The compelling story of an American crash boat crewed by unknown heroes during World War II in the South Pacific, whose dramatic rescues of downed pilots and clandestine missions off Japanese-held islands were done at great peril and with little fanfare. It chronicles ordinary young men doing extraordinary things, told to George D. Jepson by Earl A. McCandlish, commander of the 63-foot crash boat P-399. Nicknamed Sea Horse, the vessel and her crew were credited with over 30 rescues, fought a fierce gun battle with enemy forces, experienced life from another age in isolated native villages, were ordered on boondoggle missions, and played a supporting role in America's return to the Philippines.
| Introduction |
|
ix | |
|
|
|
|
|
xii | |
|
|
|
1 | (9) |
|
|
|
10 | (9) |
|
|
|
19 | (3) |
|
|
|
22 | (16) |
|
|
|
38 | (8) |
|
|
|
46 | (4) |
|
|
|
50 | (5) |
|
|
|
55 | (13) |
|
|
|
68 | (8) |
|
|
|
76 | (6) |
|
|
|
82 | (2) |
|
|
|
84 | (5) |
|
|
|
89 | (7) |
|
|
|
96 | (7) |
|
|
|
103 | (4) |
|
|
|
107 | (3) |
|
|
|
110 | (7) |
|
|
|
117 | (5) |
|
|
|
122 | (8) |
|
|
|
130 | (8) |
|
|
|
138 | (5) |
|
|
|
143 | (4) |
|
23 Polka Dots and Pagadian |
|
|
147 | (10) |
|
|
|
157 | (11) |
|
25 Senor Atalano and the Underground Press |
|
|
168 | (9) |
|
|
|
177 | (9) |
|
|
|
186 | (4) |
|
|
|
190 | (6) |
|
|
|
196 | (4) |
| Afterword |
|
200 | (6) |
| Acknowledgments |
|
206 | (2) |
| Bibliography |
|
208 | (1) |
| Appendix A Dair N. Long and the Homegrown War Effort |
|
209 | (4) |
| Appendix B 63-Foot AAF Rescue Boat |
|
213 | (6) |
| Index |
|
219 | |
GEORGE D. JEPSON, editorial director for McBooks Press, previously worked as a journalist and corporate communicator. As a freelance writer and editor, he was a regular contributor to WoodenBoat magazine and various other publications. Jepson worked in the maritime book trade for more than two decades and founded Quarterdeck, a journal dedicated to celebrating maritime literature and art. He holds degrees in English and history, as well as an MBA. Jepson and his wife, Amy, live in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
EARL A. McCANDLISH grew up in Dutchess County, New York. During World War II, he commanded the 63-foot air-sea rescue boat P-399 nicknamed Sea Horse in the South Pacific with the 13th Army Air Force, earning the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement. McCandlish also received the Conspicuous Service Medal from the State of New York. He held an IAO degree from the State University of New York at Cornell and was a former town official in Poughkeepsie, where he resided until his death in 2000.
