Destroyer Captain

Lessons of a First Command

By: James Stavridis

Narrated by: Chaz Allen

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 listeners 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.

©2008 Adm. James G. Stavridis (P)2014 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“With his insider details about the real worries and triumphs of command, James Stavridis' Destroyer Captain is a must read for all naval officers, and a fascinating adventure for everyone who loves the U.S. Navy.” ( Robert N. Macomber, Award-winning author of the Honor Series)

“This is a stirring tale of leadership challenge and the responsibility of command.” (Sean O'Keefe, Secretary of the Navy, 1992-93)

Interesting

I just finished Destroyer Captain by Admiral James Stavridis, and once again, I’m reminded why I keep returning to his work. Stavridis is a gifted writer whose storytelling blends insight with accessibility. This memoir focuses on his first command: the USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer in 1993. Alongside vivid recollections of life aboard ship, he shares thoughtful reflections on leadership and the lessons learned during his tour.

The narrative takes us through deployments in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Atlantic, and transits through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. What stood out most was the conversational tone; it felt less like reading a formal account and more like sitting down with a friend over coffee, listening to stories from sea.

I listened to the audiobook version via Audible, which runs just over six hours. Chaz Allen’s narration complements the material well, delivering Stavridis’s words with clarity and warmth.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in naval life, leadership, or simply a well-told memoir from a seasoned commander.

The world needs more people like Admiral Stavridis!

This book is a wonderful look at what the Navy and the United States does everyday. As people go about their daily lives, the U.S. Navy is always out there executing missions, conducting training, and performing readiness exercises to make sure they are ready to keep the United States and the word safe. Admiral Stavridis is a wonderful storyteller with an ocean of expertise on naval and world affairs. The world needs more people like Admiral Stavridis, and I hope he makes his way into politics at some point. If so, the United States would be a better place! This book is an incredible read or listen for anyone!

A story about inspiration and leadership.

This book is primarily a story about leadership and how one man led the crew of a front line Navy destroyer to achieve exceptional results. I found the book to be far more than that because it gave an introspective look into the mind of a commander. Because of the macho image of military leaders we seldom get insight into their fears, their self doubt, their love of their families and their loneliness and yet Jim Stavridis provides the reader with an unusually candid insight into the mind and heart of this exceptional leader. This would be a good read for anyone in the Navy or any branch of the armed service or a student of the mind of successful leaders.

Poorly narrated, but great sea stories

This is a great book, of assorted sea stories and reminiscences. The book is constructed from ADM Stavridis diary, so is not a cohesive treastise on lessons learned, Instead, selections from his diary illustrate the challenges of being the commanding officer of a destroyer, and give insight into his approach to those challenges.

Unfortunately, the narration is poor. The narrator has problems pronouncing words. He is at least consistent - for example consistently adding the same extra syllables to "littoral" so that it always comes out "lit-tor-EEal." He frequently uses the wrong word, or mispronounces words. Enough that this happens at least once every 10 or 15 minutes of listening.

Was there no editing or oversight over the audio recording? The narrator is otherwise good, but his frequent use of wrong words or wildly mispronounced words mars the effort.

Great Navy book

The fact that this man ended his Navy career as a Four Star Admiral gave me the idea that what he wrote down during his first tour as CO of a ship would be a valuable lesson in Management. I was not dissapointed. Great ideas on Leadership and fascinating stories.