Overview

The first authoritative history of any of the more than 350 attack transports or attack cargo ships of World War II, """"Combat Loaded: Across the Pacific on the USS Tate"""" contains gripping combat narratives along-side the sometimes heart-warming, sometimes tragic details of daily life on board the ships of Transport Squadron 17 during the waning days of World War II. Author Thomas E. Crew interviewed over fifty veterans of the Tate, including all her surviving officers. Crew weaves a rich tapestry of voices, combining it with extensive analysis of the Tate's daily action reports and ship's logs, accented by lively letters of the period from private collections - including previously unpublished accounts of the last days of famed war correspondent Ernie Pyle. Crew also presents a rare unit-level perspective of joint operations involving the infantry fighting ashore and the navy transports that sustained them with their vital combat cargo. The resulting richly illustrated work presents perhaps the most comprehensive account to date of the experiences and courageous contributions of those who served on amphibious transports during World War II.

Full Product Details

9781585445561

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Reviews

... an important contribution to naval history.... The author also does a good job of weaving technical issues in with the letters of and post-war interviews with the crew of the United States Ship Tate. He is also able to place the story and history in the larger context of the Pacific Theater, which gets less attention than the war in Europe. -- Nick Sarantakes

Each and every ship's history adds another page and another dimension to our understanding of World War II and the America that fought it.... These voices are among the last we shall hear of the World War II generation as they fade into history's twilight. -- Mark P. Parillo ... an important contribution to naval history.... The author also does a good job of weaving technical issues in with the letters of and post-war interviews with the crew of the United States Ship Tate. He is also able to place the story and history in the larger context of the Pacific Theater, which gets less attention than the war in Europe. -- Nick Sarantakes

Author Information

THOMAS E. CREW has worked for the Naval Oceanographic Office for almost twenty years. He lives in Long Beach, Mississippi. This is his first book.

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