To War in a Tin Can By: James H. Patric (225 pages, photos, maps) Reviewer: James Healy Overall Rating: Three Stars--Recommended. A solid effort. Radarman James H. Patric has blended his daily experiences along with many of his shipmates and other published resources to describe life and events aboard a World War I four-piper during World War II. The USS GEORGE E. BADGER (DD-196) began re-activation as a seaplane tender (AVD-3) including the removal of two of its four boilers. This modification extended the ship’s range (more fuel storage) while reducing top speed to about 27 knots. After Pearl Harbor, the BADGER reverted to a more traditional role of anti-submarine destroyer, including convoy work in the North Atlantic and eventually part of a hunter-killer group formed around the escort carrier BOGUE (CVE-9). Patric’s first-hand accounts are well written and informative regarding living conditions on an aging ship. One example regarded food service, which was not done cafeteria style, but rather delivered to crews’ berthing. A few of the one-paragraph “short-stories” requires the reader to “switch thinking gears” quickly; and quoting famous authors does not add measurably to Patric’s already fine explanations. Taking aboard survivors of the U-boat sunk by the H-K team is perhaps among the most unusual events described – and photos add to the action. With the U-boat menace subsiding, the BADGER was once again reconfigured for Pacific service as APD-33 supporting Underwater Demolition Team 8. As both a seaman on the bridge and later a radarman, Patric was afforded unique windows to the many and varied engagements encountered by this veteran ship. Drafted in World War II, he was recalled for one-year’s service during the Korean War. He is presently a retired forest hydrology researcher. Availability: McFarland & Company, Inc. Box 611 Jefferson, NC 28640 1-800-253-2187 www.mcfarlandpub.com