I read this book a while ago, but I'd have to say it was a very good book and led me to want to read more books about specific ships during the war. I didn't realize that the Pacific Fleet was down to one carrier at a point.

After reading this book, I saw that there is a book about the Enterprise, so I picked that one up.

This book is a very well written account of the short but dramatic life and death of the first USS Hornet (CV-8) aircraft carrier of the US Navy. Historic books about individual ships are often written by enthusiasts who are full of information but, marginal writers at best. Lisle Rose is a wonderful exception to the latter side of this rule! He has crafted "The Ship that Held the Line" into a 278 page true novel that reads like a thriller in places and rarely ceases to rivet the readers attention. His association with many of the ship's survivors and lifetime fascination with this well known but, little written about fleet carrier whet his desire to write a complete account worthy of this great ship's memory. He has succeeded admirably. The Hornet lived for less than one year before her sinking after the Battle of Santa Cruz. Lisle traces the development of the many hundreds of new crew-members into a cohesive fighting force. He gives great insight into what the whole Doolittle Raid on Tokyo was like and masterfully describes the chaos that went on for the frustrated Hornet crew during the Battle of Midway. Great attention is given to helping the reader to understand the little details of carrier and Navy life. He points out how the American ability to tinker and improvise on an individual and group level was and is critical to winning battles both large and small. The troubles with effective firefighting during the final battle are vividly portrayed.

All and all, this is an excellent book worthy of the historian and even the general reader. You will not waste your time at all with this book and will come away with much greater understanding of a pivotal time in our nation's history.

"The Ship That Held The Line" is not merely a book about the short life and death of an aircraft carrier. It is an insight into the earliest days of the Pacific theatre of operations. Rose delivers hard hitting documentary on the fractious relationship of the Hornet's Air Group, constant struggles with outdated weaponry (the TBD Devastator a prime example), and the early aircraft carrier doctrine that caused such catastrophe to the torpedo squadrons at Midway. We learn of Marc Mitscher's devotion to "on the job" training for air crews, the inherent problems of keeping a large ship adequately supplied, and the importance of reliable communication between task group commanders and squadron leaders alike. A great book to have.