Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind. The Royal Australian Navy In Vietnam

Cover Type: Softcover
Book Condition: Very Good
Jacket Condition: None Issued
Publisher: Rosenberg Publishing
Publisher Place: Australia
Publisher Year: 2013
Edition: First Edition

Description: 216 pages. Ex-Library. Book is in Very good condition throughout. The only exception is a light water mark on top corber of first few pages.

Publishers Description: During the Vietnam War, the perceived absence of an enemy threat was the prime factor that influenced the Australian governments decision to exclude from benefits and entitlements those who served on the countrys HMAS Sydney, HMAS Jeparit, and HMAS Boonaroo, as well as the warships that escorted them into the war zone. It was a flawed decision made on the basis of fallacious information, and it was the cause of much bitterness. While the HMAS Sydney and her escort were at anchor, not only were they vulnerable to an enemy well versed in unconventional guerrilla warfare, but all who served on these ships were also exposed to highly toxic herbicides used to defoliate the nearby landscape - the residue of this procedure flowed into the surrounding rivers and streams. Due to the processes used at the time for the production of potable water, the dioxins contained in the distillate were enriched, thereby making them much more potent and deadly. This book highlights the vital part played by HMAS Sydney and other units of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the support of land-based forces in Vietnam. The book identifies and dispels various myths which have developed around the importance of sea transport and logistical support, and it argues for a new appreciation of the service of the 13,000 members of the RAN who participated in this vitally important task. Many of the books illustrations were taken by serving military personnel, which gives them an immediacy and poignancy lacking in official photographs. *** "This book is unusual for several reasons. To begin with, it deals with one of the allies who took part in the Vietnam War, all of whom have been rather overlooked in United States literature. In addition, its about the naval service, again an overlooked subject. And rather than focus on the role of the RAN in providing gunfire support to the troops in the jungles, Carroll, RAN veteran, naval architect, academic, and more, deals with what is both the dullest and the most vital of military activities, logistics." -- NYMAS Review, Issue No. 59, Winter 2015 *** "Books dealing with seaborne logistics are in short supply, especially as related to long campaigns or wars. ...well worth perusing by those scholars of the maritime world who recall the old saw that amateurs study tactics while professionals study logistics." - Nautical Research Journal 60:1, March 2015 [ Military History, Australian Studies]

ISBN: 9781922013491