Lecture Series: DESTROYERS AT WAR

Join us aboard Battleship IOWA as we present a fascinating discussion of an admiral's time as a young sailor in WWII.

In Destroyers at War Adm. James L. Holloway III, the twentieth Chief of Naval Operations, recalls his early life and service on destroyers during the final campaigns of the Pacific War in World War II. As the assistant gunnery officer in USS Ringgold (DD 500) and the gun boss on USS Bennion (DD 665), he took part in shore bombardment and anti-air radar picket missions during the assaults on Saipan, Tinian, Peleliu, and Leyte. He provides detailed explanations of how gunnery systems worked on small combatants as well as gripping accounts of combat events, including the climactic battle of Surigao Strait—the last battleship-vs-battleship clash in history—where a Bennion torpedo scored a fatal blow against the Japanese battleship Yamashiro.

This book also explores the relationship between Holloway and his father, James L. Holloway Jr.—the only father-son combination to serve on active duty as four-star admirals—and highlights the senior Holloway’s career as his son worked his way through the ranks.This relationship which was captured in the 1974 ballad by Harry Chapin titled "The Cat's in the Cradle" will be the focus of book editor David F. Winkler's presentation.

Coincidently, in 1974 when the younger Holloway became CNO, he attempted to bridge the void between him and his father by presenting him a tape recorder for Christmas with a request for the senior Holloway to record his life story to include his time as Commanding Officer of USS Iowa. Content from the senior Holloway's unpublished recordings provides context in Destroyers at War making the book a father/son collaboration with the expert editing of Winkler.

Dr. David Winkler is a distinguished historian recognized for his contributions to maritime and naval history. He had served for over two decades as the Naval Historical Foundation staff historian, taught at the US Naval Academy, and is an adjunct professor for the Naval War College – College of Distance Education. He was named the 2020-2021 Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Charles Lindbergh Fellow in Aerospace History and served as the US Naval Academy Class of 1957 Chair of Naval Heritage.

A retired Navy commander, he holds a PhD from American University, an MA from Washington University, and a BA from Penn State.In 2022, NMHS awarded Dr. Winkler the Distinguished Service Award. He co-compiles content for NMHS’s weekly email newsletter, Tuesday Tidings, and serves on the National Maritime Awards Dinner Committee. He has authored many books, published hundreds of articles, and lectured internationally. He has served as the program chair for the 9th, 10th, and 11th Maritime Heritage Conferences and will continue in this role for the 12th MHC in Buffalo, New York, in September 2025.

His notable publications include Cold War at Sea: High Seas Confrontation Between the US and Soviet Union; Incidents at Sea: American Confrontation and Cooperation with Russia and China, 1945-2016; Amirs, Admirals, and Desert Sailors: The US Navy, Bahrain, and the Gulf; Witness to Neptune’s Inferno: The Pacific War Diary of Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Mustin, USS Atlanta (CL 51) and America’s First Aircraft Carrier: USS Langley and the Dawn of US Naval Aviation and his latest two: The Mighty A: The Short Heroic Life of the US Atlanta, and his edited of Destroyers at War: A Personal Retrospective of the Pacific Theater by Admiral James L. Holloway III.

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Please park in the lot adjacent to Battleship IOWA. Parking is free for the first hour, then $2.00 for every subsequent hour.

250 S. Harbor Blvd
San Pedro, CA 90731

Note: Cruise ship traffic may reduce the number of spots available. If the lot is full, alternative parking locations include:

• Maritime Museum lot (6th & Harbor, paid)
• 5th & Mesa St.
• Harbor Blvd across from the ship
• Topaz Building (between 5th & 6th St, paid)