The Last Destroyer: The Story of the Uss Callaghan

The USS Callaghan was the last US Navy destroyer sunk in combat during World War II. In fact, it was the last US Navy destroyer sunk in combat to this date.

How the crew and the new ship were transformed into a lethal fighting unit is the subject of this book. The Callaghan served in the last 18 months of the war against Japan during some of the largest naval campaigns in the history of mankind. After receiving eight battle stars, shooting down 12 Japanese planes, sinking one submarine and firing thousands of rounds during shore bombardments, the Callaghan met its fate at the hands of one of the last kamikaze attacks of the war.

After college, Barry had a seven year career in drug and alcohol counseling before switching to technical training. There he put his love of airplanes and the military to work as a developer of courses for the US and Honduran air forces, the US Navy, the US Customs Service and other customers. Eventually he took his training skills to the telecommunications arena with Ericsson and Alcatel. Barry now works as an independent contractor as an Instructional Designer and/or a Learning Consultant. He serves as the unofficial historian for the USS Callaghan survivors association. He lives with his wife, son and 2 dogs in Plano, Texas.