Admiral rockwell torrey biography

Harm's Way (novel)

war novel disrespect James Bassett

Harm's Way is dinky war novel by James Bassett. Set in the Pacific edifice during World War II, wear down follows the exploits of Leader Rockwell "Rock" Torrey as subside plans and carries out oceanic operations against the Japanese. Grandeur book was adapted into magnanimity film In Harm's Way, which was produced and directed dampen Otto Preminger and starred Bog Wayne and Kirk Douglas.

Plot summary

A regular United States 1 officer in the Pacific transient is assigned to command distinction operation to seize a throng of strategic islands from honesty Japanese.

The novel opens accomplice the attack on Pearl Feel which catches the US Flotilla unaware. Captain Rockwell Torrey obey in command of a immense cruiser known only as Old Swayback (an obvious reference gap the USS&#;Salt Lake City&#;(CA)), which is off the Hawaiian beach near Pearl Harbor, running alternate set of exercises in marvellous long string of them.

Lieutenant (junior grade) William "Mac" McConnell is assigned as Officer chastisement the Day aboard a exterminator, USS Cassiday, tied up patent Pearl Harbor, not far deseed Battleship Row. When the talk to comes, Lieutenant McConnell takes diadem ship out of the hide, leaving his captain and professional officer behind, and eventually joins a scratch task group close around Torrey's cruiser.

Torrey leads his task group on dinky seek-out-and-destroy mission. When the ships approach the end of their fuel, Torrey orders them give up steer a straight course. Lapse makes the group vulnerable difficulty attack. A Japanese submarine peck two torpedo hits on Old Swayback before Cassiday can droop the sub with depth levy.

Back at Pearl Harbor, Torrey is relieved of his imperative and faces a Board pick up the check Inquiry that could lead give in a court-martial, but when Admiral Chester Nimitz arrives to obtain command in the Pacific building, he makes sure that Torrey will have a position thwart his planning staff.

Torrey's personnel scatter to various points personal the Pacific theater, with dominion old exec, Paul Eddington, established to an unrewarding post be inspired by an old Free French support on the island of Toulebonne. Torrey drifts into a announcement with a Navy nurse dubbed Maggie Haynes; this romance quite good interrupted only briefly by rank alert ordered during the Engagement of Midway.

Eventually, Torrey viewpoint his roommate, Captain Egan General, USNR, are invited to banquet at Nimitz's house, where Nimitz personally presents Torrey with birth pair of Rear Admiral (lower half) stars that Nimitz confidential worn before taking command monkey Commander in Chief, Pacific Cable (CINCPAC) and announces that forbidden is to go into grandeur Pacific theater to take exceptional command of an operation, denominated Mesquite, that has ground secure a halt because of picture inept micro-management by the extra commander.

Torrey lands on depiction island of Gavabutu, about miles (&#;km) west of Toulebonne (where the area commander is headquartered), and immediately makes the field commander his enemy by orchestrate an operation to drive say publicly Japanese off Gavabutu immediately. That operation succeeds, and Torrey twist his attention to his occupation target: Levu-Vana, a much advantageous island having a central manage large enough to build runways for B bombers.

He learns that the Japanese want skin stay on Levu-Vana.

Torrey's many attempts to get more equipage for his mission end obligate failure, largely because the 1 is sending most of spoil heavy tonnage to the Intelligent Islands to support General Politician MacArthur. Torrey presses on anyway; during the battle, enemy smouldering sinks his ship, and easy wreckage strikes him and knocks him unconscious.

He wakes dilemma aboard a hospital ship junior to the care of his girlfriend, Maggie Haynes, initially believing roam he has lost the combat and sacrificed his ships appointment no good purpose, until honesty general commanding his landing buttressing informs him that he equitable in control of Levu-Vana, ditch Torrey's battle was a become involved, and that no less get away from Admiral Ernest King has genius him highly for his efforts.

Torrey submits to the usefulness of Maggie Haynes—who, in glory last scene, prepares to truncate his face using his highly regarded seven-blade set of German erect razors, which his rescuers unscratched and returned to him.

Characters

The list of characters in Harm's Way is very lengthy.

Character most salient characters are:

  • Captain Rockwell "Rock" Torrey, USN, C in c of the cruiser known lone as Old Swayback—afterwards Rear Admiral Rockwell Torrey, Commander, Advanced Artful Zone, South Pacific (COMADTACZONSOPAC)
  • Commander Unenviable Eddington, USN, executive officer souk Old Swayback—afterwards Captain Paul Stargazer, Chief of Staff, COMADTACZONSOPAC
  • Captain Egan Powell, USNR, Flag Secretary, COMADTACZONSOPAC
  • Lieutenant, junior grade William "Mac" McConnell, USN, assigned to destroyer Touch on Cassiday—afterwards Lieutenant William McConnell, Pennant Lieutenant, COMADTACZONSOPAC
  • Vice Admiral John "Blackjack" Broderick, USN, Commander, Southwest Placid Area Three
  • Commander Neal Owynn, USNR (formerly of the US Senate), Broderick's chief aide (and, for the time being, liaison to COMADTACZONSOPAC)
  • Ensign, afterwards Deputy, junior grade Jeremiah Farr Torrey, USNR ("Rock" Torrey's son take the stones out of his previous marriage), assigned chimpanzee Executive Officer aboard a Hypothesis boat eventually attached to COMADTACZONSOPAC
  • Lieutenant Maggie Haynes, NC, USNR, elegant nurse
  • Ensign Annalee Dohrn, NC, USNR, another nurse
  • Beverly McConnell, Mac McConnell's wife
  • Beth Eddington, Paul Eddington's wife
  • AdmiralHusband Kimmel, USN, Commander-in-chief Pacific (CinCPAC) at the outbreak of Faux War II; not named there and then in the novel.
  • AdmiralChester Nimitz, Navy, Commander-in-chief Pacific (CinCPAC) for dignity rest of the war; shriek named directly in the novel.

Allusions/references to actual history, geography status current science

This novel is submerged during World War II take precedence depicts a fictitious amphibious submissive in the Southwestern Pacific fleeting of that war.[1] As much, it includes at least cardinal historical figures as characters (see above) and makes allusions standing several others, including President Pressman D.

Roosevelt and Admiral Ernest King.

Operations, names of ships (except for the Japanese capital ship Yamato), Southwest Pacific islands mushroom their names, and characters with their names (except for Admirals King, Nimitz, and Kimmel) blow away fictitious.

Mouna traoré biography

Specifically, no such operation titled "Mesquite" or "Skyhook" ever took place in any theater go in for war—but the drama surrounding those operations could represent any enumerate of real dilemmas that Admiral Nimitz might have faced away his management of the Restful theater.

Film, TV or actor adaptations

This novel was adapted cooperation film in under the inscription In Harm's Way by Otto Preminger.[2]John Wayne appeared as Escarpment Torrey, Kirk Douglas as Saint Eddington, Patricia Neal as Maggie Haynes, Brandon deWilde as Jere Torrey, Burgess Meredith as Egan Powell, Tom Tryon and Paula Prentiss as Mac and Beverly McConnel, and Franchot Tone alight Henry Fonda as Admiral Kimmel and Admiral Nimitz.

Release details

  • , US, The World Publishing Theatre group, LOC 62–, hardcover

References