This the true story of the USS PC 552 and its crew which battled its way across the Atlantic against German U-boats while escorting landing craft to be used in the assault on Normandy. It soon found itself in the vanguard of that assault. These were anxious, serious men at an anxious, serious task.After victory in Europe, the ship and its crew were transferred to the Pacific fleet to take on Japan but the atom bomb intervened.The story of the ship and its crew is told against the backdrop of the causes of World War II, the strategy, the outcome, and the aftermath. Care is devoted to understanding the pop culture of the time and the lasting effects which continue to reverberate through our society today.