Hunters in the Shallows: A History of the Pt Boat

Rating:
Summary: Objective, incisive, knowlegable, a valuable resource
Review: Mr. Nelson has produced a well researched and thoughtful, objective look at a topic that has been of great interest to me (Vietnam-era Navy Vet). This book is more of a strategic review of the mission of the PT boat than a retelling of individual events, yet it is still an enjoyable read for the PT buff as well as historian. His analysis of the PT's torpedo attacks in all the theaters of WWII (especially at the Battle of Surigao Strait, P.I.) takes on a subject, untouched in any previous book, with logic and authority. He sheds new light on the oft-told PT 109 story. The author raises the achievement and ability of the PT to assume the non-torpedo role of gunboat (in the South/SWest Pacific) when the Navy had no purpose-designed vessels for "littoral warfare". Lessons from the past have bearing on the future as today's small, flash-point conventional conflicts have proven. "Hunters in the Shadows" is a great add to any PT boat library; it stands up there with "At Close Quarters" and the superb photo-essays of authors Al Ross and Victor Cuhn, to name a few. It is also a tribute to the men who served on and serviced the "wooden wonders." (check out the PT Boat Museum's Website for more about these remarkable vessels)