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An American Destroyer: USS Hamner History in Photographs

The sequel to "An American Destroyer: USS Hamner (DD-718)", by Patty Hathaway, presents the history of the Hamner and her crew with photographs and documents from shipmates and their families. With over 400 photographs, the reader is taken back to 1945 when Hamner began her life on the sea.  The history unfolds from the shipmates' perspective, with graphic details words could not quite describe.  The photographs show the shipmates from their training to life onboard, with a few well-earned times of liberty in exotic places. The photographs and copies of documents shared by our veterans and their families prove that a picture is worth a thousand words -- and in this book, that's 400 times a thousand! In the author's own words:

"The response to the requests for information and additional photos for this book was at times overwhelming. Photos, names, dates, stories, and encouragement were received almost daily.  This book would not be possible without the association and its dedicated members and friends. I truly hope that everyone enjoys this book as much as I enjoyed everything I learned while creating it!" 

An American Destroyer: USS Hamner (DD-718)

Written by Kenneth Ericksen (ET3, 1953-56), this book tells the story of the ship and her crew from the launch of the Hamner in 1946 until her decommissioning in 1979.  Ken gathered the information about the family of the Hamner’s namesake, photos from fellow shipmates, deck logs and cruise books, interviews of other shipmates and started writing the history of the Hamner in order to keep her memory alive. All nineteen cruises, equator crossings and training exercises can be found in Ken’s story. After the Vietnam war, reservist training on the Columbia River occupies the crew and their ship in the later chapters.  An American Destroyer shows the life aboard a destroyer through the eyes of a sailor. In Ken’s own words: 

“All that being said, this is the story of an American destroyer, USS Hamner (DD-718), and her service in major wars and as a training vessel during peacetime. It’s also the story of the men who served aboard and knew her well. I dedicate this book to those brave sailors.”