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.

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.

My Carrier War The Life and Times of a Naval Aviator in WWII

By Noman Berg

ISBN: 1555716199

Pages: 200

Hellgate Press

More than just another blood-'n-guts memoir, Norm Berg's MY CARRIER WAR is a detailed account of carrier pilots and their planes, an engaging love story and a courageous examination of a young man's battle with--and eventual victory over--fear and self-doubt.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Three days later, a young Navy pilot-in-training won his wings and soon found himself flying torpedo planes against enemy targets in the Pacific. From his days as a naval aviation cadet aboard the "Yellow Peril" biplane trainer, to his first bombing runs on Guadalcanal, to his life aboard an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific, Norman Berg offers a fast-paced narrative filled with humor and meticulous attention to detail.

Much more than a simple WWII memoir, this story goes beyond the action of battle to explore the author's innermost conflicts and chronicles one young couple's wartime struggle to balance love, duty, and commitment.

The book contains a fairly readable narrative but suffers a few errors in dates and reporting the author's first carrier launch on two separate occasions. The tale ends in January 1945 so it leaves the reader wondering what happened to author in the rest of the war.

However, the book is worth reading and leaves you an excellent idea of what life was like in those momentous days. Kudos to Hellgate for bringing these stories to the historical record.

On and off the Flight Deck Reflections of a Naval Fighter Pilot in World War 2

Paperback 256 pages

ISBN: 9781848841956

Published: 15 October 2009

Pen and Sword Books

Hank Adlam began his naval flying career in 1941, his first operational posting was to the newly-formed No. 890 Squadron. The squadron’s first operational role was to protect a convoy sailing from New York and bound for Greenock. Their major task was to protect the ship’s squadron of Fairey Swordfish anti-submarine aircraft and to destroy any long-range Lufwaffe Fw Condor reconnaissance patrols that were transmitting convoy positions to the waiting U-boat wolf-packs. During this first operational voyage he lost his best friend who was shot down. Later, on this same initiation to front-line operational flying, Hank was forced to ditch into gale-torn Atlantic Ocean. In the autumn of 1942, 890 Squadron joined the fleet carrier HMS Illustrious, again involving convoy protection. During one patrol he helped destroy an enemy Blohm und Voss Bv 138 Seaplane. Illustrious sailed for the Mediterranean arriving in Malta, with the objective of providing air cover for the landings at Salerno. 1944 saw the Squadron pilots despatched aboard HMS London and then they briefly joined HMS Atheling, to provide air cover for a strong fleet attacking Japanese shipping around the Andaman Islands. When 890 was disbanded he joined 1839 Squadron flying the new Grumman Hellcat.
Many interesting facts about aviation in the Royal Navy in World War Two such as:

• Philip Vian, the hero of Narvik, was disliked by aviators because of his ignorance of aviation. This lack of knowledge or even appearing to want to know, led to the needless sacrifice of numerous Seafires and their pilots at the invasion of Salerno. This lack of knowledge followed Vian to his later appointment with the British Pacific Fleet.
• In the early years of the war, the Royal Navy insisted on having an observer in carrier aircraft who was also in command over the pilot.
• The Grumman F4F was always referred to as Wildcat and not by the official RN name of Martlet.
• The light fleet carriers which came into service near the end of hostilities, were cursed with the design flaw of them being built for conversion to mercantile ships after the war. This had the effect of making them too slow to get enough wind over the deck during aviation operations.
• After VJ Day, under the terms of Lend-Lease US aircraft on RN carriers were to be either purchased or ditched. Many aircraft were unceremoniously dumped in the Pacific Ocean.
• Aircraft carriers were considered the best at evacuating released prisoners of war with their spacious hangar decks.

The narrative flows quite well leaving the reader with a real feeling of what it must have been like living the life of a carrier pilot. Details about shore time in places such as USA, Scotland, Ceylon, Australia and South Africa are detailed.

However there is one criticism of the book which needs to be addressed by the publisher in future works - the lack of proof reading. The overuse of capitalization of unnecessary words becomes distracting and annoying.

