DD 522: Diary of a Destroyer By Ron Surels (208 pages, 37 photos, maps) Reviewer:  Capt. Robert N. Adrian, USN (Ret.) Overall Rating: Three stars--Recommended. A solid effort. This is the story of the short 23 month life of the WWII Fletcher Class Destroyer, the USS LUCE (DD-522). The LUCE met its demise on March 4, 1945, while on Picket station off Okinawa. Approximately on half of its crew was lost as well. This story is skillfully woven by the author through interviews of over 50 ship's survivors and 20 family members of the deceased. Told in their words and brought to life with the commendable and tedious study of the ships chronology, deck logs and battle reports on file. The author appropriately prefaces his saga with words from the Navy hymn familiar to all sailors going "to sea in ships . . . in harms way". ETERNAL FATHER, STRONG TO SAVE WHOSE ARMS BOTH BIND THE RESTLESS WAVES WHO BIDST THE MIGHTY OCEAN DEEP ITS OWN APPOINTED LIMITS KEEP O HEAR US WHEN WE CRY TO THEE TO THOSE IN PERIL ON THE SEA In the book's excellent forward by RADM Julian Becton, USN (Ret.) we read of his command of the DESTROYER, the USS LAFFEY. The LUCE and the LAFFEY were serving Picket line with 14 DDs surrounding Okinawa. Their job was to give early raadar warning to the main invasion forces. Approaching enemy aircraft were to be destroyed. Admiral Becton's ship had the distinction of receiving the greatest number of Kamikaze hits by a Picket DD without being sunk. In Roscoe's "DD OPERATION DURING WWII", he accounts for 12 DDs and DEs sunk from kamikaze hits during the Okinawa campaign. Reviewer:  Eugene Ryan Overall Rating: Three stars--Recommended. A solid effort. This story is truly the diary of the USS LUCE (DD-522), from commissioning to its loss to the enemy in action off Okinawa. The author skillfully writes the tale by blending direct quotes of the surviving crew members and non-survivor family members with historical facts. The humor of the crew is apparent in relating the difficulties and humorous incidents, liberties and life in general aboard ship. The Executive Office and the Medical Officer show some good insights to the crew's training and welfare. The training and attention to detail by the officers and senior petty officers resulted in a well trained crew. I noted that the author started his research for the book in 1992 after attending a ship reunion of the LUCE. The memory recall of these crew members is witness to the deep impressions the experiences had on them. The details are vivid and complete. The Epilogue, Aftermath and Glossary with the succeeding chapters are a proper closing to the story of DD-522. Perhaps, these items would be of more interest to surviving crew members and families and the non-survivor families than other readers. They deserve the attention of all readers as they show some of the characteristic traits of the crew members during service and in later careers. Destroyer men of World War II will relate to this story as it could be considered typical of destroyer duty in the several operational areas at that time. Overall, the book is recommended for reading to World War II navy men, particularly Destroyer men. Others could find it interesting and learn something of Navy ships in the closing years of the war. Reviewer:  George Pendergast Overall Rating: Four stars--Four Stars, highly recommended. An excellent book. Ron Surels served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.  A minister and educator by profession, his hobby has been reading and researching American military history. “DD 522: Diary Of A Destroyer” tells the story of a valiant tin can and her indomitable crew. It chronicles the life of the USS LUCE during World War II, from shakedown to the Aleutian and Philippine campaigns and her sinking off Okinawa by kamikazes. Sprinkled here and there with humor, the book exudes high drama and mounting excitement. Each chapter builds on the other to the final tragedy.   The reader benefits, I believe, if the book is read cover to cover. The shakedown caused little real difficulty. It would have been uneventful, as well, had someone not brought a stray cat aboard. The cat's litter box choices, it seems, became a problem. In the Aleutians, the crew battled the Japanese, perpetual fog, freezing temperatures and hellish storms. After nine months of fighting the stormiest seas in the world, the LUCE said farewell to the Aleutians. As part of the Philippine invasion force, the crew of the LUCE was introduced to the dastardly effects of kamikaze warfare. The experience, however, did not prepare them for Okinawa. Chapters 11 through 16, depict the LUCE’s incredible Okinawa experiences.   The author, through the eyes of the survivors, tells the gruesome details of those experiences including; how the LUCE was sunk and how crew members were decapitated, burned to death and eaten by sharks. “Diary Of A Destroyer” shows the devastation of war in full color.  From his taped interviews with survivors and family members of those that did not survive, the author weaved together a story that screen plays are made of. Skillfully conveyed, the book is a keeper and certain to be prized by all destroyer veterans.