The book begins by tracing Wiley's boyhood in small Midwestern towns and reveals the character that will come to exemplify his personal and professional life. Intelligent, pragmatic, courageous, calm...all of these attributes serve him well. Upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy, "Doc" Wiley embarks on a journey bringing him face-to-face with numerous life-threatening situations and personal tragedies. He is fearless in taking to the air and rises to the top of the Navy's rigid airship program. Avoiding politicking and intrigue, Wiley builds a reputation as the consummate airship officer and a leading expert in the field. At the outbreak of World War II, he calmly and bravely directs his squadron of thirteen aging destroyers -- heavily outgunned and outnumbered by the Japanese -- in the first naval battles following Pearl Harbor. Later in the war, as the captain of the USS West Virginia, Wiley guides his battleship through fierce combat in Pacific. At Leyte Gulf, Surigao Strait, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and other infamous battles, he wins accolades from his crew and the Navy brass for his leadership, aggressiveness, and results. Wiley handles deep personal loss with the same courage and stoicism he brings to his job. He is the doting father of three who must balance the needs of his family with service to his country. His is an inspirational story.

Such is Life in the Navy tells the story of Herbert Victor Wiley. Born in Missouri in the late 1800's, this man lived an accomplished life, both as a naval officer and as a father. His boyhood in small Midwestern towns builds the character that will exemplify Wiley in his personal and professional life. Intelligent, pragmatic, courageous, calm... all of these attributes serve him well. He is fearless in taking to the air and builds a reputation as the consummate airship officer and a leading expert in the field. At the outbreak of World War II he calmly and bravely directs a squadron of destroyers against Japanese forces. Later, as captain, he guides his battleship USS West Virginia through fierce combat in the Pacific. He wins accolades for his leadership, perseverance, and achievement. Wiley handles deep personal loss with the same courage and stoicism he brings to his job. He is the doting father of three who must balance the needs of his family with service to his country.

This book is, simultaneously, a biography of Admiral Herbert Victor Wiley and a history of the U.S. Navy’s lighter-than-air program. As tensions rose between Japan and the U.S. over control of East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the prospects of war between the two nations increased. The Navy tracked the Germans’ use of zeppelins during the First World War and saw in them an aircraft with the potential to conduct long-range reconnaissance over the oceans – something that could not be achieved by airplanes or surface ships. While rapid progress was being made in manned flight, it was still young enough that the future of LTA vs. HTA flight was unknown. At the time, however, airships had a much greater range than airplanes making them suitable for reconnaissance. In its history, the Navy had four great airships – the U.S.S. Shenandoah, the U.S.S. Los Angeles, the U.S.S. Akron, and the U.S.S. Macon. Wiley served on all four of these airships and the history of these vessels is covered through the career of Wiley. Three of the airships ended in disaster and Wiley survived the crash of two of them. The book explores in detail the events leading to the crash of each airship through examination of the records of the Navy’s Courts of Inquiry that investigated the cause of each crash. The book also tracks issues surrounding the use of non-flammable helium as a lifting gas instead of highly explosive hydrogen used by the Germans. The U.S. had a monopoly on the supply of helium. While Germany sought to purchase helium from the U.S., the government board governing the sale of helium blocked is availability to Germany on the basis it might be used for wartime purposes. Dr. Hugo Eckener had run the Zeppelin works in Friedrichshaven since the end of WWI and he had a vision for LTA flight that was peaceful, including international transoceanic passenger and freight services. The outbreak of WW II ended the zeppeling industry and dashed all of Eckener’s dreams. Following the crash of the Macon, Wiley returned to the surface fleet, eventually becoming Commander of Destroyer Squadron 29 in the Asiatic Fleet shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.