Preface   This is an historical novel and is based roughly on the experiences of the officers and enlisted men who served their country on destroyers during the Vietnam War. It is not an action adventure as such, although there are multiple action sequences. It is my attempt at a realistic chronicle of a real war and the action sequences are interspersed with human interaction and normal at-sea evolutions. If someone who was there at the time sees themselves or someone they think they know in this book, please ignore it. It is not intentional. The characters are a compilation of many people I met or made up. I did use some of my own experiences, along with others, using different people and locations. Please forgive the wrong dates, wrong ships, wrong aircraft, wrong call signs, and wrong details. Some of the ships in this book never existed. They are figments of my imagination, although the class types and capabilities are, to the best of my knowledge, historically correct. A novel allows an author to be creative. It is as technically accurate as any remembrance 40 years later can be. Today’s Navy is significantly different and ultimately more capable. USS LARTER (DD-766), herein a Gearing class destroyer which fictionally underwent Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization, never existed. Hull number 766 was originally laid down as LANDSDALE, but was never completed. But, LARTER is representative of the multiple FRAM I destroyers who served their country in the waters off Vietnam. Over the intervening years, all FRAM I destroyers have been scrapped or transferred to allied governments. Now most of the transferred units have also been scrapped. Two have been preserved in museums: USS J.P. KENNEDY (DD-850) rests at Battleship Cove, in Fall River, MA. USS ORLECK (DD-886) rests at the Southwest Texas War Memorial and Heritage Foundation, in Orange, TX. Many historic ship museums have also restored or maintained other ships that you may tour. They are worth a visit. I hope this accurately depicts the day to day life of those young men who spent deployments on destroyers away from home and loved ones during this period. It was not a fun time for them. For most, it was a time of limited sleep and frustration. A time of loneliness missing loved ones, and a time of tension under fire. But also a time of community with the others in the same boat, literally and figuratively. I have tried to limit the jargon, or at least translate it as much as possible. However, some jargon is essential for conveying real life situations, especially the combat sequences. For those who desire more information, please consult the extensive end notes, which amplify the brief descriptions in the main text, and which will help those without some knowledge of the US Navy of the sixties, place situations in context. The end notes are for the purist, and are not essential for enjoying the story. Just prior to the end notes are the credits which list where the photos, maps and drawings came from, along with permission to publish. The web site, www.jackwellsauthor.com, has some additional interior and exterior photos of FRAM I destroyers. Some passages, including some in the end notes, are my opinions formed while aboard ship or in the war zone. Agree or disagree as you wish. I have tried to build in attitudes towards social situations and the Vietnam War that were prevalent in the US Navy at the time. Many are far different today. I have also tried to explain some of the odd Navy traditions. When a sea service develops over hundreds of years, some words and even actions that made real sense over 200 years ago remain, even if no longer relevant. They become part of the mystique. This was written from the viewpoint of a mustang officer, or an officer with prior enlisted service; something I experienced, and a different perspective from those who were enlisted or were commissioned alone. Prior enlisted service gives an officer insight.             And my respect and gratitude goes out to all those who served and the few who did not come home or who came home irreparably damaged. War is hell for all, but it is a special hell for those who grieve or are left maimed. Jack Wells, November, 2007 Watch for a follow on novel  Paper Dragon, Wooden Ship Which traces Patrick Dillan’s career through 1969, and 1970, to be published late 2008. There are two more books in the works now: HAZE GRAY CRUISE SHIP, a story of Dillan's assignment as LCDR as XO on a Newport class LST in the Med, and SOUTHERN CROSSES, AUTUMN WAR, a story of CDR and later CAPT Dillan's assignment as naval atteche to Brazil and with the Royal Navy during the Falklands War.