Quote:
Originally Posted by davestlouis
Dynalow, I can't imagine being in the middle of the Atlantic on something that small...no thanks. I havea book called Authors at Sea, edited by Rob't Shenk...it's all 20th century American writers who served in WWII in the Navy or Coast Guard. There are some great vignettes in the book. The first is by Sloan Wilson, and tells what happened when he reported aboard a USCG cutter, having earned his stripes by taking a 12 hour test at MIT...the man he reported to had served in the USCG for 20 years, to earn his stripes, and that man didn't see the humor in it...great book.
http://www.amazon.com/Authors-Sea-American-Writers-Remember/dp/1557507996 |
Dave,
If you have some time, you might find this story/diary kept by a Coast Guardsman (against orders) of a harrowing return trip from Greenland in a converted wooden trawler. "Death of a Wooden Shoe"
It is a great and true story, imo.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/weboralhistory/WoodenShoe.pdf
Here's a link to some pictures of the Coast Guard Cutter Spencer depth charging and sinking U-175 in April 1943. Good photographs, considering the times.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/spencervsu175.asp
There is a book about subchasers called the "Splinter Fleet"
http://books.google.com/books?id=YqJoiPQH5-wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+splinter+fleet&source=bl&ots=LFxFxLCR3i&sig=8cy3ZjHtTN2_fpDybjlvEVo93c8&hl=en&ei=be8XTevsJIO88gaG-I2cDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Check out the picture on page 54 to get a glimpse of what the North Atlantic could do to small ships.
