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Kenneth Dodson was born in Luanda, Angola, on October 11, 1907. He spent 20 years in the Merchant Marine. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, he enlisted in the Navy and saw action in nine major battles, including Okinawa. He was injured and received numerous medals and citations. He left the service in 1947 as a lieutenant commander. He went on to write best-selling books about his experiences as a seaman in World War II. He wrote "Away All Boats" in 1954 about the inexperienced crew of the attack transport Belinda. He wrote several other books, including ''Stranger to the Shore'' (1956), ''Hector the Stowaway Dog'' (1958), and ''The China Pirates'' (1960). His last book, ''The Poet and the Sailor,'' was completed shortly before his death. He died in 1999.

Source: New York Times obituary