Ship of Ghosts
The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of of Her Survivors
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Ship of Ghosts
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Narrated by:
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Mark Cashman
About this listen
Renowned as FDR's favorite warship, the cruiser USS Houston was a prize target trapped in the far Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Without hope of reinforcement, her crew faced a superior Japanese force ruthlessly committed to total conquest.
Hornfischer brings to life the awesome terror of nighttime naval battles that turned decks into strobe-lit slaughterhouses, until the Houston was finally sunk and its survivors taken prisoner.
For more than three years, the war continued for the crew in the brutal privation of jungle POW camps. But the men of the Houston fought back against their dehumanization with dignity, ingenuity, sabotage, willpower, and the undying faith that their country would prevail.
Using journals and letters, rare historical documents, and the eyewitness accounts of the Houston's survivors, James Hornfischer has crafted an account of human valor so riveting and awe-inspiring, it's easy to forget that every single word of it is true.
©2006 James D. Hornfischer (P)2006 Books on TapeListeners also enjoyed...
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Story5 out of 5 stars 480
They are three brothers, all navy men, who end up coincidentally and extraordinarily at the epicenter of three of the war's most crucial moments. Bill is picked by Roosevelt to run his first map room in Washington. Benny is the gunnery and antiaircraft officer on the USS Enterprise, one of the only carriers to escape Pearl Harbor and by the end of 1942 the last one left in the Pacific to defend against the Japanese. Barton, the youngest and least distinguished of the three, is shuffled off to the Navy Supply Corps because his mother wants him out of harm's way.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Brothers Unbroken
- By Gillian on 05-12-17
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The War Below
- The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan
- By: James Scott
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,557
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,306
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,299
The War Below is a dramatic account of extraordinary heroism, ingenuity, and perseverance—and the vital role American submarines played in winning the Pacific War. Focusing on the unique stories of the submarines Silversides, Drum, and Tang—and the men who skippered and crewed them—James Scott takes readers beneath the waves to experience the thrill of a direct hit on a merchant ship and the terror of depth charge attacks.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Unique. Engaging. Worth your credit.
- By Ryan on 06-21-13
By: James Scott
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No Better Friend
- One Man, One Dog, and Their Incredible Story of Courage and Survival in WWII
- By: Robert Weintraub
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 282
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 254
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 254
Flight technician Frank Williams and Judy, a purebred pointer, met in the most unlikely of places: a World War II internment camp in the Pacific. Judy was a fiercely loyal dog, with a keen sense for who was friend and who was foe, and the pair's relationship deepened throughout their captivity. When the prisoners suffered beatings, Judy would repeatedly risk her life to intervene.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Opinion, No Better Friend
- By Sam Thompson on 07-08-15
By: Robert Weintraub
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Tin Can Titans
- The Heroic Men and Ships of World War II's Most Decorated Navy Destroyer Squadron
- By: John Wukovits
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,434
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,293
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,289
When Admiral William Halsey selected Destroyer Squadron 21 to lead his victorious ships into Tokyo Bay to accept the Japanese surrender, it was the most battle-hardened US naval squadron of the war. But it was not the squadron of ships that had accumulated such an inspiring résumé; it was the people serving aboard them. Through diaries, personal interviews with survivors, and letters written to and by the crews during the war, preeminent historian of the Pacific theater John Wukovits brings to life the human story of the squadron and its men.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Captivating
- By Jean on 09-23-17
By: John Wukovits
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Undefeated
- America's Heroic Fight for Bataan and Corregidor
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 85
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Story5 out of 5 stars 75
Abandoned by their government, the men and women of the American garrison struggled against impossible military odds, rampant disease, and slow starvation to delay inevitable surrender by the largest American military force ever. Rather than picturing these defenders as little more than helpless victims of an overwhelmingly powerful and sadistic enemy-as most previous books about the Philippines campaign have done- Undefeated credits American troops with the unexcelled heroism and indomitable spirit they displayed under the worst imaginable conditions.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Mesmerizing
- By Amazon Customer on 03-30-17
By: Bill Sloan
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Sea of Thunder
- By: Evan Thomas
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 140
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 97
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 95
The book focuses on four naval commanders, two American, two Japanese, whose lives collided at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 - a clash involving more ships (almost 300), more men (nearly 200,000) and covering a larger area (more than 100 thousand square miles, roughly the size of the British Isles) than any naval battle in recorded history.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Good
- By Hika on 12-28-09
By: Evan Thomas
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The Fleet at Flood Tide
- America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,349
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,201
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,196
With its thunderous assault on the Mariana Islands in June 1944, the United States crossed the threshold of total war. In this tour de force of dramatic storytelling, distilled from extensive research in newly discovered primary sources, James D. Hornfischer brings to life the campaign that was the fulcrum of the drive to compel Tokyo to surrender—and that forever changed the art of modern war.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hornfischer's Philosophical Summary Up to VJ Day
- By Hollywood Dave on 01-08-17
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The First Heroes
- The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid
- By: Craig Nelson
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 17 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 183
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 91
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 95
Immediately after Japan's December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt sought to restore the honor of the United States with a dramatic act of vengeance: a retaliatory bombing raid on Tokyo itself. In those early days of World War II, America was ill-prepared for any sort of warfare. But FDR was not to be dissuaded, and at his bidding a squadron of scarcely trained army fliers, led by the famous daredevil Jimmy Doolittle, set forth on what everyone regarded as a suicide mission.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Heroic Attempt
