In this fantastically complex history of the USS Princeton and its role in the Pacific theater against the Japanese in World War II, David Leick takes readers into incredible historical detail about the Central Pacific campaign, the Rabul strikes, and the invasion of the Philippines. Drawing on first hand accounts and the Naval History and Heritage Command archives, Leick uses these materials to explore the tactics, command decisions, and ship life during 1943 and 1944 when the ship was active. Focusing on the crew, airmen, and the toll of prolonged combat in the Pacific theater, Leick really brings the ship to life, and these first-hand accounts really add a lot of detail and realistic information to the book. The incredible detail, military jargon, and maps bring the details of the campaign and the precise military movements to readers and make it easily understandable, though some readers might find this book and its incredible detail a bit overwhelming. A fantastic book for serious history buffs (particularly those interested in military and World War II history) and a great humanizing insight into one of the ships in the Pacific theater, David Leick’s book is a fantastic, complex, and detailed read and a great addition to existing literature.

The light carrier USS Princeton was built as a stopgap carrier to fill the void left in the Pacific Fleet following high attrition in 1942. President Roosevelt requested to the US Navy to convert nine light cruisers into light aircraft carriers due to the fact that the new Essex-class vessels would not be ready from some time.
This is the ship’s biography and its place in the war, and includes new details of duty aboard a carrier.
Princeton was bombed during the Leyte landing in October 1944. For six hours, sailors fought the fires its munitions cooked off in a colossal blast, cutting Princeton literally in two and causing severe damage to the cruiser Birmingham alongside. The stern sank and the bow was finally scuttled.

Most readers who may be considering whether to look into David Leick’s history of the light carrier USS Princeton are likely to be familiar with aspects of the history of the Pacific War. But where this book differs from the strategic analysis of the conflict found in most histories is that it takes you to what it actually meant when one reads that ‘some damage was sustained’, or ‘carrier forces lost just ten aircraft in the attack on the Japanese fleet’. At first it seems that Leitch has just assembled a list of actions and events, but the book quickly begins to draw the reader into just how intimate life was in a light carrier such as Princeton, where the steady attrition of planes and aircrew has to be acknowledged but then the ship’s company has to move on.

The book provides brief background over how the light carriers came into existence by converting hulls originally destined to be light cruisers to ensure that the USN had a continuing carrier capability earlier than the larger fleet carriers that had been commissioned. But where this book excels is in providing a healthy balance to the many excellent histories that provide a big picture but skim over the quotidian experiences of the men who fought and won the Pacific War. The final chapters setting out how Princeton came to be lost are among the best accounts of what happens when a ship loaded with ammunition, bombs, torpedoes and petrol is fatally attacked.
An excellent addition to the naval history of WW2.

This account of the US Escort or Light Aircraft Carrier USS Princeton and the men who served on her is compelling in the detail of both the ship and the personnel both sailors and aircrew. After the attack on Pearl Harbour, the USA had to react very quickly to the loss of the battleships and other warships that were lost. There were only four aircraft carriers in the Pacific at that time and it was obvious that would be insufficient to counter the Japanese threat and therefore a rapid building programme was begun to produce and interim capability in the shortest possible time. The planned large Essex Class Fleet Carriers were not scheduled to enter service until late 1943 so the Independence Class of light carriers, converted from existing Cruiser hulls, was initiated.
Princeton was one of the first to see service and the detailed account of her launch, commissioning and shakedown cruise in the Gulf of Mexico where she was threatened by German U-boats, sets the scene for her real war in the Pacific. The details of the actions that Princeton was engaged in, down to individual air combats and actions from enemy aircraft to the ship, are enthralling. The final action that led to the sinking of the USS Princeton is a story all of its own, and the heroic action on the part of every crew member is dramatic in the telling of high sense of duty in the face of the enemy.
A must read for any military historian.