A Blue Sea of Blood : Deciphering the Mysterious Fate of the USS Edsall

On the morning of March 1, 1942, the WWI-era destroyer USS Edsall —under orders to deliver some forty Army Air Force fighter crews to the beleaguered island of Java—split off from the USS Whipple and the tanker Pecos and was never seen again by Allied forces. Despite the later discovery of bodies identified as Edsall crewmembers near a remote airfield on the coast of Celebes, what happened to the ship remains a matter of mystery and, perhaps, deliberate obfuscation. This book explores the many puzzling facets of the Edsall 's disappearance in order to finally tell the full story of the fate of the vessel and her crew. Based on exhaustive research of the historical record—including newly deciphered Japanese documents and previously unrevealed material from the crew's family members—Upon a Blue Sea of Blood offers a painstaking reconstruction of the ship's history. The book investigates not only the Edsall 's mysterious final... On the morning of March 1, 1942, the WWI-era destroyer USS Edsall —under orders to deliver some forty Army Air Force fighter crews to the beleaguered island of Java—split off from the USS Whipple and the tanker Pecos and was never seen again by Allied forces. Despite the later discovery of bodies identified as Edsall crew members near a remote airfield on the coast of Celebes, what happened to the ship remains a matter of mystery and, perhaps, deliberate obfuscation. This book explores the many puzzling facets of the Edsall ’s disappearance in order to finally tell the full story of the fate of the vessel and her crew. Based on exhaustive research of the historical record—including newly deciphered Japanese documents and previously unrevealed material from the crew’s family members— A Blue Sea of Blood offers a painstaking reconstruction of the ship’s history. The book investigates not only the Edsall ’s mysterious final action, but also her wide-ranging pre-war career and the curious uses to which her story was put—generally under false pretenses—first by the pre-war US Navy and then by the Japanese wartime propaganda machine. And finally, military historian Donald Kehn considers the circumstances surrounding the curious obscurity of the Edsall ’s heroic service and final battle in American histories. Redressing six decades of official indifference, Kehn’s account recovers a significant chapter missing from the history of World War II—and tells a long-overdue story of courage and tragic loss. On the morning of March 1, 1942, the WWI-era destroyer USS Edsall--under orders to deliver some forty Army Air Force fighter crews to the beleaguered island of Java--split off from the USS Whipple and the tanker Pecos and was never seen again by Allied forces. Despite the later discovery of bodies identified as Edsall crewmembers near a remote airfield on the coast of Celebes, what happened to the ship remains a matter of mystery and, perhaps, deliberate obfuscation. This book explores the many puzzling facets of the Edsall’s disappearance in order to finally tell the full story of the fate of the vessel and her crew. Based on exhaustive research of the historical record--including newly deciphered Japanese documents and previously unrevealed material from the crew’s family members--Upon a Blue Sea of Blood offers a painstaking reconstruction of the ship’s history. The book investigates not only the Edsall’s mysterious final action, but also her wide-ranging pre-war career and the curious uses to which her story was put--generally under false pretenses--first by the pre-war U.S. Navy and then by the Japanese wartime propaganda machine. And finally, military historian Donald Kehn considers the circumstances surrounding the curious obscurity of the Edsall’s heroic service and final battle in American histories. Redressing six decades of official indifference, Kehn’s account recovers a significant chapter missing from the history of World War II--and tells a long-overdue story of courage and tragic loss. On the morning of March 1, 1942, the WWI-era destroyer USS Edsall?under orders to deliver some forty Army Air Force fighter crews to the beleaguered island of Java?split off from the USS Whipple and the tanker Pecos and was never seen again by Allied forces. Despite the later discovery of bodies identified as Edsall crewmembers near a remote airfield on the coast of Celebes, what happened to the ship remains a matter of mystery and, perhaps, deliberate obfuscation. This book explores the many puzzling facets of the Edsall 's disappearance in order to finally tell the full story of the fate of the vessel and her crew. Based on exhaustive research of the historical record?including newly deciphered Japanese documents and previously unrevealed material from the crew's family members?Upon a Blue Sea of Blood offers a painstaking reconstruction of the ship's history. The book investigates not only the Edsall 's mysterious final action, but also her wide-ranging pre-war career and the curious uses to which her story was put?generally under false pretenses?first by the pre-war U.S. Navy and then by the Japanese wartime propaganda machine. And finally, military historian Donald Kehn considers the circumstances surrounding the curious obscurity of the Edsall 's heroic service and final battle in American histories. Redressing six decades of official indifference, Kehn's account recovers a significant chapter missing from the history of World War II?and tells a long-overdue story of courage and tragic loss

On the morning of March 1, 1942, the destroyer USS Edsall (DD-219) split off from the USS Whipple (her sister ship) and the tanker USS Pecos and headed in a northeasterly direction toward the beleaguered island of Java. Under orders to deliver thirty-two members of the Army Air Forces to the southern port of Tjilatjap, she was never seen or heard from again by U.S. forces.

After the war, near the remote Kendari airfield on the Indonesian island of Celebes-an area known for numerous alleged Japanese war crimes-U.S. authorities recovered a number of bodies. These remains were eventually identified as Edsall crewmembers and AAF personnel. The full story of what really happened to this vessel, and the fate of her crew and passengers, has never been told. Based upon exhaustive research of the historical record, A Blue Sea of Blood sheds light on this enduring mystery, bringing to the surface one of the most heroic naval battles-as well as one of the most tragic outcomes-of World War II.

Based on extensive historical research, including newly deciphered Japanese documents and previously unknown material from the crew's family members, as well as U.S. Navy, Dutch, and Imperial Japanese Navy documents, the author offers a history of the USS Edsall (DD-219) -- both the ship and her courageous crew -- detailing her heroic service and final battle in March 1942.