The depths of courage : American submariners at war with Japan, 1941-1945

In World War II, a chosen few fought a silent war beneath the waves...These are their stories. In the dark days after Pearl Harbor, the small, ill-equipped arm of the Navy known as Submarine Force would stand between the shattered U.S. Pacific Fleet and the might of the Japanese Navy. Unfortunately, the spirit and courage of the Submarine Force is being forgotten as the veterans of that force pass into history. To preserve their heroic tales of war beneath the sea, critically acclaimed author and military historian Flint Whitlock, in collaboration with decorated WWII submarine veteran Ron Smith, set out on a journey of more than two years to interview submariners and to record their stories before the memories of their endeavors are lost forever. Here, those stories are chronicled in honor of those who gave their all for their country. "In the early days of World War II, when U.S. and other Allied forces were taking a pounding in the Pacific and defeat seemed inevitable, only the tiny American submarine fleet prevented total disaster. Beset initially by obsolescent subs and torpedoes that didn't work, it was the sheer courage of the men in the "silent service" that held the line and bought time for the U.S. to gear up and eventually defeat the Japanese foe. In The Depths of Courage, Flint Whitlock and ex-submariner Ron Smith (five war patrols on the U.S.S. Seal) take a detailed look at the Pacific War from the point of view of the submariners. In this epic saga, you'll go through training with the young sailors, sail with them on heart-pounding war patrols, undergo fearsome depth-charge attacks, and exult when enemy ships are torpedoed. You'll also be along when the U.S.S. Tang is sunk by one of its own malfunctioning torpedoes and the handful of surviving members of the crew are rescued by the enemy, only to be subjected to months of imprisonment and cruel treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors."--Author web site In the early days of World War II, when U.S. and other Allied forces were taking a pounding in the Pacific and defeat seemed inevitable, only the tiny American submarine fleet prevented total disaster. Beset initially by obsolescent subs and torpedoes that didn't work, it was the sheer courage of the men in the "silent service" that held the line and bought time for the U.S. to gear up and eventually defeat the Japanese foe. In The Depths of Courage, Flint Whitlock and ex-submariner Ron Smith (five war patrols on the U.S.S. Seal) take a detailed look at the Pacific War from the point of view of the submariners. In this epic saga, you'll go through training with the young sailors, sail with them on heart-pounding war patrols, undergo fearsome depth-charge attacks, and exult when enemy ships are torpedoed. You'll also be along when the U.S.S. Tang is sunk by one of its own malfunctioning torpedoes and the handful of surviving members of the crew are rescued by the enemy, only to be subjected to months of imprisonment and cruel treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors. - Author web site

Chosen by WWII History magazine as one of the Best Books of the Year.

In the dark days after Pearl Harbor, the small, illequipped arm of the Navy known as Submarine Force would stand between the shattered U.S. Pacific Fleet and the might of the Japanese Navy. Unfortunately, the spirit and courage of the Submarine Force is being forgotten as the veterans of that force pass into history.

To preserve their heroic tales of war beneath the sea, critically acclaimed author and military historian Flint Whitlock, in collaboration with decorated World War II submarine veteran Ron Smith, set out on a journey of more than two years to interview submariners and to record their accounts before the memories of their endeavors are lost forever. These are their stories.

Black Sunday The fruits of war A tough row to hoe Hell on earth Damn these torpedoes! School days The end of the beginning Ready for war At home in the caboose Abortive attack Just stay loose Feather merchant third class The road to Tokyo The finest submarine commander The fate of the empire The death of innocents Return to the Philippines Disaster at sea A lesson in cruelty A writhing, twisting maelstrom Bear the unbearable. Draws on the personal reminiscences and experiences of submariners to document the heroic accomplishments of the U.S. Navy's Submarine Force, which, in the wake of the disaster at Pearl Harbor, became one of the few things that stood between the shattered U.S. Pacific Fleet and the Japanese Navy.