- By William on 07-20-04
By: Craig Nelson
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Neptune's Inferno
- The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal
- By: James D. Hornfischer
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 18 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,377
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,050
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Story5 out of 5 stars 2,047
With The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors and Ship of Ghosts, James D. Hornfischer created essential and enduring narratives about America’s World War II Navy, works of unique immediacy distinguished by rich portraits of ordinary men in extremis and exclusive new information. Now he does the same for the deadliest, most pivotal naval campaign of the Pacific war: Guadalcanal. Neptune’s Inferno is at once the most epic and the most intimate account ever written of the contest for control of the seaways of the Solomon Islands.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The WWII Pacific Theater Explodes In My Lazy Chair
- By Rum Runner on 03-01-11
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At All Costs
- By: Sam Moses
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
In 1942, the island of Malta was the most heavily bombed place on earth. Its submarine and air attacks on Axis supply convoys were all that kept Rommel from marching across North Africa. But Malta was out of fuel. Operation Pedestal was Malta's last hope, a giant convoy with more that 50 warships escorting 13 freighters and one life-or-death oil tanker, the SS Ohio. It was bombed, torpedoed, and abandoned, but two American Merchant Mariners boarded the ship and repaired the guns.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A spellbinding story
- By James F. Geary on 04-08-07
By: Sam Moses
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D-Days in the Pacific
- By: Donald L. Miller
- Narrated by: Gary Dikeos
- Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 90
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 85
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 86
Although most people associate the term D-day with the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, it is military code for the beginning of any offensive operation. In the Pacific theater during World War II there were more than one hundred D-days. The largest - and last - was the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, which brought together the biggest invasion fleet ever assembled, far larger than that engaged in the Normandy invasion. D-Days in the Pacific tells the epic story of the campaign waged by American forces to win back the Pacific islands from Japan.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Terrific one volume history of the Pacific war.
- By Bill on 12-01-12
By: Donald L. Miller
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Target Tokyo
- Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor
- By: James M. Scott
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 20 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,149
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,044
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,036
The dramatic account of one of America's most celebrated - and controversial - military campaigns: the Doolittle Raid. In December 1941, as American forces tallied the dead at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt gathered with his senior military counselors to plan an ambitious counterstrike against the heart of the Japanese Empire: Tokyo.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Vengence is Mine, Thus Sayeth Doolittle
- By Jonathan Love on 06-13-16
By: James M. Scott
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Lonely Vigil
- Coastwatchers of the Solomons
- By: Walter Lord
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 93
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
From the best-selling author of Day of Infamy: In the bloodiest island combat of WWII, one group of men kept watch from behind Japanese lines. The Solomon Islands was where the Allied war machine finally broke the Japanese empire. As pilots, marines, and sailors fought for supremacy in Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and the Slot, a lonely group of radio operators occupied the Solomon Islands' highest points. Sometimes encamped in comfort, sometimes exposed to the elements, these coastwatchers kept lookout for squadrons of Japanese bombers headed for Allied positions.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Interesting Subject
- By Martin See on 06-21-21
By: Walter Lord
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Swift Boats at War in Vietnam
- By: Guy Gugliotta, John Yeoman, Neva Sullaway
- Narrated by: David Colacci, Susan Ericksen
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 276
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 253
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 254
Developed specifically for the Vietnam War, Swift Boats were versatile craft "big enough to outrun anything they couldn't outfight" but too small to handle even a moderate ocean chop, too loud to sneak up on anyone, and too flimsy to withstand the mildest of rocket attacks. This made more difficult an already tough mission: navigating coastal waters for ships and sampans smuggling contraband to the Viet Cong, disrupting enemy supply lines on the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta, and inserting SEALs behind enemy lines.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Ride with the Swift Boats
- By Robert Lion on 05-01-18
By: Guy Gugliotta, and others
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The Miracle of Dunkirk
- By: Walter Lord
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 829
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 728
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 721
On May 24, 1940, Hitler's armies were on the brink of a shattering military victory. Only 10 miles away, 400,000 Allied troops were pinned against the coast of Dunkirk. But just 11 days later, 338,000 men had been successfully evacuated to England. How did it happen? Walter Lord's remarkable account of how "the miracle of Dunkirk" came about is based on hundreds of interviews.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Sold On The Miracle Of Dunkirk
- By Eve Grissom on 05-08-17
By: Walter Lord
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Pearl Harbor
- From Infamy to Greatness
- By: Craig Nelson
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 307
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 277
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 276
Published in time for the 75th anniversary, a gripping and definitive account of the event that changed 20th-century America - Pearl Harbor - based on years of research and new information uncovered by a New York Times best-selling author.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Poorly researched, author loses credibility.
- By TBM on 12-23-18
By: Craig Nelson
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Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
- By: Ian W. Toll
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,985
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,553
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Story5 out of 5 stars 3,538
On the first Sunday in December 1941, an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later, in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss. Pacific Crucible tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war, when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history and seized the strategic initiative.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Astonishingly good.
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-01-12
By: Ian W. Toll
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