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Little Ship, Big War: The Saga of DE343
Manned almost entirely by reservists, the USS Abercrombie (DE343) and her sister ships did the dirty work of the Pacific War. They escorted convoys, chased submarines, picked up downed pilots, and led the landing craft to the invasion beaches, yet they received little credit and less glory. This book is a stirring tribute to their heroic efforts, written by a naval officer who served in the Abercrombie during the war and later became a best-selling author. First published in 1984, it has long been acclaimed for presenting a view of the navy as the sailors actually saw it--the joys and pains, the humor and gravity, the successes and defeats. Ed Stafford provides an authentic, day-by-day account of life on board DE343, from the Battle of Leyte Gulf and picket duty against kamikazes at Okinawa to the signing of the peace treaty in Tokyo Harbor. To create an accurate picture he consulted ship logs and after-action reports and interviewed members of the crew. Although the book focuses on events in a particular warship, it tells the story of every small ship and their valiant crews that rose to the challenge and fought with everything they had until the war was won.
366 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 13, 2020
Life at sea is hard, and it has always been so. It is an endless grind of watches, training, maintenance, and drills. Navy destroyers and frigates often operate on a three-section watch rotation: four hours on, eight off, day in day out, weekends and holidays included. When not on watch sailors are working or taking part in other ship’s evolutions such as Underway Replenishment or Flight Ops. When not on watch and not working they try to get some sleep but rarely manage more than a couple of hours at a time. Being exhausted is a constant fact of life at sea.
And yet, hard as life is in the peacetime Navy, it is a stroll in the park compared to life on a ship at war, as well described in Edward Stafford’s Little Ship, Big War. Stafford served on the destroyer escort USS Abercrombie (DE-343) from its construction in Texas through commissioning in May 1944, and for the rest of the war in the Pacific until finally returning to the States. The official decommissioning was 15 June 1946, but by that time most of the crew had been transferred or demobilized. The ship was sunk as a target in 1968.
Stafford wrote well, painting a memorable picture of life at sea, from the tedium of routine operations to the terror of kamikaze attacks. The purpose of a destroyer escort was to be an inexpensive, cut-down destroyer useful for convoy duty or protecting escort carriers from air and submarine attacks. They freed up the larger destroyers to protect high value targets like battleships and aircraft carriers. However, as the war went on and air attack became an ever greater threat, every AA gun available was pressed into service against the kamikazes, and the Abercrobie found itself among the capital ships in the thick of battle, and even more dangerously, out on the picket line to give advanced warning of air attacks.
It is hard to imagine how exhausting life in the combat zone was, at General Quarters most of the day and then standing regular watches afterward. Some sailors could have slept at their guns or other battle stations when the ship was out of combat, but the watchstanders on the bridge and engineering, the radar operators, and the lookouts had to be constantly alert. In addition to the physical strain, the psychological pressure must have been enormous. The difference between life and death was sometimes nothing but pure chance, and Stafford’s descriptions of kamikaze attacks are vivid because he could still remember them in detail years after the war when he wrote the book.
No one would have felt the strain more than the commanding officer, and eventually it got the better of the Abercrombie’s CO. He was a hard man but good at his job, and he commanded the ship through some of the worst moments of the war. As CO he was separated from the rest of the crew, even the officers, and had no one to confide in. In the end he could not take it anymore and requested a transfer, which was granted. When that day came, without telling anyone on the ship, he simply took a boat to shore and never returned. The items that needed to be signed for by his relief were neatly laid out in his cabin, but he was gone without a word to anyone. One gets the feeling from Stafford’s description of the event that he probably felt he had let the crew down by requesting a transfer, and could not face them.
He had never liked or trusted his second in command, and his frequent criticisms undermined that officer’s confidence in himself, so when he took over as the new captain he had much to learn, and made a number of mistakes, including being involved in a collision with another ship. The crew was not sure if he could do the job, but he learned what he needed to know and successfully led the ship through the rest of the war and on to decommissioning.
This is a fine book for anyone with an interest in naval history. For those who like it I would also recommend James Fahey’s Pacific War Diary: 1942-1945. Fahey served on the light cruiser USS Montpelier (CL-57), and his account of the war has become a classic.
