To war in a tin car [i.e. can]
Subtitle: a memoir of World War II aboard a destroyer
By: James H. Patric.
Publisher: McFarland
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Jefferson, N.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 225
Subjects: Patric, James H., 1922-; George E. Badger (Destroyer); United States. Navy -- Registers.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Naval operations, American.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Regimental histories -- United States.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.; World War, 1939-1945 -- Registers.; Sailors -- United States -- Biography.
Genres: Personal narratives, American.; Registers.; Biography.
Other titles: To war in a tin car; To war in a tin can
Description: "During World War II, James Patric served for two years aboard the destroyer USS George E. Badger. The ship, launched in 1918, was one of several hundred "mothballed" World War I four-pipers. As American involvement in World War II drew closer, most of them were re-activated for service in the US Navy; four-pipers such as the Badger were involved in reporting and tracking ships and aircraft approaching American shores, seizing Axis ships in American ports, occupying Greenland, and relieving the British from the defense of Iceland. The Badger was involved in every stage of the conflict: pre-war Neutrality Patrol, escorting convoys, anti-submarine warfare (a pioneer hunter/killer), carrying Underwater Demolition Team 8, and pre-invasion (Frogmen) reconnaissance of South Pacific invasion beaches." "This memoir weaves together the oral and written memories of James Patric, a Connecticut farmboy who was drafted in early 1943, with those of his shipmates on the Badger, supporting them with documents and historical records. It records the ship's role in worldwide conflict and traces the author's evolution from raw peacetime civilian to veteran wartime sailor. Appendices list the muster rolls of the crew and commissioned officers."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-220) and index.