Troubled Water; Race, Mutiny and Bravery on the USS Kitty Hawk by Gregory A. Freeman; 2009; 246 pages; $27.00; Palgrave Macmillan, New York, NY; 978-0-230-61361-4; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Central; 6/8-6/11

On October 12 & 13, 1972 the USS Kitty Hawk was conducting flight operations off the coast of Vietnam.  At some point a riot broke out along racial lines.  Groups of African-American sailors pummeled Caucasian sailors, pulling them out of their bunks, breaking into sick bay to beat on those already injured.  The captain and executive office both tried in their own ways to defuse the situation.  Some of the participants have intended to take control of the ship, but were never able to.  Some that were on board that day say it was a mutiny, however it was at best an attempted mutiny. Some of those who participated were court martialed and discharged.

This is an interesting account of a race riot on board an active US Navy ship, I am not completely able to understand the complaints of the African American sailors because some of the things they complained about were things that all new recruits were subject too, however because of my race I will never fully understand the history and all that infuses the thoughts of the African American people.  If you are interested in hidden incidents in history and seeing a light shined on them, this is a good book for you.  Grade-A