The book pairs sailors' memories from USS Dewey and USS MacDonough with the practical obstacles they faced on 7 December 1941. Dewey could not get underway until about noon because work on the gyrocompass had left her unready to sail. MacDonough lacked power to a 5-inch gun while equipment was being serviced, so the crew manually handled heavy projectiles and powder charges and fired fifty-five rounds. These accounts make naval readiness tangible by showing how crew training and improvisation mattered when ships were caught during maintenance.
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Farragut destroyers at Pearl Harbor
First-person accounts from Farragut-class sailors show how destroyer crews improvised under attack at Pearl Harbor.