Synopses & Reviews
Tales from a Tin Can is the true story of the destroyer USS Dale in the words of the sailors who served on her. These colorful first-person accounts bring every aspect of service on a World War II destroyer to life, from the attack on Pearl Harbor:
I was down below, brushing my teeth. . . . There was a huge commotion, so I ran outside to see what was going on. The first thing I saw was a Japanese bomber dropping its torpedo, which then ran right up into the old Utah and exploded.—Alvis Harris
To life on the Dale:
[S]ome of the guys were chumming the water off the fantail with galley scraps. You could see huge sharks swimming around, so I threw a couple of wooden crates over the side and the sharks went into a frenzy over them. The [captain] came on the squawk box and said, “You guys better not fall over the side because I don’t want to pick up what’s left!”—Earl Hicks
To gripping combat stories:
When the Salt Lake City went dead in the water we figured we were all goners for sure. . . . That water temperature was right at thirty-three degrees, which would give us about ten or twelve minutes before we froze to death. Just when things got to be about as bleak as you could imagine, one of our cans got a 5-incher right smack on the bridge of the lead [Japanese] cruiser. You could see it as plain as day. Then [they] simply turned tail and ran. It was a miracle!—John Cruce
And all the way to the end:
When word came through that the war had ended, everyone went wild. We made noise with whatever we could get our hands on. Sirens shrieked, bells rang, and horns bellowed. . . . I whooped and hollered and banged on metal. . . . And I celebrated a bunch for all those guys that couldn’t, too!—Robert “Pat” Olson
But before the boys come home, Tales from a Tin Can transports the reader to Dale’s rolling decks, under the hot South Pacific sun and deadly enemy fire, illuminating the courage and humor of a generation of young men thrust into the life and death struggle of World War II.
Michael Keith Olson is an agriculturalist and journalist. He has produced, written, and photographed news for the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner newspapers, NBC, ABC, the Australian Broadcast Commission, and KQED Public Television. His previous book, MetroFarm, a guide for small-scale farming in the city, won the 1995 PMA Ben Franklin Book of the Year Award (Silver). Olson is the executive producer and host of the syndicated radio talk show Food Chain, the California legislature’s 1996 “Ag Show of the Year”, and is currently president of the MO MultiMedia Group in Santa Cruz, California, where he lives with his family. Robert “Pat” Olson, his father, served on the USS Dale.
Review
“Author Olson managed to interview 44 veterans of the World War II destroyer U.S.S. Dale (despite their average age of 88), producing the first oral history of one ship's adventures over the entire Pacific theater. Their tales produce no new insights, but their eyewitness accounts of great and trivial events are fascinating. A dozen veterans describe the attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred all around them, leaving their ship untouched. The men also spent nine miserable months in the Aleutians in subzero weather and stormy seas with no relief; five crew members suffered nervous breakdowns. But the Dale was a lucky ship: no sailors died in action, though all agree on the terrors of kamikaze attacks that destroyed nearby vessels. More frightening were typhoons during which everyone expected death for days on end, joining companion destroyers that sank with all hands. Between reminiscences, Olson writes a running account of the war and illuminates shipboard details readers need to know. His book is an impressive accomplishment, bringing vividly to life the actions of a single warship that fought across half the world during 1941–1945."--Publishers Weekly
“[Tales from a Tin Can] describes the actions, hardships, and joys of a WWII destroyer as seen through the eyes of her crew. The author writes a mix of WWII Pacific History, entries from the ship’s Deck log, and a labyrinth of quotes and tales from the ships crewmembers … Tales from a Tin Can is a good read and an excellent overview of WWII in the Pacific.” -Military Magazine
Synopsis
Looking up from his newspaper as he sat on the deck of the destroyer USS Dale, Harold Reichert could see the pilot plain as day: the leather helmet with chin strap, the goggles, and, finally, the red rising sun painted on the plane’s fuselage. “I saw the torpedo drop and watched as it ran up on the old Utah.”
It was daybreak at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the beginning of the war, and the Dale was there; she would serve until the end, when the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered. In the words of those who manned her, the Dale’s war comes vividly to life in this first oral history of a combat ship from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. Tales from a Tin Can recreates service aboard the Dale—from the carrier raids on Midway and Guadalcanal to the kamikaze raids of Okinawa, from the Aleutians in the far north to strikes on Tokyo and Kobe in the Far East—conveying as never before the true grit of wartime on a destroyer.
Synopsis
What was life like on a destroyer during World War II? Find out by reading Michael Keith Olson s superb telling of tales of the war in the Pacific as seen from the deck of a very luck tin can The son of a former Dale crewman, Olson interviewed 44 veterans and delved deeply into official documents to give this book the air of authenticity that puts the reader in the heart of the action.
Tales from a Tin Can is the first oral history of one combat ship s adventures, sometimes comic, sometimes mundane, sometimes heart wrenching, over the entire course of America s involvement in the Pacific. An impressive accomplishment and highly recommended. WWII History This fascinating book captures not only the furious clashes with the Japanese but also the humdrum days in-between and the heart-stopping encounters with typhoons that could be as lethal as any engagement with the enemy. Anyone interested in stories from World War II will find this well-illustrated account of the naval campaign in the Pacific fascinating. Register Pajaronian Looking up from his newspaper from where he sat on the deck of the destroyer USS Dale, Harold Reichert could see the pilot plain as day--the leather helmet with chin strap, the goggles, and then the red rising sun painted on the planes fuselage. "I saw the torpedo drop and watched as it ran up on the old Utah." It was daybreak at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the beginning of the war, and the Dale was there; she would serve until the end, when the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered.
