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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great overview of American Merchant Marine in WW II, 3 May 1999
By A Customer
If you have time to read only one book about the Merchant Marine in World War II, John Bunker's "Heroes in Dungarees" is a terrific read! Bunker's book would make a great gift for anyone --- from high school student to senior citizen.Bunker writes with the feeling and enthusiasm of one who was there: he served in engine room crews during the War. He writes with the accomplishment of a professional writer: he was a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor and the San Diego Tribune. His writing is wonderfully easy to read as he paints wonderful pictures of wartime at sea. Bunker begins by telling us a little about the ships: the Libertys, Victorys, tankers, and Hog Islanders. He tells us about the men of the Merchant Marine and Naval Armed Guard and their life on board. Bunker then covers World War II action by region: Atlantic Seaboard, North Atlantic, Murmansk run, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Each chapter starts with a broad introduction, followed by examples. The stories are well thought out, with many direct quotes from the participants or eyewitnesses. Reading the stories is almost like watching a movie: we can see the German submarine circling, the Captain's reaction when he realizes attack is imminent, the battle of outgunned merchant ship vs. raider, the moments of chaos when the torpedo hits, the abandoning of the ship, and the fight for survival on rafts and lifeboats. Bunker gives thrilling accounts of the heroic crews of the SS Stanvac Calcutta, SS Stephen Hopkins, SS Cedar Mills, and SS Henry Bacon. He chronicles the disasters extremely well: Convoy PQ 17, the bombing at Bari, SS Jean Nicolet, SS Bienville, and the ships lost without a trace. However, readers of Heroes in Dungarees will need a good map or globe by their side, because the major shortcoming of the book is the lack of good maps. To appreciate the experiences of the mariners, you need good maps to follow their voyages and to visualize their travails in lifeboats and rafts. The Appendix listing U.S. ships sunk during the War would have been more useful and illustrative if it included the cause of sinking: submarine, bomber, mine, etc. as well as the date and place of sinking. I was baffled by the fact that this Appendix ended with the sinking of the SS Black Point off Rhode Island on May 5, 1945, since there were over 30 more war casualties before war's end on Dec. 31, 1946. Anyone reading Heroes in Dungarees will wonder why the men and women of the U.S. Merchant Marine had to fight for over 40 years for recognition as veterans.
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