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 [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]