The Book

Letters Home: My Life Aboard the USS Biscayne During World War II is a lively, first-hand account of life aboard an admiral's flagship by a young man whose life and romance were interrupted by World War II.  Based on interviews, careful research and a unique archive of documents and photos from the USS Biscayne, this book will interest Biscayne shipmates and World War II history buffs.

Stanley J. Morrison, a radioman, joined the Biscayne at Port Lyautey,  Morocco on March 19, 1943.   He stayed with the ship until he was demobilized at  Jinsen, Korea, on October 5, 1945.

From Port Lyautey, the story moves on to Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria, where the ship, originally built as a seaplane tender, was refitted as a flagship.  From there, the ship steams to Bizerte, Tunisia, where the Allied flotilla was gathering for the invasion of Sicily.

Rear Admiral Richard L. Conolly used the Biscayne as his flagship for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, which began July 8, 1943 and was finished on July 22, 1943.

As an admiral's flagship, the Biscayne became accustomed to having many dignitaries aboard.  But the most precious cargo during the invasion of Sicily was Ernie Pyle, the beloved Scripps Howard war correspondent.  He wrote the first four chapters of Brave Men aboard the Biscayne.

Admiral Conolly again used the Biscayne as his flagship for Operation Avalanche, the invasion of Salerno, which began on September 9, 1943 and wrapped up October 11, 1943.   The Allies suffered disastrous losses in this invasion, as the enemy was apprised of the flotilla's arrival and the Allies had to fight without the advantage of surprise or a preliminary naval and air bombardment of ground positions.

Rear Admiral Frank J. Lawry took over the Biscayne for the Operation Shingle, the invasion of Anzio, which got under way on January 21, 1944 and came to a close on February 1, 1944.  The invasion at Anzio got off to a good start, with the Germans being taken completely by surprise.  But soon the battle bogged down and losses were terrible.

Compared with the Italian invasions, Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France at Ste. Maxime and St. Tropez, were a cakewalk.  That operation began on August 15, 1944 and was over by August 26, 1944.  During this invasion, the Allies only saw the backs of the Germans and were welcomed by Free French partisans.

Following these invasions in Europe, it was time to head to the Pacific, and the Biscayne spent some time in the Boston Navy Yard in Massachusetts and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California before heading for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  At Pearl Harbor, Commodore Frederick Moosbrugger, acquired the Biscayne as his flagship.

From Pearl Harbor, the course was set for Operation Detachment, the invasion of Iwo Jim, which began on January 9, 1945.  When that operation wrapped up on March 4, 1945, the Biscayne regrouped at Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands, getting ready for Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa.

The battle for Okinawa was the final battle of World War II.  The Biscayne arrived in the waters of Okinawa on March 26, 1945 and remained there under frequent air bombardment until we left on July 1.

Letters Home tells the story of the war in the Mediterranean and the Pacific from the point of view of an ordinary radioman -- one of the hundreds of seamen who made the Biscayne tick.

But while the story is a war story, it is also a love story.  During the time the author, like so many other young Americans, was tied up with the war, he was also trying to conduct a romance back home.  He managed to woo his sweetheart with hundreds of letters sent home.  And during the crossover time from the Mediterranean to the Pacific theater, he married her and had a wartime honeymoon.

This is a terrific, readable, carefully research book.  Hardcover, 114 pages, with 23 photographs.

Copies of Letters Home, either as a hardcover book or as a pdf download, can be purchased at:  http://lulu.com/spotlight/pastorathvpcdotorg.