And yet, hard as life is in the peacetime Navy, it is a stroll in the park compared to life on a ship at war, as well described in Edward Stafford’s Little Ship, Big War. Stafford served on the destroyer escort USS Abercrombie (DE-343) from its construction in Texas through commissioning in May 1944, and for the rest of the war in the Pacific until finally returning to the States. The official decommissioning was 15 June 1946, but by that time most of the crew had been transferred or demobilized. The ship was sunk as a target in 1968.
Stafford wrote well, painting a memorable picture of life at sea, from the tedium of routine operations to the terror of kamikaze attacks. The purpose of a destroyer escort was to be an inexpensive, cut-down destroyer useful for convoy duty or protecting escort carriers from air and submarine attacks. They freed up the larger destroyers to protect high value targets like battleships and aircraft carriers. However, as the war went on and air attack became an ever greater threat, every AA gun available was pressed into service against the kamikazes, and the Abercrobie found itself among the capital ships in the thick of battle, and even more dangerously, out on the picket line to give advanced warning of air attacks.
It is hard to imagine how exhausting life in the combat zone was, at General Quarters most of the day and then standing regular watches afterward. Some sailors could have slept at their guns or other battle stations when the ship was out of combat, but the watchstanders on the bridge and engineering, the radar operators, and the lookouts had to be constantly alert. In addition to the physical strain, the psychological pressure must have been enormous. The difference between life and death was sometimes nothing but pure chance, and Stafford’s descriptions of kamikaze attacks are vivid because he could still remember them in detail years after the war when he wrote the book.
No one would have felt the strain more than the commanding officer, and eventually it got the better of the Abercrombie’s CO. He was a hard man but good at his job, and he commanded the ship through some of the worst moments of the war. As CO he was separated from the rest of the crew, even the officers, and had no one to confide in. In the end he could not take it anymore and requested a transfer, which was granted. When that day came, without telling anyone on the ship, he simply took a boat to shore and never returned. The items that needed to be signed for by his relief were neatly laid out in his cabin, but he was gone without a word to anyone. One gets the feeling from Stafford’s description of the event that he probably felt he had let the crew down by requesting a transfer, and could not face them.
He had never liked or trusted his second in command, and his frequent criticisms undermined that officer’s confidence in himself, so when he took over as the new captain he had much to learn, and made a number of mistakes, including being involved in a collision with another ship. The crew was not sure if he could do the job, but he learned what he needed to know and successfully led the ship through the rest of the war and on to decommissioning.
This is a fine book for anyone with an interest in naval history. For those who like it I would also recommend James Fahey’s Pacific War Diary: 1942-1945. Fahey served on the light cruiser USS Montpelier (CL-57), and his account of the war has become a classic.
August 28, 2022
Lieutenant Edward Stafford arrives onboard the USS Abercrombie (DE-343) and picks up his war diary in Little Ship Big War. He had previously served as the commanding officer of a smaller ship, so much so that it had no name, merely the official designation of SB 492 (Book titled: Subchaser). The fact that he, most of the ships officers and crew were reservists, underlies one of his major points that these ships were smaller, slower, less well armed and built for less than defend the fleet duties, says nothing about the heart of these sailors and the critical, even dangerous nature of their assignments. This ship and her sisters, served well, in harms way and for the mission of serving a good cause, seeing it to ends end and then some. This is highly recommended for those interested in wartime service from the POV of one of the small boys, as well as those interested in direct leadership.
In passing. Lt Stafford arrives aboard DD 343 just before she completes construction and fitting out in a small shipyard near Houston Texas. What he tends to down play is that he will assume the duties of a department head, having just served as a commanding officer. From what I have seen while serving aboard a much larger Navy ship, going from independent command to a position 3rd or 4th down from command is a major metal exercise. From the stress of command to the loss of control is not easy. This problem is not addressed by the author. Just guessing and based on this man’s remarkable career, he had the ability to take his orders and deal with them with a minimum of drama or internal reservations.
Given his experience as a commander and in ships prior to arrival, it is somewhat less clear that the crew of the Abercrombie was that much less well trained or lead than the ostensibly more glamorous ships, the Destroyers. At the time those ships were referred to as the tin can navy and were infamous for the lack of polish and presumed professionalism of the bigger ships who in tern got less respect that the emerging class of Navy men, the Aviators and submariners. Not to take away from his pride in his crew and his sister ships, there is and was a hierarchy of snobbery over who was in the better Navy. Still in play in my day, and no doubt morphed into something only slightly different there is a pecking order that can reflect in officer promotion and career paths, based on selection for service in which ships, and which types of service. Not all fine service records carry the same weight.
