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The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour | 
 enlarge | Author: James D. Hornfischer
Publisher: Bantam
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $3.85
You Save: $11.15 (74%)
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Rating:  129 reviews
Sales Rank: 3248
Media: Paperback
Pages: 512
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0553381482
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780553381481
ASIN: 0553381482
Publication Date: March 29, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: cracked/loose binding, ships fast!
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Product Description
“This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can.”
With these words, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland addressed the crew of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts on the morning of October 25, 1944, off the Philippine Island of Samar. On the horizon loomed the mightiest ships of the Japanese navy, a massive fleet that represented the last hope of a staggering empire. All that stood between it and Douglas MacArthur’s vulnerable invasion force were the Roberts and the other small ships of a tiny American flotilla poised to charge into history.
In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our Fathers, James D. Hornfischer paints an unprecedented portrait of the Battle of Samar, a naval engagement unlike any other in U.S. history—and captures with unforgettable intensity the men, the strategies, and the sacrifices that turned certain defeat into a legendary victory.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
One of my favorite books November 29, 2008
Mathew A. Shember (Cupertino, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I stumbled on this book and am glad I did as it now has to be one of my favorite books. Well written and researched it's a fun adventure be it a morbid one but and adventure just the same.
I must admit to knowing next to nothing about the Battle off Samar Island. What little I have read paints it more or less as a lucky loss in that the Americans avoided a true calamity.
In an effort to stem the American advance on the Philippines and hopefully catch the carrier fleet unaware; the Japanese Navy set in motion a plan to trick the carriers away from the invasion forces. Admiral Ozawa offered a decoy force in an attempt to draw off Halsey and Halsey true to form charged after him.
The attacking force lead by the behemoth Yamato heads in an stumbles on a small task force of 6 escort carriers and their escorts.
What should have been a full slaughter turns into a loss due to the efforts of the force commander "Ziggy" Sprague and the suicidal bravery of the Tin-Cans. The image of the Johnston charging a cruiser force with guns blazing and torpedoes launching is the stuff of legends. Surprisingly she disables the lead cruiser Kumano. That and the other sorties by the Samuel B. Roberts, the Hoel and the Heermann buy time for the force to make a run for it and send planes to try and blunt the attack. The attack goes on with the Hoel, Johnston and Samuel B. Roberts disabled or sinking. The Gambier Bay is hit and sinks and the for reasons only know to the force commander Admiral Kurita, he calls off the attack and heads home.
Hornfischer does a splendid job telling this story. It is well researched and very detailed as it tries to convey what the men went through. Especially when trying to survive in the water while waiting for rescue that was foolishly delayed and probably caused the death of over 100 men.
The minutia of detail gives harrowing imagery to the battle. The bravery and the odd things people do. Such as men carefully lining up their shoes on the deck as they abandon ship. The sacrifice and the sad end for many. The doctor who stays aboard to ease the passing of the dying and dies in an explosion. The dying man who keeps trying to load his destroyed gun. The dog who returns to the sinking ship.
One odd thing I have read about is the dementia of long term exposure in the ocean. A common theme involves the belief that fresh water is below the surface water. It happens in this story as well.
Another interesting thing is the Japanese viewpoint. Hornfischer put an effort describing the leadup to the battle and gave a couple examples of humanity. Such as the commander of the cruiser Tone who orders the gunners to avoid the men trying to leave the ship. The sailors who toss tins of food to the men in the water.
There are numerous photos and there is a list of men who died during and after the battle. I found myself looking at the list when names appeared in the reading to see if they survived.
It's interesting that this battle is often overlooked as the author points out it was a battle of firsts and lasts. Firsts were: The first time a US aircraft carrier was lost due to surface gunfire, the first time a ship was sunk by a Kamikaze, the first time the Yamato fired her guns in battle. The lasts were: the last massed ship action, the last time a battleship fired it's guns at other ships, the last time destroyers charged a line of ships.
Overall, this was a fun read and the details in the book make it a worthwhile addition to anyone's library.
