Delilah, by Marcus Goodrich, was first published in 1941.
It revolves around the activities of the fictional American destroyer the U.S.S. Delilah and her crew in and around the Philippines in the time period from 1916 to 1917. The novel is loosely based on Goodrich's own experiences as a sailor on board the USS Chauncey

USS Chauncey (DD-3)

The first USS Chauncey was a Bainbridge-class destroyer in the United States Navy named for Commodore Isaac Chauncey.-Construction:...

, a destroyer.
Much of the book constitutes detailed descriptions of various characters, punctuated by plot developments associated with the ship's mission in general support of maintaining order in the southern islands of the Filipino archipelago, populated by Muslim natives dissatisfied with the center of government in the northern island of Luzon.