw, Jr. (P)2011 Tantor World War II Naval Forces Wars & Conflicts Armed Forces Military Military Science
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Where does South Pacific Destroyer rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book goes into great detail, both about the battles and about the workings of destroyers. For hard-core military-history enthusiasts, this is excellent because that level of detail is rare. I value it because it gives me a good idea what it was like to do various tasks on a destroyer, especially in functions such as firing guns and operating the engine room. A non-hard-core reader might not want that level of detail, but every book has an audience for which it is the best fit.

The narrator is not a good fit for this material. He does not know the pronunciation of various naval terms, ship names, and place names, and his accent is offputting for this material. The material is worth it, though -- so if you don't like the narrator, please persevere. :)

Overall, I definitely recommend this book to readers who are interested in naval history and who like lots of technical detail. This part of WWII is not that well known, so I value a book on the topic with this level of detail.

For those who liked this book, you might also like Neptune's Inferno.

Excellent book for those who like technical detail

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What did you like best about South Pacific Destroyer? What did you like least?

I liked the realistice portrayal of life on a Destroyer in WWII. The performance was less than acceptable

What didn’t you like about Alan Bomar Jones’s performance?

He doesn't seem to be familiar with the terms in the story-mispronouncing many of them. Overall his performance seems choppy.

Good story-poor performance

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Cannot recommend - this is the first book I have not been able to finish - as another reader remarked the narrator is horrible. Despite trying to infuse his own interpretation of drama, his narration actually comes off as annoying. Too bad, liked the premise but couldn't stand listening to the reader.

Horrible Narration!

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Good depiction of life aboard a WW2 Destroyer. Vella and Kula Gulf actions were very interesting.
Finally an honest critique of the atrocious performance of the US torpedoes and top brass ignorance about it at that time. Brave crews did not deserve an inferior weapon and paid a heavy price.

Very good listen. Start to finish.

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If you could sum up South Pacific Destroyer in three words, what would they be?

Real Story of Naval Surface Action!

What did you like best about this story?

The Narrator, Alan Jones, makes an excellent read of an already riviting story. Alan is one of the Best I have ever heard in my 100 Gb book collection. I am well read about WW ll. But, I have always thought most of the real victories came from Carrie/plane actions. I now appreciate just how much Suface Actions our little

What about Alan Bomar Jones’s performance did you like?

Mr. Alan Bomar Jones is now my favorite voice. Great Job Alan!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Tin Can War, a Real Life Adventure in WW ll

Any additional comments?

WW ll students won't be disapointed.

Good Story, Expertly Read!

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