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

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. Sailors, not metallic superstructures and hulls, had won the battles and become the stuff of legend. Men like Commander Donald MacDonald, skipper of the USS O'Bannon, who became the most decorated naval officer of the Pacific war; Lieutenant Hugh Barr Miller, who survived his ship's sinking and waged a one-man battle against the enemy while stranded on a Japanese-occupied island; and Doctor Dow "Doc" Ransom, the beloved physician of the USS La Vallette, who combined a mixture of humor and medical expertise to treat his patients at sea epitomize the sacrifices made by all the men and women of World War II.

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, who bested the Japanese in the Pacific and helped take the war to Tokyo.

©2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Heroic Story; Less Than Heroic Narration

Even though I have SEVERAL audiobooks on naval life and naval battles during WWII, I have to admit that I'm less than obsessively drawn to the wars of the sea as opposed to war on land. But Tin Can Titans promised to be more about the men than about the ships--the more human and personal aspects of war. So I'm THERE--if it smacks of bio/memoir, even a tad, that's what interests me.
And there are plenty of colorful, wholehearted characters/individuals in Tin Can Titans to keep you listening, keep you interested. These are stories that'll make you scowl, make you cheer.
What keeps this from being a stellar book is that there's a certain dryness of text that is totally exacerbated by Robertson Dean's less than stellar narration. While he does dialogue well, the rest of the book is delivered in such a one-note style that it's almost a monotone of a delivery. This does not make the action riveting, the consequences emotional.
Still, I love WWII stories, and Tin Can Titans made me proud of all the men and their acts, the way they treated each other.
It's just unfortunate that R. Dean made me sorry I used a whole credit on it. Listen well to the audio sample before purchase; if you can handle it, you're in for a jolly decent time, even though it's not a cover-to-cover listen

Destroyer Squadron 21

The story of Destroyer 21 is one of sacrifice, heroism and the love of their country and the individual efforts of simple men who risked their lives for patriotism. I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend the listening of this audiobook.

Respectfully,Cwo3, Retired, USN

great book, must read

loved the first hand narrative of the cans exploits in the war. As a past sailor on the Fletcher the book held my attention throughout and brought fond memories back

Wonderful sea stories

As a former destroyerman, it’s wonderful hearing the tales of the legends that paved the way for us. This incredibly detailed account of DESRON 21 is superb in every way

This is a great book! I really enjoyed this story! Narrator did a wonderful job!

very detailed account

I feel like I gained a view of the naval struggle that I hadn't seen previously. I enjoy military history and military thriller fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The impossible triumph of the US Navy in WW2 is nothing short of amazing. The truth is bolder than fiction in this story.

My first non fiction audiobook - enjoyed it

I saw a few reviews of this book and hadn't heard of this story from this point of view and thought I would give it a try. It was entertaining and kept me interested in the book. Being that this was my first time for non-fiction audio, I got a little confused with some of the pacing of the book.

Several times we would be at a certain time and then progress through and all of sudden we are back again at the same time, same crew but a different view from another "character". I understand it had to be done that way at times, but I found myself wanting to move on to the next time frame just a little sooner.

Overall, I would recommend the book for anyone wanting to know more about the most decorated Destroyer Squadron of WWII.

One of the best books on WWII naval action

Excellently researched and powerfully written. It moved me to tears. I cheered when crew were saved and my heart was heavy for the ones that didn't come home. If you like naval history, you won't be able to put this book down (or, more appropriately, put on pause).

Riveting @ outstanding

This was an excellent book about the war in the Pacific and destroyer squadron. That was the best in the navy daughter did an outstanding job, and it was well written by Robert Cindy how much Street

Good story

Author wrote a good clean story about the early yet newest tin cans of WWII.

Note: Narrator has an exceptional ability that makes listening addictive.