There are relatively few books on WWI chasers. There are several contemporaneous (or nearly so) accounts, such as Hilary Ranald Chambers' little book, United States Submarine Chasers, and the accounts by Millholland and Moffat. These are about the experiences of these men on the chasers. There is Cinderellas of the Fleet, more or less a marketing piece by Standard Motor Construction Company (but with some good material, including an article by my great uncle on the Northern Russia expedition). In more recent times, there is my work on the history of chasers in WWI.
And very recently, there is another to add to the list: US Submarine Chaser 38 In the World War: My Dad in the Motor Boat Navy, based largely on the Raymond K. Featherstone (Sr.) collection of materials on this chaser. It's a detailed account of the service of SC 38, with many length excerpts from deck logs, as well as from letters and transcriptions of reports. It covers the context of ASW in WWI, and the track of the chasers in the war -- but the overall impact is to follow this particular chaser and its crew from preparation through the aftermath of the war. The book is filled with photos, and includes short biographies of almost every man who served on the boat.
After having had contact with Ray Featherstone (Jr.) now and then some years back, and more recently with Kathryn Lerch, the editor, I'm pleased to see this in print. I believe it is available to purchase from the Park Tudor site.
--Todd Woofenden, editor
Recently Added:
- Two new photos added to the SC 113 crew page.