Mustin: A Naval Family of the 20th Century

Sea Power, Oct 2003 by Gardner, Sherry L

MUSTIN: A Naval Family of the 20th Century, by John Pass Morton, Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, Sept. 2003. 504 pp. $32.95. ISBN: 1-59114492-2. John Pass Morton has been a contributing editor and journalist for virtually every major defense publication during his long career. Three generations of a distinguished naval family are profiled in this biography, the publication of which coincided with the commissioning of the destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89).

Morton intertwines the history of the U.S. Navy, and its rise in prominence, with the family's story of duty and dedication. The Mustins dealt with tremendous technological and historical change, from the rise of the battleship and naval aviation to the introduction of missiles, nuclear submarines, and atomic weapons. Drawing from oral histories, interviews, and family letters, papers, and photographs, Morton profiles the careers of the four men. Included are many first-hand accounts of important naval actions including a multifaceted insight into the Vietnam War, when the family found themselves serving in Washington, D.C., on the Pacific Command staff, and in the Mekong Delta. With 38 black-and-white photographs, appendix, source notes, and index.