Intrepid: The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship

Intrepid

This book was particularly meaningful to me as my uncle was the Damage Control Officer on the ship when it was torpedoed on its first tour. He was a plank holder,and had been with the ship while it was being built in Virginia. Having heard the story at many Thanksgiving dinners from Uncle Phil, it was a delight to read about it and see him quoted in the book (page 30, Commander Phil Reynolds).

The story of the shop through all of its WW II service, mothballing, reactivation and rebuilds, to its final setting as a museum brought to life all that I had heard about, and made the ships seem so much more real. I though the book was well written and a a joy to read.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

GRAND DAME OF THE HIGH SEAS. A GRIPPING TALE!

This fascinating story of the beloved aircraft carrier, the USS INTREPID, and the valiant men who served her so bravely is a must-read for all who would savor a true-to-life account of heroism in the service of our country. The book was written by Bill White, President of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, in collaboration with Robert Gandt, a former US Navy aircraft carrier pilot, whose inimitable style never ceases to capture the hearts and minds of his readers.

Commissioned in 1943 as Navy CV-11, the Essex Class INTREPID fought long and hard throughout the Pacific Theater of World War II before finally sailing in victory beneath the Golden Gate Bridge in 1947 to her well-deserved resting place in San Francisco. Her battles had been fierce. Many innocent lives had been sacrificed aboard the ship and in the air to the Japanese Imperial Navy and savage kamikaze attacks.

Refurbished in the mid-1950s, the Intrepid was recommissioned and returned to the high seas where she played a major role as a recovery ship for America¿s Space Program. In the 1960s, she saw three tours of duty in Vietnam earning many much-coveted commendations. After extensive modernization in 1972 she, once again, entered the fray and began two years of Cold War duty in the Mediterranean with multi-mission deterrent capabilities -including nuclear strike ¿ before sailing to Quonset, Rhode Island under her own power only to be ignominiously towed to what was to have been her final resting place in Philadelphia.

Life for the beloved ship began anew, however, when in 1982 she was resurrected from the scrap yards, extensively restored to her former glory, and transferred by a Special Act of Congress to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City along the placid Pier 86 of the Hudson River in Manhattan. There, she would also proudly serve as a temporary emergency center headquarters for the FBI following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Most recently, she has undergone extensive renovations and remains a treasured National Historic Landmark for all to visit and bask in her glorious history.

Having read the book with immense interest, the Intrepid and her museum are now at the very top of my own personal ¿bucket list¿. The book is a story well-told and much appreciated.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

You can hear the gunfire.

At a time in our nation's history when we are bombarded with political rhetoric of promises for a new America and with headlines screaming headlines about corrupt leaders, it's refreshing to read about the men of the Intrepid who didn't just promise us a better future, but who were willing to give the supreme sacrifice in order to guarantee our freedom. In this book, authors Robert Gandt and Bill White take us back to an era when our nation displayed its solid sense of values. Through graphic descriptions of the battles and insightful revelations of why these heroes were willing to give everything for what wss right, the authors make us feel that we actually are there hearing the roar of the guns and feeling the anxiety of the sailors who were unsure they would survive the next five minutes. For those of us who dare not forget neither these brave souls nor the vessel that became their floating fortress, Intrepid is a must-read.
John McCollister - Author of GOD AND THE OVAL OFFICE (Thomas Nelson) and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (Triumph Press).

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

errors

Intrepid - by White and Gandt

Paperback - pages 19-20 - refers to a crew of four on a TBF-1 Avenger aircraft. Huh? The Avenger carried 3 crew members, not four.
Page 21, first sentance - refers to the date of October 30, 1944 as part of the Kwajalein campaign. Huh? The month was January, not October. This mistake had me very confused until I figured out the author's error.

Who edits this stuff?? I'm just starting chapter three. What will I find next?

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