Midwatch in Verse

David E. Johnson is an emeritus professor of psychology and a former president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. He has published articles, chapters, and books on the pedagogy of psychology. He lives in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where he continues his research and writing on U.S. Naval history. Gary Guinn, an emeritus professor of English, is the author of two novels, short fiction, and poetry. He served as a medical corpsman in the Naval Reserve from 1968 to 1974 and now lives in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

“A unique and original telling of the story of the US Navy in World War II. A humane and penetrating look at young officers in wartime called on to perform the most incongruous of duties—to write a poem in the place of a deck log. Midwatch in Verse informs, delights, and reveals a side of the US Navy known only to the few. Highly recommended.”—Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, Chief International Security and Diplomacy Analyst for NBC News, former Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and author of 2034: A Novel of the Next World War and To Risk It All: Nine Crises and the Crucible Of Decision

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefaceIntroductionUSS Detroit: The Dashing “D”USS Finch: The Ultimate IndignityUSS Dewey: The ­Whale-StruckUSS Gilmer: Chasing Subs in Puget SoundUSS New Orleans: The Coconut Log BowUSS Marblehead: The Long Journey HomeUSS Russell: A Highly Decorated LadyUSS North Carolina: “Showboat”USS Aylwin: Surviving the HurricaneUSS Casco: God Keep Our ShipUSS Allen: The Old GirlUSS Colorado: A Tale of EnduranceUSS Murphy: The Luck of the IrishUSS Washington: Not Just Any Man OverboardUSS Buchanan: The ScrapperoosUSS Texas: Engage Until NeutralizedUSS Lansdowne: The Lucky LUSS Dent: “There’s Nothing Like a Dame”USS Bush: A Brief and Tragic GloryUSS Ringgold: A New Slant on BungholeUSS Mason: The Grand ExperimentUSS PC 1264: An Inglorious FateUSS Pennsylvania: “Old Falling Apart”USS South Dakota: Battleship XUSS Ticonderoga: The Indestructible Captain DixieUSS Idaho: Perdition to Our Axis FoesUSS Alabama: Very Well DoneUSS Enterprise: The Big EUSS Huse: The Hunter KillerConclusionAppendix A: Material Conditions in Navy ShipsAppendix B: How Ships Get Their NamesAppendix C: U.S. Navy Hull Designations in This BookAppendix D: Candid Comments by Poets in the PoemsAppendix E: Non–World War II PoemsReferencesIndex