Book excerpt: From the Foreword-- "Published here is the diary that Taussig kept during his time in command of the first U.S. destroyers to arrive in the war zone in 1917. The entries, letters, and reports reveal U.S. and Allied naval personnel grappling with the issues of technological, tactical, and doctrinal innovation; the difficulties of the Navy's early experiences in combined command, control, communication, and coordination; the sometimes awkward matching of operational means with strategic ends; the troubles in mastering both shallow-water and open-ocean antisubmarine warfare; and even the distressing consequences of friendly fire. Most importantly, we find the earliest glimpses of American naval participation in modern coalition warfare."