The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

The title's "last stand" took place during the American naval invasion of the Japanese-occupied Philippines in 1944. The "tin cans" refer to three destroyer escorts sunk by gunfire and torpedoes during this battle in Leyte Gulf. Using survivors' recollections, the author weaves a war-at-sea story--complete with hungry sharks--that will fascinate every reader with the courage to face the carnage. Without battle maps, an annoying deficiency in audio, the narrator must use word stress to emphasize directional terms and positions. He navigates the author's long sentences with skill by using changes of voice and volume in a way that mimics punctuation. J. A. H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine


Hornfischer recounts the last Japanese attempt at a breakthrough in the Pacific in WWII, during which an American light carrier group miraculously held off a large contingent of warships, though outnumbered, outweighed, and out-gunned. The complex Japanese plan is too complicated to follow comfortably in audio; the battle itself is easier, but the multiplicity of players demands close attention. Grover Gardner reads with controlled emotion and good taste; his clarity and verbal facility keep the complex story moving forward, creating an exciting sea story of battle tactics and raw courage, punctuated by devastating accounts of the human cost. An addendum gives samples of Hornfischer's interviews with American survivors. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine