The U.S. Merchant Marine at War, 1775-1945

Felknor (Dirty Politics) has assembled an anthology, drawn from books and historical documents and threaded by his own narration, devoted to keeping alive the heroic deeds of America's merchant marine--the civilian sailors who manned cargo ships during wartime. Included are thrilling stories from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War and both world wars, with about half the book devoted to WWII. Felknor has effectively sewn together a patchwork of tales that detail heroism and cowardice, self-sacrifice and grim determination. It's all here--Maine civilians in 1775 capturing a British vessel in port and then pursuing and taking a larger British ship; the feared CSS Alabama and other raiders driving Yankee commerce from the seas in the 1860s; the gritty WWI merchant captains who took on U-boats and won; and much more. The armed guard--the crews who manned the defensive armament of merchant ships in the 1940s--is also woven into the picture, particularly through newsman Robert Carses's account. During WWII, the merchant marine's percentage of loss was double that of the army's, Felknor explains, but the survivors weren't awarded veterans' status by Congress until 50 years later. Felknor is to be congratulated for bringing back into the public consciousness the largely forgotten services of generations of gallant seamen. 17 illustrations and maps. Editor, Mark Gatlin; agent, Jane J. Brown. (Aug.)