Vantage Press, NY, 1974 (copyright). Signed. Red vinyl, topographical end-papers, gilt letters. Minor edgewear, bottom of spine. Otherwise, as new. Inscribed by the author, back of Dedication Page in red ink, dtd. Christmas 1974. DJ has 1/2" tear (closed) top corner of spine; 2 minor 1/8" tears (closed), bottom of front cover. Publisher's original price of $5.95, top corner of front flap. Still bright & colorful. 179 pages.
Subtitled: "Of The Nine Battleships At Pearl Harbor, One Got Underway". Fictional novel about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, based on historical facts.
This is a fictionalized account of the actions of the USS Nevada at Pearl Harbor. She was the only battleship to get underway during the attack, making the ship "the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning" for the United States.
A dramatic tale of WWII told by an "old salt" with a few tales of his own. On 17 February 1945, a couple of days before the invasion, eighteen year old Seaman Wallace Exum was wounded as his Landing Craft Infantry (LCI-457) came under fire during the battle for Iwo Jima. His LCI and others were supporting underwater demolition teams (UDT), which were conducting beach and surf condition surveillance and neutralizing underwater obstacles. Japanese coastal batteries heavily damaged 12 of the vessels, resulting in 38 killed and 132 wounded. Wally was among those many young men wounded who earned the Purple Heart. The skipper of his LCI, a Lieutenant, won the Navy Cross which tells you that was a vessel seeing some significant action. Rising to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer, Mr. Exum served in the Navy for much of his life.
