Give Me a Fast Ship: Ernest Evans and USS Johnston

＂Ernest Evans and his ship USS Johnston (DD 557) are legendary for their exploits in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Evans is an intriguing character in a number of ways, including his Native American heritage, and the USS Johnston under Evans--he was the sole commander from commissioning to sinking--served in various campaigns and operations prior to the action off Samar that earned him the Medal of Honor. The ship was active in the Carolines and bombarded the beaches of Kwajalein and Eniwetok and (with two other destroyers) sank a sub off Bougainville (earning Evans a bronze star). She was also active at Guam and Peleliu. Thomas Cutler brings both Evans and USS Johnston to life in a manner that places them into the context of the greater Pacific War, but keeps the focus on these two relatively small--but ultimately very significant--entities. A ship and her captain are nothing without the crew, and the author ensures that--despite his larger than life status--Evans is portrayed as part of that larger ＂organism,＂ with appropriate emphasis on other members of the crew＂-- Provided by publisher.

Thomas J. Cutler is a retired lieutenant commander and former gunner’s mate second class who served in patrol craft, cruisers, destroyers, and aircraft carriers. His varied assignments included an in-country Vietnam tour, small craft command, and nine years at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he served as Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Seamanship & Navigation Department and Associate Chairman of the History Department. Winner of the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Naval Literature, the U.S. Naval Institute Press Author of the Year, and the U.S. Maritime Literature Award, his published works include The Battle of Leyte Gulf and Brown Water, Black Berets: Coastal & Riverine Warfare in Vietnam.