From date of Commission and receipt of orders USS (DE-343) she would pass through the locks at the Panama Canal and stem into wartime service. For month she would shuttle between back water ports, providing anti-submarine patrol at harbor entrances, escort troops and supplies into forward areas and escort other damaged ships back from those same areas. She had several turn on screening duty warding off the new and most feared Japanese threat, the Kamikaze. Her service may never have achieved movie worth glamor, but Abercrombie was a fighting ship. Lacking the pull of the bigger ships, she would have to scramble for repairs and accept less desirable ports of call. There would always be some one senior ready to criticize poor ship handling and much satisfaction when the same higher ups shared out praise. Abercrombie would earn learn from both.
Little Ship Big war is the second and last of Edward Stafford wartime service diaries. Both rely heavily on information from many of the crew. Both are complete with the POV from the decks, and below in engineering as well as from the view from the bridge. He is author of two other Navy books, most famously his The Big E a history of the USS Enterprise. After WW III he earned Navy Aviator wings and flew Hurricane -tracking aircraft
In passing. Lt Stafford arrives aboard DD 343 just before she completes construction and fitting out in a small shipyard near Houston Texas. What he tends to down play is that he will assume the duties of a department head, having just served as a commanding officer. From what I have seen while serving aboard a much larger Navy ship, going from independent command to a position 3rd or 4th down from command is a major metal exercise. From the stress of command to the loss of control is not easy. This problem is not addressed by the author. Just guessing and based on this man’s remarkable career, he had the ability to take his orders and deal with them with a minimum of drama or internal reservations.
Given his experience as a commander and in ships prior to arrival, it is somewhat less clear that the crew of the Abercrombie was that much less well trained or lead than the ostensibly more glamorous ships, the Destroyers. At the time those ships were referred to as the tin can navy and were infamous for the lack of polish and presumed professionalism of the bigger ships who in tern got less respect that the emerging class of Navy men, the Aviators and submariners. Not to take away from his pride in his crew and his sister ships, there is and was a hierarchy of snobbery over who was in the better Navy. Still in play in my day, and no doubt morphed into something only slightly different there is a pecking order that can reflect in officer promotion and career paths, based on selection for service in which ships, and which types of service. Not all fine service records carry the same weight.
From date of Commission and receipt of orders USS (DE-343) she would pass through the locks at the Panama Canal and stem into wartime service. For month she would shuttle between back water ports, providing anti-submarine patrol at harbor entrances, escort troops and supplies into forward areas and escort other damaged ships back from those same areas. She had several turn on screening duty warding off the new and most feared Japanese threat, the Kamikaze. Her service may never have achieved movie worth glamor, but Abercrombie was a fighting ship. Lacking the pull of the bigger ships, she would have to scramble for repairs and accept less desirable ports of call. There would always be some one senior ready to criticize poor ship handling and much satisfaction when the same higher ups shared out praise. Abercrombie would earn learn from both.
Little Ship Big war is the second and last of Edward Stafford wartime service diaries. Both rely heavily on information from many of the crew. Both are complete with the POV from the decks, and below in engineering as well as from the view from the bridge. He is author of two other Navy books, most famously his The Big E a history of the USS Enterprise. After WW III he earned Navy Aviator wings and flew Hurricane -tracking aircraft
May 15, 2021
Great history of a Destroyer Escort which took part in almost every major sea battle from the invasion of the Philippines to the end of WWII in the Pacific. Author was on board the ship from construction to well after VJ Day.
April 20, 2016
If you want to know what life on a WWII destroyer escort was like, then absolutely pick up this book. It's crammed with detail on everything from weaponry to plumbing—and yet in spite of all this detail it never loses the forward motion of a story, moving with the USS Abercrombie (DE-343) and her crew from building and commissioning through shakedown and training cruises, and on to operations in the Pacific. Beyond detail and accuracy, Stafford can really write—he provides the personal viewpoint of a young officer, but also manages to capture the character and mood of the whole ship and her crew. Descriptions of convoying tankers and screening escort carriers, fueling at sea, supporting shore invasions, the boredom of lying at anchor in an island harbor, occasional shenanigans among the crew, and the terror and exhaustion of being under kamikaze attack off Okinawa, are all vividly rendered. It's also a nice touch that the story is filled out a little by relating the experiences of a few of Abercrombie's sister ships who were often just over the horizon during an operation, such as those in Taffy 3 in the Battle off Samar, or some who were not as fortunate as the Abercrombie on the harrowing radar picket line around Okinawa—but they're woven in smoothly, without disrupting the flow of the narrative. Though I read this for research (and found a ton of useful information), my interest was held the entire time, and I even found myself getting a little choked up at the poignancy of the final pages of homecoming.