Simply The Best August 23, 2008
David Van Keuren (San Diego, Ca United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The accolades for this book you find here are extremely well deserved. I will add to the cheerleading only by saying that this book is without a doubt, the single best book I have ever read concerning any aspect of the war in the Pacific. And I've read a LOT of it. It is literally impossible to put this book down once the action starts. Too bad more of naval history isn't written by this author. I have read many books on the Battle of Leyte Gulf that left me scratching my head in frustration as the author utterly fails in his attempt to relate to the reader a complex and disjointed narrative of one of the most complicated battles in U.S. Naval history. Not so with this Last Stand. BTW, I have been trying to plow through Lundstrum's "First Team" for what seems like forever. Talk about a great story ruined by a guy who has no flair for writting. But back on topic and in conclusion I will say that this won't be the last time I read Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. As far as Lundtrum's book, well, I'm really looking forward to finishing it and making a paper weight out of it.
One of the finest book's On Naval warfare I have ever read! August 5, 2008
d dalton
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Being a voracious reader of world war ii novels,This is quite simply one of the most exciting and heart rending novels of naval warfare I have ever read.What make's it all the more interesting is my late grandfather served on a destroyer escort and even though he told a few tales himself reading this novel I truly almost felt I could smell the cordite and feel the deck as the Samuel b Robert's charged at the Japanese fleet.Next time you see a vet shake his hand and thank him.They deserve it!
 The Battle Off Samar July 25, 2008
D. Edward Farrar (Washington, DC)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors chronicles "The Battle off Samar", possibly the most lopsided battle ever fought by the US Navy. Due to an inexplicable decision by the legendary Admiral Halsey, on October 25, 1944 a small flotilla of Escort Carriers and their escorting squadron of "Tin Cans" (Destroyers, and their little cousins, Destroyer Escorts, the smallest ships in the blue water fleet) were the only thing standing between a powerful fleet of Japanese battleships and the US invasion force sent to liberate the Philippines.
For the Americans, trying to stand up against the heavily armed and armored Japanese behemoths with the minimal forces at their disposal was suicidal. Still they were the only ships available to prevent the Japanese steaming into Leyte Gulf and slaughtering the soldiers and Marines still on the beach, so stand up against them is what they did. Incredibly, the Japanese retreated...but only after blasting two Destroyers a Destroyer Escort and one of the Escort Carriers into oblivion.
It was once said (by William Manchester, I believe) that military history often focuses on battles because, once so much blood has been shed we humans seem compelled to justify all the loss and pain by giving the event meaning. By the time the Battle off Samar took place, the Japanese empire was certainly beaten. Win, lose or draw, on that day in October they were not going to significantly alter the course of the war. And yet the willingness of the outnumbered and out gunned American squadron to stand and fight when they should have had no chance of winning does elevate 3 hours of explosive action to that point where stories and poems will be written about it for decades.
James D. Hornfischer's book captures both the events and emotions of the men who made what they knew would be a suicidal last stand vividly. It is well worth reading for anyone interested in World War II history.
Ranks with Shattered Sword July 6, 2008
Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
A couple of years ago, I read "Shattered Sword" (about the Battle of Midway) and proclaimed it the best WWII account of Pacific Theatre Naval history to date. I now have to say THE LAST STAND OF THE TIN CAN SAILORS by James Hornfischer ranks right beside it.
This is a brilliantly presented accounting of Halsey's folly when he let his enormous ego get in the way of following orders. The result is the death of some of the Navy's finest tin can sailors and the birth of legends in Naval history. Had Halsey been in position with the 3rd Fleet to guard San Bernardino Straits, it is quite possible that even more American lives would have been lost in the ensuing battle, but it is also quite probably that the Japanese Center Force would have also been dismantled piecemeal just as the Japanese Southern Force had been destroyed the day before.
But, as history has shown, Halsey couldn't contain his ego and went chasing after his own legacy, leaving the Straits to be guarded by the "little guys" a tiny group of escort carriers and accompanying destroyers and destroyer escorts. Hornfischer deftly tells the tale of the men of these greatly overmatched tin cans who faced down the Imperial giants. Many of them eventually paid the ultimate sacrifice.
This incredibly well researched story will have you glued to every page. The details are accurate to a flaw and riveting like no other account I have ever read. This is superbly written and also includes several pages of photos as well as maps of ship positioning during the battle. This is one of the best Naval warfare history books you will ever read.
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