The battle to save the Houston, October 1944 to March 1945

Published in 1985 by the Naval Institute Press, this work provides a detailed operational history of the USS Houston (CL-81) during the final stages of the Pacific War. John Grider Miller, a retired Marine colonel and historian, wrote the account to document the resilience of the light cruiser’s crew during the intense air battles near Formosa in October 1944. The book serves as a focused study of naval damage control and survival under extreme aerial bombardment.

The narrative is characterized by Miller’s reliance on firsthand accounts and official naval records to piece together the tactical challenges faced by the crew. As part of the Naval Institute Press’s ongoing commitment to preserving maritime military history, the text was designed to offer an intimate, scholarly look at a specific vessel’s endurance. It is widely regarded by naval historians as a definitive chronicle of the Houston’s role in the liberation of the Philippines and its subsequent struggle to return to port.