Only one caveat: scattered strong profanity (kind of to be expected with sailors, I guess). The hardcover edition I read had one recurring typo through later chapters, putting 1944 where it should read 1945, but anybody who has a basic familiarity with WWII history should be able to spot that (a previous library patron had obligingly corrected it in my copy).
Only one caveat: scattered strong profanity (kind of to be expected with sailors, I guess). The hardcover edition I read had one recurring typo through later chapters, putting 1944 where it should read 1945, but anybody who has a basic familiarity with WWII history should be able to spot that (a previous library patron had obligingly corrected it in my copy).
July 12, 2023
Many years ago I gave my father a copy of this book. He commanded a DE (the Riley-579) during WW2. He loved this book but, at times, had to put it down because it brought back memories that struck too close to home and were painful to him. Perhaps that is a fitting commentary of this book. He didn't talk too much about the war, but I remember him recalling such events such as when he saw a kamikaze aircraft fly through a nearby ship (he saw the the shape of the plane in the side of the ship), passing through other convoys at night and in the dark, afraid that they would collide, and more.
I also read it at the same time he did (when the book first came out) because I wanted to get some feelings at what my father went through. Recently, I decided to read it again and I do think that it does give you a feeling of what it was like at the time and the trials and tribulations that these men experienced. There was not much glory as it seemed larger ships received, but the sailors faced the same dangers and had the same terrors while doing a very necessary and important job. A very well written history, and it makes me feel proud and respectful of what my father (and all the others) did.
I also read it at the same time he did (when the book first came out) because I wanted to get some feelings at what my father went through. Recently, I decided to read it again and I do think that it does give you a feeling of what it was like at the time and the trials and tribulations that these men experienced. There was not much glory as it seemed larger ships received, but the sailors faced the same dangers and had the same terrors while doing a very necessary and important job. A very well written history, and it makes me feel proud and respectful of what my father (and all the others) did.
June 16, 2018
Excellent book about the service of the destroyer-escort Abercrombie during the naval war in the Pacific during World War II. The saga takes place from shipyard and commissioning to combat and deactivation. The proud little warship was eventually stricken from the Navy list and used as a target ship in the 1960s.
The story is written by an officer who served aboard during the entire time she was in service. It rings true with life aboard ship, from the tedious to the terrifying . The action involved in the campaign to take Okinawa was terribly harrowing for the ships that manned the "ping line" and had to deal with the relentless attacks of the Japanese kamikaze. No sleep, cooped up at battle stations for hours on end and watching the destruction & death going on around your ship all took a toll on the sailors who served.
The book brought back a lot of memories of my time aboard my "little ship." Though my service in no way compares with what those men did out there on the blue Pacific.
The story is written by an officer who served aboard during the entire time she was in service. It rings true with life aboard ship, from the tedious to the terrifying . The action involved in the campaign to take Okinawa was terribly harrowing for the ships that manned the "ping line" and had to deal with the relentless attacks of the Japanese kamikaze. No sleep, cooped up at battle stations for hours on end and watching the destruction & death going on around your ship all took a toll on the sailors who served.
The book brought back a lot of memories of my time aboard my "little ship." Though my service in no way compares with what those men did out there on the blue Pacific.
July 17, 2017
A very interesting book. Destroyer Escorts served important niches in fleet actions during the war. Very little has been written about them. Stafford follows the Abercrombie from keel laying to the time she was used as a target for the navy. A sad ending but one that was used many times to dispose of many of the hastily built ships of WWII.
The book was easy reading and very well paced. I was astounded at the ships war record, having never been hit and never having any of her crew injured during action. It was a well commanded and drilled crew plus it having the name as a lucky ship. I surly enjoyed this book.
