The Castaway’s War: One Man’s Battle against Imperial Japan by Stephen Harding

Military History and Survival     

My rating:   3 out of 5     

Amazon.2amazon-co-uk

This is a tale of the USS Strong that was launched in May 1942, and sunk in July 1943.  It describes thThe Castaway's Ware building of the ship, the weaponry it carried and the preparation of the crew and ship for war.  Among the officers on the ship was Navy Lieutenant Hugh Barr Miller, who survived when the boat sunk and was eventually washed up on Arundel  Islet, where he not only survived but performed acts of great bravery.

Lovers  of military history and detail about the US Navy’s warships will find this a fascinating and riveting read, probably deserving of a 5 out of 5 rating.  Unfortunately the detail regarding the building and commissioning of the ship held little personal interest for me, and though the tale of survival on Arundel was  exciting, interesting and page turning it was not enough for me to rate the book higher.

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