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Bruce Loxton
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The Shame of Savo: Anatomy of a Naval Disaster (Bluejacket Books) Paperback – January 1, 1997

by Bruce Loxton (Author), Chris Coulthard-Clark (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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For more than half a century, an air of innuendo, accusation and mystery has surrounded the Battle of Savo Island, fought off the southern Solomon Islands during the early morning hours of 9 August 1942. How was it that a powerful group of Allied cruisers had been surprised and almost annihilated by a Japanese striking force obliged to travel hundreds of miles through waters patrolled by Allied reconnaissance aircraft? And why - given the overwhelming air strength available to the Allies due to the presence of their aircraft carriers - were the Japanese able to escape afterwards practically unscathed, leaving more than a thousand Allied seamen dead in their wake? Who was to blame - if anyone was to blame - for such a monumental disaster? In this brilliant study, written by a retired senior Ausutralian naval officer, many of the myths and misunderstandings concerning this important naval action have been exposed and corrected. Bruce Loxton, then a midshipman, was seriously wounded on the bridge of HMAS Canberra when that heavy cruiser was disabled during the opening stages of the battle. For him, reaching the truth of this affair became the passionate culmination of a lo
Previous page
  1. Print length
    319 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Naval Institute Press
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1997
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1557508380
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1557508386
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Institute Press; First Thus edition (January 1, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 319 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1557508380
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1557508386
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Bruce Loxton

Bruce Loxton

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

the CELT
5.0 out of 5 stars i've yet to finish the book as the information is ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2015
Verified Purchase
i've yet to finish the book as the information is complex as are most cause/effect references in battle analysis. yet, the narrative flows well and should keep even novice historians glued to it. well worth having if you want the 'whole' story. considering i've been attempting to delve into the full story of this theatre of action, it has taken years of work for many authors to come up with definitive answers to the oh so many unanswered questions. this author has done well indeed.
3 people found this helpful
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David Rich
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice to read a book that shows flaws in U
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
Nice to read a book that shows flaws in U.S. commanders.Most books,especially autobiograhpies tend to show all of them as never making any mistakesWould. have liked it to include amount of damage to Japanese ships in greater detail.Also photos from Ballards trip would have been nice.
2 people found this helpful
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LaGrange Diver
5.0 out of 5 stars Appears to be very well-researched, and was very informative.
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
Improving my knowledge in a favorite area of history.
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L. W. Moats
5.0 out of 5 stars Booy exactly as described.
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
Book exactly as described, fast shipping, very pleased, will buy from again.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great
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Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars Good overview
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very good account
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Mr. Roy B. Mccammon
4.0 out of 5 stars Objective Reveiw by a Competent Observer from Outside the US
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2003
"The Shame of Savo: Anatomy of a Naval Disaster", by Bruce Loxton, United States Naval Inst.; (November 1994). At first, I was taken aback by the title, expecting some Anglo-American finger pointing. Despite the title, Commodore Loxton does not heap shame on the USN or even suggest that there was shame. In fact, the only shame was the shame that the USN felt at such a humiliating defeat. Loxton is clear that he regarded the entire debacle as due to lack of war time experience. It was a necessary knock on the head that got the USN out of its peace-time mind set.
The Canberra gets disproportionate coverage, but that is not a defect. After all, that is where Loxton had first hand knowledge. Loxton was at the battle as a mid-shipman on the Canberra. However, the coverage of the other ships is also informative. As a reader of naval history, I have often wondered just what went wrong on the ships of the Northern group. How could they be taken by surprise when there was obvious combat going on a few miles away? Loxton reveals that they were not taken entirely by surprise, but rather they were not drilled in quickly coming to general quarters. They were in the wrong type of watch. Damage control closed water tight doors before crewmen could get to their stations, creating huge traffic jams. The US ships were simply not prepared for the rapidly evolving type battle that would characterize the drive by shooting type of night combat in the slot.
25 people found this helpful
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Pilib de Paor
2.0 out of 5 stars flaws
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2017
Detailed description of the battle action. However a deeply flawed analysis of the overall strategic position. The Americans were right not to risk their carriers close to shore based Japanese bombers. The loss of the carriers would would have laid the marines wide open to destruction.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

gumby
1.0 out of 5 stars No Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
As it turned out, the book was not available. Why are books advertised and when you try to purchase they are not available?
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