The book was easy reading and very well paced. I was astounded at the ships war record, having never been hit and never having any of her crew injured during action. It was a well commanded and drilled crew plus it having the name as a lucky ship. I surly enjoyed this book.
August 10, 2020
A detailed history of the USS Abercrombie and crew during WWII
I enjoyed Stafford's detailed, and lengthy recounting of this ship and crew during WWII. The book was very well researched and recorded, sometimes feeling like a day to day journal of life aboard. So while occasionally ambling along it is a truthful account of life aboard a DE in the South Pacific. I think this was an outstanding tribute to the families of those who served on the Abercrombie, and the reader has a window into the past and can virtually join the crew.
I enjoyed Stafford's detailed, and lengthy recounting of this ship and crew during WWII. The book was very well researched and recorded, sometimes feeling like a day to day journal of life aboard. So while occasionally ambling along it is a truthful account of life aboard a DE in the South Pacific. I think this was an outstanding tribute to the families of those who served on the Abercrombie, and the reader has a window into the past and can virtually join the crew.
July 9, 2023
I can see why Stafford's account of life on the DE is so well regarded. He captures both the tedium and manic activity through the life of the Abercrombie. At times this means the narrative drags and he spends too much time on minutia, by my count the ship is painted 8 times. Yet the wide net his narrative casts can't help but capture gems (I seen it!) and document the pressures of intense actions (esp vs. kamikaze attacks).
A must read for those interest in the PTO at sea, and DDs / DEs more generally.
A must read for those interest in the PTO at sea, and DDs / DEs more generally.
August 2, 2017
The author was an officer aboard the USS Abercrombie DD 343 during WWII from precommissioning.
The Abercrombie was a participant in the Battle off Samar, one of the most celebrated engagements in United States naval lore. He tells the story well.
Another excellent book covering this battle is James D. Hornfischer's "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors".
The Abercrombie was a participant in the Battle off Samar, one of the most celebrated engagements in United States naval lore. He tells the story well.
Another excellent book covering this battle is James D. Hornfischer's "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors".
January 30, 2019
Read this on the recommendation of another reader after mentioning how disappointed I was in another book about WWII DEs. She was right this book was excellent and gave an insight into the day to day life on one of these small ships from Pre-commissioning to decommissioning.
April 30, 2023
Excellent wartime reading
Written with honesty and heart about the men of USS Abercrombie. Well researched with enough detail. Excellent finish regarding homecoming and final days of the ship and crew.
Written with honesty and heart about the men of USS Abercrombie. Well researched with enough detail. Excellent finish regarding homecoming and final days of the ship and crew.
January 1, 2021
True story of the USS Abercrombie. Reads like a novel.
September 18, 2025
Poignant
A reminder to us all the sacrifices that were made, on their country’s behalf, by men who answered a call to defend their/our way of life. Excellent book.
A reminder to us all the sacrifices that were made, on their country’s behalf, by men who answered a call to defend their/our way of life. Excellent book.
July 21, 2014
SUMMARY: This book is the history of the Destroyer Escort USS Abercrombie from the time Stafford reported for duty as the first officer when the ship was nearing completion of its construction on the coast of Texas, until the ship was stripped and its hull used for target practice.
The active part of the ships life was support the WWII effort in the Pacific. Stafford of the day in and day out life aboard the little ship. It provides a very interesting insight as to what life was like on a small Pacific ship during WWII.
COMMENTS: I don't exactly know why I like the book so much. It just describes the daily life on the ship. Most of it was hard work and boredom. Some of it was terror filled with not much sleep for days on in. It's not a story with a climatic ending, but I think you'll enjoy getting an idea of what the navy personnel on these little ships went through during the war.
The active part of the ships life was support the WWII effort in the Pacific. Stafford of the day in and day out life aboard the little ship. It provides a very interesting insight as to what life was like on a small Pacific ship during WWII.
COMMENTS: I don't exactly know why I like the book so much. It just describes the daily life on the ship. Most of it was hard work and boredom. Some of it was terror filled with not much sleep for days on in. It's not a story with a climatic ending, but I think you'll enjoy getting an idea of what the navy personnel on these little ships went through during the war.
March 8, 2023
I like books about WW2, and this one scratched that itch. I liked the focus on one of the minor ships of the war. The day-to-day details of the ship's construction, commissioning, and operations in addition to the battles was fascinating.
December 26, 2014
First hand account...
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