"Commanding a ship is the simplest task in the world, even if at times it seems complicated. A Captain has only to pick good courses of action and to stick to them no matter what. If he is good and generally makes good decisions, his crew will cover for him if he fails occasionally. If he is bad, this fact will soon be known, and he must removed with the speed of light."
Admiral Nimitz - per anonymous
The photo is of our CNO Admiral Gary Roughead and ADM Stavridis. CDR Stavridis relieved CAPT Roughead as CO, USS Barry. These two obviously picked good courses of action and stuck to them.
2 comments:
The picture is featured in the book "Destroyer Captain -- Lessons in a first Command" I am not a reader but .... could not put this book down. ADM Stavridis was my Commodore leading CDS 21 and the ABE Strike Group in 1998. He was / is a inspiration that I ordered this book off of Amazon. Pretty cheap under 18 bucks. He is wearing 4 stars now and is in his second Combatant Command Tour as EUCOM, the first flag officer to hold that position EVER. He is a true SWO that tells it like it is.
Small read, only 270 pgs and of his wardroom of the time of his daily journals, around three are also flag officers.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
V/r
Kevin, ITCS(SW) Retired
This memoir of James Stavridis' two years in command of the destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) reveals the human side of what it is like to be in charge of a warship for the first time and in the midst of international crisis. From Haiti to the Balkans to the Arabian Gulf, the Barry was involved in operations throughout the world during his 1993-1995 tour. Drawing on daily journals he kept for the entire period, the author reveals the complex nature of those deployments in a 'real time' context and describes life on board the Barry and liberty ashore for sailors and officers alike.
With all the joy, doubt, self-examination, hope, and fear of a first command, he offers an honest examination of his experience from the bridge to help readers grasp the true nature of command at sea. The window he provides into the personal lives of the crew illuminates not only their hard work in a ship that spent more than 70 percent of its time underway, but also the sacrifices of their families ashore. Stavridis credits his able crew for the many awards the Barry won while he was captain, including the Battenberg Cup for top ship in the Atlantic Fleet. Naval aficionados who like seagoing fiction will be attracted to the book, as will those fascinated by life at sea. Officers from all the services, especially surface warfare naval officers aspiring to command, will find these lessons of a first command by one of the Navy's most respected admirals both entertaining and instructive.
Thanks for the comment Senior Chief. He was kind enough to autograph 15 copies of his book for my JOs and a couple of friends. I have a copy of the book on my bookshelf. The inscription reads: "For my friend Mike Lambert who knows the journey well." Jim Stavridis '76
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