BATTLESHIP MARINE is an account of the fighting in Desert Storm seen from the perspective of a Marine Corps Executive Officer on board the USS Wisconsin. It differs from the usual accounts of the war with an account of the fighting on the eastern flank off the coast of Kuwait. Most news stories of the war covered the ground attack launched from Saudi Arabia into Iraq but the Naval and Marine forces on the Eastern flank tied up a significant number of Iraqi armed forces and facilitated the 100 hour victory of the combined allied forces.
Lt. Col. Ralston was second in command of a Marine detachment assigned to the USS Wisconsin with the primary duty of ship security. Most readers are familiar with the amphibious fighting the Corps has engaged in since its’ inception. Lt. Col. Ralston’s book highlights the sea bound Marines who staff the guns and coordinate the powerful firing of the ship’s 16 inch guns. He also gives a history of the USS Wisconsin from World War II through its decommissioning at the end of Desert Storm.
This is a fresh look at a little known segment of Desert Storm and the difficulties of getting the ship on station and ready for combat. The book could use some closer editing to address some small errors such as referring to a Dutch ship as Scandinavian and the misspelling of some basic weaponry like the Bofors gun. This is a relatively short book and could have used more information about actual Marine amphibious operations, especially those that were done covertly in the hours before the attack in the West.
BATTLESHIP MARINE is about a little known, yet vital part of the Marine Corps mission. It adds perspective to the heavily reported Desert Storm by giving a personal account of a little known theater of the war.
Reviewed by Ed Bennett for IndieReader.