
Valor and Courage
The Story of the USS Block Island Escort Carriers in World War II
Benjamin J. Hruska(Author)
The University of Alabama Press
Published on 30. July 2021
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-8173-2099-7 (ISBN)
Description
Recounts the stories of the USS Block Island CVE-21 and CVE-106 and their crews, many of whom served on both ships in the Atlantic and Pacific theatres
In Valor and Courage: The Story of the USS Block Island Escort Carriers in World War II Benjamin Hruska explores the history and commemoration of the USS Block Island-or, more properly, the Block Islands, as two escort carriers bore that name during WWII. The first, CVE 21, bears the distinction of having been the only American aircraft carrier sunk in the Atlantic Theatre after being torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of North Africa.
Of the CVE-21's 957 crew members, six sailors were killed and eighteen injured in the strike, and four of the Block Island's fighter pilots were lost later in the day searching for a safe place to land their planes. When the CVE-106 was commissioned to replace its predecessor, Captain Massie Hughes successfully persuaded the Navy to keep the CVE-21's crew together in manning the new ship. After resurrection as the CVE-106, the Block Island was assigned to the Pacific theater where it fought until the end of the war. The saga of these two ships and the crew that navigated two very different theaters of war offers a unique lens on naval strategy and engineering as it evolved during WWII, especially as pertains to the escort carrier class-generally underappreciated both in naval studies and in public memory.
Using archival materials, dozens of oral histories, primary sources, and official records, Hruska traces the life of the Block Island from the CVE-21's construction through its missions in the Atlantic, its work as an antisubmarine hunter, its destruction, and the lasting impact of those experiences on its crew. Hruska's study juxtaposes traditional military history with an examination of the acts of remembrance and commemoration by veterans who served on the escort carriers, how those practices evolved over time, and how the meanings of personal wartime experiences and memories gradually shifted throughout that process.
In Valor and Courage: The Story of the USS Block Island Escort Carriers in World War II Benjamin Hruska explores the history and commemoration of the USS Block Island-or, more properly, the Block Islands, as two escort carriers bore that name during WWII. The first, CVE 21, bears the distinction of having been the only American aircraft carrier sunk in the Atlantic Theatre after being torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of North Africa.
Of the CVE-21's 957 crew members, six sailors were killed and eighteen injured in the strike, and four of the Block Island's fighter pilots were lost later in the day searching for a safe place to land their planes. When the CVE-106 was commissioned to replace its predecessor, Captain Massie Hughes successfully persuaded the Navy to keep the CVE-21's crew together in manning the new ship. After resurrection as the CVE-106, the Block Island was assigned to the Pacific theater where it fought until the end of the war. The saga of these two ships and the crew that navigated two very different theaters of war offers a unique lens on naval strategy and engineering as it evolved during WWII, especially as pertains to the escort carrier class-generally underappreciated both in naval studies and in public memory.
Using archival materials, dozens of oral histories, primary sources, and official records, Hruska traces the life of the Block Island from the CVE-21's construction through its missions in the Atlantic, its work as an antisubmarine hunter, its destruction, and the lasting impact of those experiences on its crew. Hruska's study juxtaposes traditional military history with an examination of the acts of remembrance and commemoration by veterans who served on the escort carriers, how those practices evolved over time, and how the meanings of personal wartime experiences and memories gradually shifted throughout that process.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Alabama
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
580 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8173-2099-7 (9780817320997)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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Additional editions

Benjamin J. Hruska
Valor and Courage
The Story of the USS Block Island Escort Carriers in World War II
E-Book
07/2021
1st Edition
University of Alabama Press
€76.99
Available for download
Content
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. Carrier Interpretation
Chapter 2. "Combustible, Vulnerable, and Expendable"
Chapter 3. Triptych
Chapter 4. Pearl
Chapter 5. Amalgamation
Chapter 6. "Well Done, Massie Hughes"
Chapter 7. "Luminous Metallic Underworld"
Chapter 8. "Better Part of Six Years"
Chapter 9. "The Lord Looks Out for Drunks, Small Children, and CVEs"
Chapter 10. "Quickening of Pulse"
Chapter 11. "Like Bananas in Bunches"
Chapter 12. "Rocket Business"
Chapter 13. Denver Omelet Sandwiches
Chapter 14. "Long Haired Scientists"
Chapter 15. Massie
Chapter 16. "Stand by to Repel Boarders!"
Chapter 17. Buoyant Battlefield
Chapter 18. Crucible
Chapter 19. "Seeing Ghosts"
Chapter 20. St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Chapter 21. Okinawa
Chapter 22. The Last D-Day
Chapter 23. "Yanks Are on Their Way!"
Chapter 24. Magic Carpet
Chapter 25. Remembering
Conclusion: Void of Memory
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. Carrier Interpretation
Chapter 2. "Combustible, Vulnerable, and Expendable"
Chapter 3. Triptych
Chapter 4. Pearl
Chapter 5. Amalgamation
Chapter 6. "Well Done, Massie Hughes"
Chapter 7. "Luminous Metallic Underworld"
Chapter 8. "Better Part of Six Years"
Chapter 9. "The Lord Looks Out for Drunks, Small Children, and CVEs"
Chapter 10. "Quickening of Pulse"
Chapter 11. "Like Bananas in Bunches"
Chapter 12. "Rocket Business"
Chapter 13. Denver Omelet Sandwiches
Chapter 14. "Long Haired Scientists"
Chapter 15. Massie
Chapter 16. "Stand by to Repel Boarders!"
Chapter 17. Buoyant Battlefield
Chapter 18. Crucible
Chapter 19. "Seeing Ghosts"
Chapter 20. St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Chapter 21. Okinawa
Chapter 22. The Last D-Day
Chapter 23. "Yanks Are on Their Way!"
Chapter 24. Magic Carpet
Chapter 25. Remembering
Conclusion: Void of Memory
Notes
Bibliography
Index