When the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, many American men joined the U. S. Navy and Coast Guard. Some became crew members of small ships they called the Donald Duck Navy. These ships guarded America's coastlines, stalked submarines, and escorted convoys across the oceans. In Europe and in the Pacific they swept mines and also led landing craft to invasion beaches. Life aboard the ships was crowded and cramped with no privacy. They pitched, yawed, and rolled viciously, decks awash, forecastles, pilot houses, and flying bridges buried under water. They weathered the worst of nature and the enemy, and their crews endured and fought the war as bravely as did other sailors. These young men were a special type, mostly reservists with no previous sea duty. They learned fast and performed all the missions assigned to them. Like many sailors, they played music, wrote poetry, drew, painted, and crafted items that were original and artistic. It is amazing that they had the mental and physical discipline to do this under cramped and brutal conditions. This book is a tribute to them, and it helps to preserve and record some of those original creations. Veigele gives details of life on small combat ships through sailors' arts and crafts. These ships fought the enemy and the sea and played important parts in winning WWII. This book is a "must read." Obie Armstrong PC 1204, Past President of the Patrol Craft Sailors Association. RETAIL $29.95 ... SAVE 60%

U.S. Navy, Donald Duck Navy, WWII, Naval Warfare, Naval History, Sailors