Want a good read AND great photos for detailing your USS Independence model? Try John G. Lambert's "USS Independence CVL-22: A War Diary of the Nation's First Dedicated Night Carrier." Available from Amazon. I've just gotten off the phone with the author. This book began as a labor of love for the ship's veterans, but is also of high interest and usefulness to the naval historian and ship modeller. A good read.

You're absolutely right, John. I hosted Mr. Lambert on the Midway last year and he is one dedicated man.

Of particular interest to me as a historian was the story of Captain Fairlamb and his apparent mental collapse on the eve of the ship's first combat action. John Lambert was able to provide some additional material which would indicate that Fairlamb had underlying physiological conditions that predated his command assignment and may have been aggravated by wartime conditions that pushed him into such a collapse. The lesson here is that the human condition is holistic and that physical and mental situations can feed off one another, potentially compromising a commander's performance.

Admiral Halsey likely had a similar situation occur with his famous bout of shingles just before the Midway campaign--the chicken pox virus from his childhood may have been reactivated by the stress of continuous combat cruises, resulting in his debilitating skin condition.

I recommend Lambert's work for a truly in-depth look at a CVL's operations in WW II.

--Karl