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The summer of 1944 was the turning point of World War II. Operation Overlord, the landing at Normandy, had begun, and naval battles raged on in the Pacific. In the midst of the war, the USS Cavalla, an attack submarine out on its initial patrol near the Philippines, became the only submarine to gain revenge on a Japanese carrier that attacked Pearl Harbor. The destroyer-escort USS Stewart protected Allied convoys from German U-boat wolf packs patrolling the North Atlantic. Today, these heroic and historic American warships continue to serve side by side, predator and protector, at the American Undersea Warfare Center at Seawolf Park in Galveston, Texas. For nearly 75 years, stories abound about these warships that served to preserve our liberty in World War II, provide technology improvements postwar, and battle time and weather as they educate our youth.
About the author
A highly decorated US Air Force officer for over 27 years, retired colonel Kelley Crooks hosts the Military City USA Radio program and is the former executive director of the American Undersea Warfare Center. Mark Lardas is the author of numerous books on maritime and Texas history. A resident of the Houston area, he has maintained a longtime interest in the warships stationed at Seawolf Park. With generous support from the Cavalla Historical Foundation and other individuals, Crooks and Lardas provide a wonderful collection of images to illustrate the history of the USS Cavalla, USS Stewart, and the historic island they sit upon.