Apart from this, it is still a good read for fans and students of naval aviation.

Gentleman Captain

1662: Restoration England. Cromwell is dead, and King Charles II has reclaimed the throne after years of civil war. It is a time of divided allegiances, intrigue, and outright treachery. With rebellion stirring in the Scottish Isles, the hard-pressed sovereign needs men he can trust to sail north and defuse this new threat.

Matthew Quinton is such a man—the second son of a noble royalist family, he is loyal, if inexperienced. Having sunk the first man-of-war under his command within weeks, Matthew is determined to complete his second mission without loss of life or honor. Upon taking command of His Majesty's Ship the Jupiter, the young “gentleman captain” is faced with a resentful crew and has but few on whom he can rely: Kit Farrell, an illiterate commoner with vast seafaring experience, and Phineas Musk, a roguish but steadfast family retainer. As they approach the wild coast of Scotland, Matthew begins to learn the ropes and win the respect of his fellow officers and sailors.

But he has other difficulties on the voyage north: a suspicion that the previous captain of the Jupiter was murdered, a feeling that many among his crew have something to hide, and the growing conviction that betrayal lies closer to home than he had thought.
Mr Davies is the latest entrant to become the next CS Forrester of Hornblower fame. Although we don't normally review works of fiction, this book was submitted for consideration by the publisher. The author makes every attempt to illustrated what conditions onboard a British sailing ship in the 17^th Century and makes for an enjoyable read for fans of the historical nautical fiction genre.

US Navy Warships & Auxiliaries including US Coast Guard

By Steve Bush

216 pages Maritime Books; 2nd Revised Edition (December 2010)

English 1904459439 978-1904459439 8

£7.99 | $12.45

The 2nd Edition of this pocket sized guide to the ships, submarines and aircraft of the US Navy, Military Sealift Command and Ready Reserve Fleet has been expanded to include the ships & aircraft of the US Coast Guard. This reviewer looks forward receiving the next work from Steve Bush and this book does not disappoint. This work is profusely illustrated with color photographs of the ships and aircraft of the US Navy, Military Sealift Command and US Coast Guard covers all but the smallest craft. This book is truly a timely reference tool at an affordable price.

The Fourth Force The Untold Story of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary since 1945

By Geoff Puddefoot

Hardback 256 pages

ISBN: 9781848320468

Seaforth Books October 2009

Set up in August 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was originally a logistic support organization, part of the Navy proper but run on civilian lines, comprising a miscellaneous and very unglamorous collection of colliers, store ships and harbour craft. Just over a century later it has evolved beyond recognition: its ships compare in size, cost and sophistication with all but the largest warships, and the RFA itself has developed into an essential arm of all three Services. It is truly the ‘Fourth Force’ – as it is known to its own personnel – and without it, the current worldwide deployment of British service men and women would be simply impossible.

 This book charts the veritable revolution that has overtaken the RFA since the end of the Second World War. New technology and techniques reflect the rapid growth in the importance of logistics in modern warfare, while the broadening role of the RFA is to be seen in the history of its operations, many of them little known to the public. Woven together from a combination of technical ship data, official correspondence and personal recollections, it is predominantly about the men and women of the RFA and their stories – an insight into the underreported history of a service whose initials unofficially translate as Ready For Anything.

With at least two more ships from the RFA fleet being withdrawn from service at the time of the writing of this review, this book should be required reading for all figures interested in both peacekeeping and power projection roles.

At various times in its history, the RFA was considered an integral part of British military operations and at other not so much.

Periodical looks at manning the ships with military crews were looked. Also fascinating was a study into a fast replenishment ship in the early 1950s, a concept only the US Navy ever adopted.

The problems with bringing into service with some of the more recent ship types as well as workings of the head office of both a positive and negative nature are examined in a frank and open manner. This frankness is what impressed me with this book, no candy coating.

This book contains an excellent set of lists and data tables ranging from ships to nuclear warheads at sea during the Falklands War.

Fourth Force by Geoff Puddefoot is truly a great book; we certainly hope to see more from him in future.