Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Tales of the Galley




Tales of the Galley

By Doreen Armitage

Harbour Publishing P.O. Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, V0N 2H0

ISBN 13: 978-1-55017-438-0
ISBN 10: 1-55017-438-X
Price: $39.95 CAD; $39.95 USD
Hardback
8.5 x 11 - 198 pp
October 2007

Doreen Armitage, author of the bestselling From the Wheelhouse: Tugboaters Tell their own Stories is back with a fresh collection of salty tales from a varied collection of men who earn their living in, on or beside the sea. A former DFO skipper tells a heartrending story of trying to rescue the crew of a fish boat foundering off the west coast of Vancouver Island in wind so strong it cart wheeled their life raft "across the waves like a tumbleweed." A coastal pilot recounts the horrors of trying to scramble up the sides of towering ships in tossing seas, and a near-death experience after falling into the frigid ocean. A tugboat skipper tells of towing a mountainous bundle of logs—called a Davis raft—from the Queen Charlotte Islands only to have it hit rocks and break apart, scattering enough timber to build a small city. A commercial dive fisherman remembers the time his buddy befriended a big harmless-seeming octopus, who responded by trying to tear his helmet off.
The author of Tales from the Galley has compiled a group of entertaining stories from B.C.’s working waterfront.  She has the ability to transform these oral histories into a story where you feel that you are being told the tale personally.  She covers a wide range of waterfront activities from fishing to Coast Guard to deep sea oil drilling.  All stories are told with enthusiasm and a good understanding of the topic.  The great pictures throughout the book give the reader a good visual of the topics the author covers. 
This has been a delightful read and I would recommend that it would be a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Squadron 13 and the Big Flying Boats


ISBN: 1555716458
Pages: 216

The PB2Y Coronados-massive, four-engine seaplanes known as the "Big Flying Boats"-were the ride of choice for dignitaries in the Pacific during WWII. A Coronado flew Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox to view the damage suffered by the Pacific Fleet after Pearl Harbor. Admiral Chester Nimitz flew in one to Japan in August 1945 for the signing of the peace treaty.
But in the Pacific Theatre, where Naval aviation was the ultimate weapon, the Big Flying Boats were more than just cushy rides for VIPs. They flew and fought in the heart of the conflict, from Hawaii to the Philippines to Japan.
Here, the pilots of the U.S. Navy Squadron 13 Coronados relate their wartime exploits in their own words. From tales of dangerous Dumbo patrols and the evacuation of wounded at Tarawa, to dogfights with Japanese "Bettys" and bombing of enemy ships and installations, this is the story of those remarkable aircraft and the men who flew them.
An enjoyable collection of personal recollections of personnel who flew on these great planes for the US Navy. One of the aircraft was used as the personal aircraft of Admiral Chester W Nimitz during the Second World War.
Sadly only one example still exists today luckily at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.