{"product_id":"the-reminiscences-of-vice-adm-joe-williams-jr-usn-ret-1922-2015-9781682692684","title":"The Reminiscences of Vice Adm. Joe Williams Jr., USN (Ret.): 1922-2015","description":"This volume describes a remarkable career that began when Williams entered boot camp in 1940 and then went through machinist's mate school at the Ford Motor Company. He served 1941-44 in the seaplane tender USS Matagorda (AVP-22), advancing from fireman to chief machinist's mate. In 1944 he was commissioned an ensign and went through a number of combat landings in the Pacific on board the rocket-equipped infantry landing craft USS LCI(R)-225. In 1945 he became her skipper. Tours of duty later in the 1940s: the Columbia River Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet, the destroyer USS Robert L. Wilson (DD-847), and Submarine School. In the 1950s he fit in studies at the University of California at Berkeley among tours on board the submarines USS Ronquil (SS-396), USS Icefish (SS-367), and the hunter-killer submarines USS Bashaw (SSK-241) and USS Bluegill (SSK-242). He commanded the latter during intelligence operations in the North Pacific. He also spent a year as a student at the Naval War College and was picked by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the Navy's nuclear power course, even though he didn't yet have a college degree. In the early 1960s he put two ballistic missile submarines into commission as skipper, the USS Robert E. Lee (SSBN-601) and USS George Bancroft (SSBN-643). He served from 1966 to 1968 as deputy director of the Special Projects Office and later led a study group that developed plans for the Los Angeles-class attack submarines. After serving as chief of staff to ComSubLant, Vice Admiral E. P. Wilkinson, Williams was selected for flag rank. In 1973-74 he commanded the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and from 1974 to 1977 served as Commander Submarine Force Atlantic Fleet. In retirement he worked for the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Naval Institute Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/15\/1975\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781682692684\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 518\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 3.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 11.00h x 8.50w x 1.13d","brand":"Joe Williams","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52403453853877,"sku":"9781682692684","price":72.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_46d4c675-c5e5-48e0-a746-d1bdaa666565.jpg?v=1774969288","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-reminiscences-of-vice-adm-joe-williams-jr-usn-ret-1922-2015-9781682692684","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}