"Away
All Boats" by Kenneth Dodson
(Also a great movie staring Jeff Chandler)
This is the story of the U.S. Attack Transport Belinda from her commissioning to: I won't say, it would spoil the read. Much of this book is based on the actual experiences of Dodson, who was an officer aboard just such a ship and went through much of the same hell. This book describes the running of the ship, the equipment, the duties of the officers and men, and how the men and equipment train, gain experience, and become a fighting machine. Ships like the Belinda carried the troops, landed them ashore, carried in and unloaded their supplies, provided fire support, provided anti-aircraft cover, and helped clean up the aftermath.
The crew is described from the lowest seamen to the highest officers. Learn about the garbage grinder, the gun crews, the landing boat operators, and yes: the doctors and dentists that saved lives and the hospital facilities on ship. The men on the ship were not perfect, but they pulled together and picked up the slack when other crew members were wanting.
I recommend this book because it is the story of a type of ship which did not get much glory, but had just as much to do with winning the war as a Battleship or Aircraft Carrier. To win the war in the Pacific, we had to get men and equipment on the beach, and these were the guys that did just that.
Available from:
Naval Institute Press (Classics of Naval Literature)
118 Maryland Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21402-5035
800-233-8764
Reviewed by Ken Smith, 5 December 1998
