A Blue Sea of Blood: Deciphering the Mysterious Fate of the USS Edsall

On the morning of March 1, 1942, the destroyer USSEdsall(DD-219) split off from the USSWhipple(her sister ship) and the tanker USSPecosand headed in a northeasterly direction toward the beleaguered island of Java. Under orders to deliver thirty-two members of the Army Air Forces to the southern port of Tjilatjap, she was never seen or heard from again by U.S. forces. After the war, near the remote Kendari airfield on the Indonesian island of Celebes-an area known for numerous alleged Japanese war crimes-U.S. authorities recovered a number of bodies. These remains were eventually identified asEdsallcrewmembers and AAF personnel. The full story of what really happened to this vessel, and the fate of her crew and passengers, has never been told. Based upon exhaustive research of the historical record,A Blue Sea of Bloodsheds light on this enduring mystery, bringing to the surface one of the most heroic naval battles-as well as one of the most tragic outcomes-of World War II.Kehn, Donald M., Jr. is the author of 'A Blue Sea of Blood: Deciphering the Mysterious Fate of the USS Edsall', published 2009 under ISBN 9780760333532 and ISBN 076033353X.