In the words of those who manned her, the Dales war comes vividly to life in this first oral history of a combat ship from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. From carrier raids on Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Solomons to the bombarding of Saipan and Guam in the capture of the Marianas, from the Aleutians in the far north to strikes on Tokyo and Kobe, Tales from a Tin Can recreates the action aboard the Dale, and conveys as never before the true grit of wartime on a destroyer.
"
Synopsis
This first oral history of a combat ship from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay recreates the drama of WWII action aboard the destroyer USS Dale.
Synopsis
“What was life like on a destroyer during World War II? Find out by reading Michael Keith Olson’s superb telling of tales of the war in the Pacific as seen from the deck of a very luck ‘tin can”… The son of a former Dale crewman, Olson interviewed 44 veterans and delved deeply into official documents to give this book the air of authenticity that puts the reader in the heart of the action.
“Tales from a Tin Can is the first oral history of one combat ship’s adventures, sometimes comic, sometimes mundane, sometimes heart wrenching, over the entire course of America’s involvement in the Pacific. An impressive accomplishment and highly recommended.”
WWII History
“This fascinating book captures not only the furious clashes with the Japanese but also the humdrum days in-between and the heart-stopping encounters with typhoons that could be as lethal as any engagement with the enemy. Anyone interested in stories from World War II will find this well-illustrated account of the naval campaign in the Pacific fascinating.”
Register –Pajaronian
Looking up from his newspaper from where he sat on the deck of the destroyer USS Dale, Harold Reichert could see the pilot plain as day--the leather helmet with chin strap, the goggles, and then the red rising sun painted on the planes fuselage. "I saw the torpedo drop and watched as it ran up on the old Utah." It was daybreak at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the beginning of the war, and the Dale was there; she would serve until the end, when the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered.
In the words of those who manned her, the Dales war comes vividly to life in this first oral history of a combat ship from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. From carrier raids on Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Solomons to the bombarding of Saipan and Guam in the capture of the Marianas, from the Aleutians in the far north to strikes on Tokyo and Kobe, Tales from a Tin Can recreates the action aboard the Dale, and conveys as never before the true grit of wartime on a destroyer.
About the Author
Michael Keith Olson is an agriculturalist and journalist. He consults on farm projects throughout the world, from the city of Watts to the jungles of the Amazon. Olson has produced, written, and photographed news for the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner newspapers, NBC, ABC, the Australian Broadcast Commission, and KQED Public Television. His previous book, MetroFarm, is a guide for small-scale farming in the city. Olson is the executive producer and host of Food Chain, a syndicated radio talk show, and is currently president of the MO MultiMedia Group in Santa Cruz, California, where he lives with his family. Robert “Pat” Olson, his father, served on the USS Dale.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
List of Maps 8
Preface 9
Acknowledgments 16
1941 17
November: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 22
December 7 to 8: Japanese Attack 26
0700 to 0755 28
0755 to 0820 32
0820 to 0855 40
0910 to 1930 46
1930 to 0500 48
December 8: Return to Pearl Harbor 50
December 9: Battleship Row 52
December 15 to 31: Cleanup 52
1942 55
January: The Recruits 56
January to March: Carrier Raids 61
Rabaul, New Britain 64
Lae–Salamaua, New Guinea 69
March to June: Carrier Battles 71
Coral Sea 71
Midway 76
July to December: Solomon Islands 84
Espiritu Santo 87
Guadalcanal 92
1943 107
January: Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea 108
January to March: Amchitka Island 112
March 26: Battle of the Komandorski Islands 119
April to June: Attu Island 142
June to August: Kiska Island 154
September: Aleutian Islands to Pearl Harbor 162
October: Central Pacific and Wake Island 165
November: Gilbert Islands 168
December: Pearl Harbor to San Francisco 175
1944 179
January to March: Marshall Islands 180
Kwajalein 181
Eniwetok 184
Majuro 186
March to May: Caroline Islands and New Guinea 188
Task Force 58 Raids 188
Majuro 197
June to July: Mariana Islands 200
Saipan 201
Guam 206
August to October: United States 208
Bremerton 209
San Pedro 213
Pearl Harbor 217
November to December: Philippines 219
Eniwetok 222
Ulithi 225
Typhoon Cobra 228
1945 233
January: Philippines and South China Sea 234
Ulithi 235
Philippines 238
South China Sea 241
January to March: Iwo Jima 247
March to June: Okinawa 253
June to July: Balikpapan 266
July to August: Ulithi, Guam, and Japan 272
September to October: New York City 281
Epilogue 287
Appendices 293
The Crew 293
USS Dale World War II Battle Stars 295
Chronology: November 1941 to October 1945 297
Task Force Assignments 302
Notes 305
Glossary of U.S. Navy Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Slang 307
Bibliography 313
Index 317