At long last The Original Tomcat has found an everlasting home. Never again will the book be out of print and unavailable to those seeking it. In this respect, Xlibris is superior to traditional publishers. At Xlibris, a book with small or modest sales is not allowed to languish and die. From now on, The Original Tomcat can be purchased from Xlibris.com, Amazon.com or other Internet book services. And for those who are not PC savvy, the book can be ordered at brick-and-mortar bookstores such as Borders or Barnes & Noble. Just ask for The Original Tomcat by Jackson Sellers, and decide whether you want it in dust-jacketed hardback or quality paperback.
The world’s most famous class of destroyers, the Fletchers, joined the American fleet during World War II. There were 175 of these little gray workhorses, all heavily armed against threats from sea, land and air. No admiral ever had enough of them. Most fought in the Pacific War against Japan, serving anonymously alongside well-known aircraft carriers and battleships. Dozens of Fletchers ran with the big boys in mighty Fast Carrier Task Force 38/58 under Admirals Halsey, Spruance, Mitscher and McCain. The USS Colahan (DD-658) steamed this perilous but triumphant journey to Tokyo Bay, surviving when others didn’t.
This is the fifth and final edition of The Original Tomcat: A Fletcher Destroyer Goes to War. The book, which follows the Colahan through the climactic 1944/1945 battles of the Japanese-American Pacific War, was author-published four times in limited editions between 1994 and 1997. It was well received by Colahan shipmates and Fletcher-class destroyer fans, and it continues to be in demand. Here is a sampling of reader reactions:
“A wonderful work by a skilled writer. All ships should be so lucky as to have their exploits chronicled so well.” — Thomas J. Peltin, president of Tin Can Sailors, Inc.
“A magnificent piece of writing.” — Ray Loughrige, radioman, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“Thank you for helping me relive my forgotten youth.” — Howard Ralby, fireman, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“I am absolutely delighted with it.” — Dick Jones, signalman, ComDesRon 53 staff, Pacific War.
“Your story makes memories come alive.” — Clyde D. Killion, chief yeoman, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“I commend you for your incredible effort.” — George Whitney, signalman, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“Thanks, Jackson, for making an old sailor feel real good.” — George McLaughlin, torpedoman, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“A great book, a real pleasure.” — Jim Exchange, baker, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“A moving account of the Hazelwood rescue.” — Peter Dingman, medical officer, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“You made the Colahan live again!” — Henry Gaffin, yeoman, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“I couldn’t put it down. The Colahan needed this, and we who served on the Colahan needed this.” — Jim Kinduell, gunnery officer, USS Colahan, Pacific War.
“A very impressive piece of work.” — Tim Rizzuto, ship’s superintendent, USS Kidd Memorial.
“This is much, much more than a ship’s history.” — George English, president of the USS Wedderburn Association.
The Original Tomcat has found shelf space in several libraries interested in naval history – the Library of Congress; the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation in Washington; East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and the Louisiana Naval War Memorial Foundation in Baton Rouge, where a copy is on permanent display in the Colahan locker aboard the memorialized USS Kidd. General libraries offering the book include the Springfield-Greene County Library in Missouri, the Orange County Public Library in California and the Arthur Sullivan Middle School World War II Museum and Library in Worcester, Massachusetts. Two library services, Coutts of Niagara Falls, New York, and Blackwell North America of Blackwood, New Jersey, acquired copies for their library customers.
The book focuses on the USS Colahan and her several hundred sailors, but the ship’s story, involving triumphs and misadventures and even humiliations, progresses against the historical background of the greatest naval war ever fought, so American and Japanese admirals are major characters, even if they are not allowed to overshadow Colahan captains Wilber, Shellabarger and Whalen and their crews. An entire war, or any historical event, can be told effectively from the perspective of its lowest participant. The Original Tomcat seeks to do this.
The Xlibris edition offers an expanded index of the story’s personalities, both American and Japanese. All Destroyer Squadron 53 warships, constituting what was known as the “Tomcat Squadron,” are indexed. This improved index, tediously produced as all indexes are, represents a nod to George English’s conclusion that The Original Tomcat is “much, much more than a ship’s history.”
|
Book Display
A Fletcher Destroyer Goes To War