Boys of the Battleship North Carolina

by Cindy Horrell Ramsey

Book Overview

Ramsey tells the story of the battleship through the eyes of the men who served her in WW II.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0895873397
• ISBN13: 9780895873392
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Blair
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

What was it like to be 19 and at sea in WWII?

The author has given us a rare insight into the smaller stories behind the great one of WWII, as told to her by the "boys", now in their 80's, who lived and fought in the Pacific on the prototype vessel of the last generation of great Battleships.

Good account of the ship and her crew

Interesting and pleasant book to read that tells the story of the USS NC through the experiences from certain crewmen. The author has interviewed numerous former crew stationed throughout the ship and focuses primarily on their personal observations, duties, and lives (personal and onboard). Some crew for example that the book follows are a 5" mount crewmember, a radioman, Kingfisher pilot, bow 20mm gunner, and many more. Rather than simply tell the more common (and possibly dry reading) "bio" of the ship, the author uses the experiences of the crew to tell the story. For example, because of this, rather than simply stating how many crew were killed or injured at such-and-such occasion, the author put them in a personal perspective where you know their names, duties, and where and what they were doing when they died or were wounded. In each case where a crewman was killed in action, by accident or natural causes the authore tells their stories. The lives of the crew are also followed on liberty in the pacific and in the US - some visting the ladies, bars, others sightseeing, etc. Throughout the book there are numerous photos of the crewmen that the book relates to, the ship/equipment, and other random interesting images from the battleship's archives (like the purple heart cake made for the USS Kidd after the friendly fire incident.) In short, the book tells the story of certain crewman and in doing so tells the story of the USS NC. For a good companion piece that focuses more on the in-depth service history and techincal/machine side of the battleship, check out Ben Blee's "Battleship North Carolina."

An Honor to Those Who Served

I have visited the battleship about 10-15 times in my 50+ years of life. This book brings the history of the ship and the young men who served her into a greater perspective. The book covers in detail the ship from it's inception up to the end of the war. No detail is missed in the lives of the sailors. Especially gripping are the accounts of the ones who were killed in action. The book wraps up with a final chapter with touching details of some of the recent reunions for the surviving crew members. This is a must read for anyone interested in history, and especially for those with an interest in the naval history of WWII.

Best book I've read on WWII

This is a wonderful book that gives you an insight of what our young men were like and their personal experiences during WWII aboard the USS Battleship North Carolina. I'll have to admit that I cried several times as I read the book; the experiences were powerful and the writer portrayed them with such insight and feeling.