Sea History 160 - Autumn 2017

Page 65

followed was a long and nervous night as servicemen crouched with salvaged weapons in impromptu foxholes; it was also a night rife with rumors as the base prepared to defend itself against what seemed like imminent Japanese landings.The Japanese strike force, however, had departed. What this book does best is present primary information on the attack at Kaneohe, establishing a firm record for all subsequent evaluations. This approach foregoes the contextual range of post-World War II secondary sources, so readers seeking broader connections beyond Kaneohe Bay must look elsewhere. And the specific chronology of events is sometimes difficult to follow, due to the nature of multiple eyewitness reports (different accounts of events occurring at the same time)-an unavoidable issue. But the clear strength of No One Avoided Danger is in the factual and meticulous retelling of the Kaneohe attack itself. The authors skillfully provide solid and extensive research into archives, private collections, participant eyewitness accounts, Department of Defense documents, and a plethora of historic photographs, backed up by copious notes included in the end matter. And they do so in an exciting and accessible manner. The large format of the many images makes this work particularly visually appealing. Portraits of individual enlisted men and the retelling of their personal experiences in their own words emphasizes the human side of the story. This is true for the Japanese aviators as well, whose photos and stories are included wherever possible, a very welcome inclusiveness providing for a more balanced and non-judgmental treatment of the Japanese perspective of the battle. The narrative touches upon one of the mysteries of the event, the details of what happened to the PBYs moored on the bay that morning; it is not even clear how many were at their ready stations on the water. Records indicate perhaps four, bur Japanese aviators reported six during their post-attack debrief. In 1994 the first archaeological survey of one of these PBYs, strafed and sunk near the seaplane ramps, was completed. The shattered fuselage is still attached to its mooring cable, a kind of primary record of the event. But this type of research is not part of the book. Wenger, SEA HISTORY 160, AUTUMN 2017

Cressman, and Di Virgilio's work remains faithfully focused on the immediate experiences of the men and women at NAS Kaneohe that day, an impressive tribute to all the personnel who conducted themselves "in a manner which was in keeping wit h the best traditions of the Navy." HANS K. VAN T!LBURG Honolulu, Hawaii

Whales, Wharves and Warfare: People and Events that Shaped Pigeon Point by JoAnn Semones (The Glencannon Press, El Cerrito, CA, 2017, 172pp, appen, biblio, index, 978-1-88990 1-65-5; $29.95hc) JoAnn Semones brought readers to Californ ia's Pigeon Point once before, with her 2007 tide, Shipwrecks, Scalawags and Scavengers: 1he Storied Waters of Pigeon Point. Her latest book expands upon that local history, with tales that only the West Coast can provide. Nineteenth-century stories of life in California always seem to begin with someone from back east having a big idea and heading west. The history of Pigeon Point, which is located south of San Francisco and the famed Half Moon Bay, includes the establishment of several shore whaling stations by Portuguese whalers from the Azores, who were followed by professionals in that field from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Semones reco unts the entire run of the various vent ures, from the 1860s to the 1890s. A major, secondary theme in the work is the history of the local lighthouse, with chapters on its construction (by a builder from Bangor, Maine) and its World War II-era Coast Guard crew, as well as current preservation efforts. Two of the appendices are dedicated to the lighthouse, one to a list of the keepers of both the Pigeon Point and Ano Neuvo lights , another to the history of its Fresnel lens. Pigeon Point became an active shipping center, too, around the time of the Gold Rush. Schooners visited to pick up locally grown agricultural products and carried them to San Francisco. Entrepreneurs like Loren Coburn (by way of Vermont and Massachusetts) provided capacity expansion opportunities, like his loading chute that aided in delivering goods from shore to larger ships in what was known as a "dog hole port" (so small there

Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D., CUNY Queensborough Vic e President for Academic Affairs has relea sed his latest book, Beyond the Golden Gate: A Maritime History of California. It is an immersive look at the maritime history of California that will inspire additional scholarship in this overlooked but critically important field.

Beyond the Golden Gate: A Maritime History of California (ISBN 9780989939) is published by the Fort Schuyler Press, and is available at www.sunymaritime.edu/Fort Schuyler Pre ss/ index, or at Amazon.com

Questions? Please call 718409-7247

Anne T. Converse Photography

Neith, 1996, Cover photograph

Wood; W ina anti Water A STORY OF TH E

O PERA HousE Cur

RAcE O F N ANTUCKET

Photographs by Anne T. Converse Text by Carolyn M. Ford Live vicariously through the pictures and tales of classic wooden yacht owners who lovingly restore and race these gems of the sea. "A n outstanding presentation deserves ongoing recommendation for both art and nautical collections." 10"x12" Hardbound book; 132 pages, 85 full page color photographs; Price $45.00

For more information contact: Anne T. Converse Phone : 508-728-6210 anne@annetconverse.com www.a nnetconverse.com

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