Father Joe O’Callahan; S.J. was the unlikeliest war hero. A bespectacled math professor from Holy Cross; he became the U.S. Navy’s first Jesuit chaplain in World War II and served in combat operations in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Father O’Callahan was on the aircraft carrier Franklin; known as “Big Benâ€; in the Okinawa campaign in early 1945 when massive explosions and fire from a kamikaze bomb attack nearly destroyed his ship. Hundreds of sailors died within moments of the attack; and the Franklin; lay dead in the water; drifting toward Japan just 60 miles distant. As flames consumed the carrier; the chaplain organized and led fire-fighting crews and prevented a potentially fatal explosion while ministering to injured; dying and terrified sailors. Father O’Callahan’s deeds were instrumental in saving the Franklin; and he stayed with the ship on its voyage under power to New York Harbor. The carrier’s captain called him “the bravest man I ever saw;†and Father Joe became the first American military chaplain to receive the Medal of Honor; the nation’s highest decoration for valor. But the price of glory was high for Father O’Callahan. He suffered a stroke after returning to Holy Cross and spent the rest of his life enduring incapacitating pain. Through it all; the priest displayed the same leadership and strength derived from unwavering faith that enabled him to help save his ship and comrades. The book incorporates primary sources; interviews with Franklin survivors and O’Callahan family members and other materials never before published; including documentation of the Navy’s review of Father O’Callahan’s recommendation of the Medal of Honor and the process leading to the priest’s receipt of the decoration.
#602840 in Books Friedman Norman 2011-02-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.50 x 9.75 x 1.50l; 4.70 #File Name: 1591140781320 pagesBritish Cruisers Two World Wars and After
Review
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful. Friedman delivers once againBy Jim DavisThis kind of book is author Norman Friedman's bread and butter; a design history of a particular class of warship of one nation over an extended period. This book covers British cruisers from the pre World War I "Town" class through the Invincible "through deck cruisers" of recent times. An appendix covers the cruiser sized fast minelayers. Cruiser designs offered for export are covered at the ends of chapters by heavily captioned builder's drawings.As is typical of Friedman's book it's a pretty dense read; it is literally packed with information. This is not the sort of book that can be read in small segments over a long period of time. Neither is it one that can be comfortably read at a few sittings. The book has 11 chapters and one chapter like appendix; my recommendation is to allot time for a chapter at a time. The book is of a size makes reading any other way than sitting at a desk or a table something of a chore.The book is structured in such a way that the reader feels he is reading three books at the same time. There is the main text; the very extensive (sometimes page long) captions to the drawings and photos; and the copious notes. In fairness; it's hard to see what else could have been done.The line drawings are of universally high quality. They are always presented left to right across the page. This makes them somewhat small. Cruisers are of a size that drawings from bottom of page to top of page would be more satisfactory like in the author's book on US cruisers. No doubt space was a consideration. Both plan and deck views are included. More inboard profiles would have been welcome. As it is; the builder's drawings of designs for export are the most detailed in this regard.The photos are adequately but not outstandingly reproduced. Some are very small making it hard to pick out details; some are two page spreads. There is not much in the way of on board closeups.It will no doubt be wondered how this book compares with Raven and Roberts' British Cruisers of World War II. The current book is much more comprehensive and the coverage extends both earlier and later than the earlier book. On the other hand the photos and drawings in Raven and Roberts are better reproduced; larger; and include more closeup views. One also appreciates that Raven and Roberts tabularized a lot designs in their main text; Friedman prefers to describe designs one at a time. In short; the general enthusiast will no doubt prefer Friedman but the modeller will probably appreciate Raven and Roberts more.This book is highly recommended. It will no doubt be the definitive book on the subject. Friedman is working on a book covering British cruisers of the earlier period but it will also cover the battlecruisers given their armored cruiser antecedents. I can hardly wait.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Probably the 'last word' on RN Cruisers.By CustomerThis is an enormously comprehensive volume of that most successful of WW2 British warships - the cruiser..The wealth of detail actually illustrates the enormous experience and care lavished on these ships which led to their surprising success during the war against opponents who were clearly superior - on paper.A minor cavil is the sometimes overwhelming detail on the office disputes between DNC; DofE;DofA and etc. Why not just say "After some dispute in the Admiralty....(Hopefully over a pink gin and cigars) ...such and such was decided. Also I'm certain there should be more mention of the nation's budget constraints. In the 20's and 30's; Britain was far from being a rich country.More seriously; there is a great amount of detail on defensive armour but not sufficient information on offensive weapons. Main armament and torpedoes are covered well but secondary and close range AA are not well explained or assessed.The photos are prolific and perhaps very meaningful. The RN cruisers are in no way spectacular in appearance. None have the bristling guns and turrets of Mogami or Brooklyn and they just don't have the racy lines of the Italians. They look like working ships; which lived long enough to change their details and appearance and just keep working; which they did.Don't let these criticisms put you off the book because; in the end; every student of naval history will call this volume 'The Book".0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. British Cruisers: 2 World Wars and AfterBy deerhunterFriedman covers them all in this one. A must have if your serious about your facts
