Bluejackets

Bluejackets, first published in 1932, is a firsthand account by seaman Dom Pagano who served in Nicaragua in 1926-27. Pagano, a sailor attached to the Special Service Squadron of the U.S. Navy (a fleet of 5 ships based at the Panama Canal), was sent to Nicaragua to protect American and foreign citizens and property. Pagano relates his experiences aboard ship as well as in-country fighting guerrilla soldiers. A classic example of the "gunboat diplomacy" practiced at the time, Bluejackets provides insight into a little-known chapter of American military and political history. Included are 18 pages of photographs.