No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf

by Bradley Peniston, William J. Crowe Jr. (Foreword)

Like its World War II namesake of Leyte Gulf fame, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) was a small combatant built for escort duty. But its skipper imbued his brand-new crew with a fighting spirit to match their forebears, and in 1988 when the guided missile frigate was thrust into the Persian Gulf at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, there was no better ship for the job. Forbidden to fire unless fired upon, Captain Paul Rinn and his crew sailed amid the chaos in the Gulf for two months, relying on wit and nerve to face down fighter jets and warships bent on the destruction of civilian vessels. Their sternest test came when an Iranian mine ripped open the ship's engine room, ignited fires on four decks, and plunged the ship into darkness. The crew's bravery and cool competence was credited with keeping the ship afloat, and its actions have become part of Navy lore and a staple of naval leadership courses ever since. This is the first book to record the Roberts ' extraordinary tale. After years of research and interviews with crewmembers, journalist Bradley Peniston chronicles the crew's heroic efforts to save the ship as they fought flames and flooding well into the night. The author also describes the frigate's origins, its operational history, and the crew's training. Peniston's personal approach to the subject not only breathes life into the historical narrative but gives readers an opportunity to get to know the individuals involved and understand the U.S. retaliation to the mining and the battle that evolved, setting the stage for conflicts to come.

Genres: History, Naval History, Military History, Biography, Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly well written story telling the story of any sailors worst nightmare; the thought of losing their ship. Having served for over 20 years in the Navy I remember when the tales within these pages were unfolding and we were all truly surprised and happy when the Sammy B did not lose a single sailor to this event, especially since the winds of the Star incident still resonated with us all. Mr. Peniston conducted and presented his research in an easy to read manner and made it well worth reading. To the crew members of the USS Samuel B. Robert's my heart swells with pride in reading how effective their actions were instrumental in saving their ship and returning her to fight another day. Bravo Zulu!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in-depth tale of the murky politics of US involvement in the tanker war? Well, the book does note the supreme irony of US warships facing a threat of American-made weapons brought back on line for Iran thanks to the Iran-Contra affair. But the five-star rating is really earned for this study of leadership-- from the late Captain Rinn down to the humblest sailor, and, from those enlisted sailors stripping off their own coveralls for damage control back up to Rinn, who refused to give up the ship. The writing is gripping, the lessons for building an organization profound, and the story of American service-members facing and overcoming adversity is impossible to put down.

[David A. Rosow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for anyone in or out of the Navy

Brilliant story with gripping research. I do feel for this sailors who didn’t receive medals, they all deserved high honors and the skipper was hosed when they rejected him twice for Rear Admiral!

[Zac · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale of sailors holding onto their hope while saving an almost certainly doomed ship. Incredibly interesting in the second half, you could feel how hard the sailors worked to save themselves and their ship.

[Kyle Coreth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The USS Samuel B Roberts is a guided missile destroyer that was on patrol in the Persian Gulf during 1988 when it struck a low technology contact mine. This book presents an overview of the Roberts from its commissioning through to repairs after striking the mine. The story delves a little into the philosophy of damage control as seen from the commanding officer Commander Paul Rinn; the story also is seen vaguely through the eyes of some of the ship's company.

Unfortunately, this book tries to be melodramatic. It tries to manipulate the reader's emotions. It fails; and is annoying in the process. It feels like the author has taken some artistic license to the story by presenting it in the form of many a disaster movie. I have read inquiry reports relating to the missile strike on the HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War; relating to the fire on board HMAS Westralia in 1998; and the fire on the USS George Washington in 2008. All of these inquiry reports were more meaningful, provoking more empathy and emotion for the crew than the book 'No Higher Honor' did for the crew of the USS Samuel B Roberts.

It's unfortunate, the crew performed an inordinate amount of traiing, they new their job, they were in a high stress situation but the book doesn't do them any justice. It merely glosses over important aspects.

This book was useful to a small degree for my work but I got more from (emotionally and technically) from reading wikipedia and watching clips on youtube.

[leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cool for me to read this book because of my current job. However, I was often frustrated by the tone as well as the superior funding and manning available in the mid-80s. The author didn't take into account the fact that the "evidence" provided in some cases from inspection reports didn't always match true perception (a lot of those reports are canned). It was obnoxious for him to quote language that almost anyone in the Navy knows carries little meaning. Otherwise, the story of the crew's feats was remarkable.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the amazing and true story of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, the "Sammy B" and how she was saved by her crew after receiving a mortal wound by an underwater mine. She was literally cut in half and the crew bound her back together. I read this book because my eldest daughter's godmother's brother is one of the heroes of the book...Lt. Van Hook.

[Bekki Johnson Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My uncle was on this ship when it hit the mine. This is his--and his shipmates'--story.

[Hilarie Ehlert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that makes you proud of our military, their training and the love of country.

[Wellyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book this was my boat from 1994-1999

[Bill Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tribute to leadership and survival in the Persian Gulf during the hostilities of the late 1980's.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished 6/6/2014. Great book. Read before giving to dad for Father's Day.