Crossing the Line

“One of the most arresting naval autobiographies yet published.” —Sir John Keegan

Foreword by Donald Kagan and Frederick KaganIntroduction by Lawrence Stone

In this memoir of life aboard aircraft carriers during World War II, Alvin Kernan combines vivid recollections of his experience as a young enlisted sailor with a rich historical account of the Pacific war. Kernan served in many battles and was aboard the Hornet when it was sunk by torpedoes in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

“Details . . . make the moment vivid; that is what it was like, on the Hornet in its last hours.” —New York Times Book Review

“[Kernan] recounts a wonderful and exciting American story about a poor farm boy from Wyoming who enlisted in the Navy.” —Air & Space