First Book Event

I had a small private event to launch the book in November. It gave me the opportunity to celebrate with family and friends and also to speak about the book in a little more depth. I realized that speaking about the book focused me on not only why I wrote this book...

Thoughts on Wouk

Herman Wouk and the True Story Behind the Caine Mutiny  I originally planned to start putting chapters here to coincide with Memorial Day, but the whole scheme also intersects with Herman Wouk's 100th birthday (5/27/2015).  As I mentioned, the story of the...

Mutiny on the Bounty: 5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know

What Really Is The Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty? In Bird in the Deep, I devoted a chapter to the mutiny aboard the Bounty. Partially this was because most people brought it up whenever I mentioned the Caine Mutiny, thinking that was the story I was referencing. ...

Book Review

Really proud to share the review of my book A Bird in the Deep.  I think it's a great description of the book and the journey to get there: "This well-written history draws connections to an iconic novel and illuminates the lives of World War II sailors." Read the...

Possible Expedition to Partridge

A couple of years ago I was involved in a major bathymetric survey of the Normandy beaches in which we attempted to locate and classify all wrecks along the 5 beaches. One of the wrecks we covered was that of the USS Partridge. Next year a team of divers is planning to visit some of the wrecks located and the Partridge is on the list – although sea and weather conditions may mean the divers do not visit her remains.

Photo of the HMRT Superman

HMRT Superman was a British Rescue Tug that discovered the Whale Unit that the Partridge had been towing to Normandy.  Her crew were able to tow the Whale Unit so that it could be used to ferry equipment to the landing force. The ship doesn't figure prominently in the...

Map of the Partridge Voyage in the Caribbean

Here is a map that Bud Froehlich drew up in 1990 just prior to the last reunion of the Partridge.  If you've ever travelled to that part of the world, it's difficult to imagine it as a war zone.  But it's where the Partridge worked to safe ships torpedoed by German...

Report from Jim White on Partridge Sinking

Hi everyone and thank you for all the great comments on the recent photos.  I'm working on getting them labeled, but feel free to comment if you identify anyone in the photos. A few years back, Lisa Knott (who's grandfather Dalton Kirkman father, Joe Feeney served...

1940s Partridge Newsletter

When I first started this project I had the privilege of spending a weekend with Bill and Dottie Ames.  They were a great couple with so much energy and enthusiasm for the Partridge and the crew.  They shared with me newsletters from the late 40s and early 50s.  I was...

New Photos from Joe Shannon

These were photos of the crew that Joe Shannon (Joe Nutt) provided a few years back.  They cover from the Partridge in the Caribbean  until after it's sinking.