"Well organized and presented, the book can be used as a reference for individual ships and battles... MacDonald gives the reader a greater appreciation for the tremendous work that went into returning gravely damaged old battleships to war worthiness. The author presents the necessary details of naval architecture and engineering in a clear manner, educating the general reader without weighing down the narrative. He includes a handy list of naval acronyms and abbreviations for reference. Chapter notes, a bibliography, additional resources, and an index are also appreciated. There is great general interest in these ships as historical military artifacts. Pearl Harbor’s Revenge; How The Devastated US Battleships Returned to War is an important addition to naval history and more broadly, the history of the Second World War."

The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord (Vol. 33, Nos 3 and 4).

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The author begins with the destruction of Pearl Harbour and what had taken place that day. He goes through each Battle Ship and the destruction that took place along with the other areas around where planes and equipment and most importantly 2,403” Americans had been killed”. Killing 1,177 in Arizona alone. Of the eight Battle ships destroyed all were raised to fight again except for the Arizona. The author describes how within a week salvaging had begun and within months several were operational to go to the West cost for additional repair and recoupment. All but the USS Nevada would go on to fight again in the Pacific. The Nevada was sent to the Atlantic where she spent time watching convoys and also participating in D-Day. The others would go on and serve and battle the Japanese and the author goes through each of the records What I liked is that the author did not repeat each story he would have you refer back to a chapter if he had already given you the information about a Battleship while talking about others, this helped make the book a much better read. Overall a really good book and a true testament to the men and women both on the sea and the land to help defeat the enemy and fight for the greater good. Very much worth the read.

NetGalley, Pat Lorelli

"This well-organized book neatly lays out the wartime experience of the Pearl Harbor survivors."

WWII History

For anyone wishing to learn more about the six battleships which returned to service after the attack at Pearl Harbor, Rod MacDonald’s Pearl Harbor’s Revenge: How the Devastated US Battleships Returned to War is an excellent source.

It is informative and detailed with some interesting and little-known anecdotes as well. The endnotes and select bibliography are drawn from relevant primary and appropriate secondary sources. The writing is clear and easy to follow. There are several maps and many pictures to assist the reader

The National Maritime Historical Society

A good history book for the naval and WW2 enthusiasts.

NetGalley, Ron Baumer

As featured in

The Bookseller, Jan 23