Strike of the Sailfish

Strike of the Sailfish

Author: Stephen L. Moore

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2023-12-05

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 0593472888

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A gripping true-life thriller about the first US submarine to sink a Japanese aircraft carrier—and the sub’s tragic twist of fate In 1939 off the New England coast, the submarine USS Squalus accidentally sinks to the bottom of the sea during a training exercise, killing half her crew. Coming to the rescue is the USS Sculpin, in many ways the Squalus’s twin. As their oxygen supply dwindles, the remaining crew aboard the Squalus are saved in a time-consuming, white-knuckle operation. Eventually the sunken submarine is raised, repaired, and returned to duty, with a new name: the Sailfish. Four years later, on patrol during the darkest days of the Pacific War, the Sailfish’s radarman picks up the tell-tale signs of a Japanese convoy, known by U.S. intelligence to include aircraft carriers, the most formidable of all enemy ships. Never before has an American submarine taken down a carrier—much less in the middle of a typhoon. Immediately, the crewmen swing into action, embarking on a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as this once-dead boat evades enemy cruisers to stalk closer and closer to their prized target. Little do they know that aboard the Japanese carrier are survivors of an attack on the USS Sculpin, the very boat that saved the Squalis-turned-Sailfish back in ’39. Author Stephen L. Moore takes readers inside the nine-hour duel, narrating the action aboard both the Sailfish and the doomed carrier, where the American POWs fight against all odds to save their own lives before the ship goes down. Employing a wealth of new information, including long-lost survivors' accounts, fresh interviews with the last of the sub's crew, and official patrol reports, Strike of the Sailfish is the thrilling story of this strange chapter of naval history.


Summary of Stephen Moore's Strike of the Sailfish

Summary of Stephen Moore's Strike of the Sailfish

Author: Milkyway Media

Publisher: Milkyway Media

Published: 2024-02-06

Total Pages: 19

ISBN-13:

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Get the Summary of Stephen Moore's Strike of the Sailfish in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. "Strike of the Sailfish" by Stephen Moore recounts the gripping World War II experiences of the USS Sculpin and USS Sailfish submarines. On June 9, 1943, the Sculpin, under Lt. Cmdr. Lucius Chappell, received intelligence about Japanese carriers Unyo and Chuyo. Despite faulty torpedoes, Chappell engaged but failed to hit the targets...


Submarine Diary

Submarine Diary

Author: Corwin Mendenhall

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2013-07-31

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 1612512194

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A vividly detailed account of life aboard U.S. submarines in the Pacific during World War II.


Spadefish

Spadefish

Author: Stephen L. Moore

Publisher: Atriad PressLlc

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 463

ISBN-13: 9781933177076

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One glance at the "Spadefish" (SS-411) battle flag shows that she was one of the most successful World War II submarines--one of the war's top 10 scoring boats. She downed six ships on her maiden double-barreled patrol and never looked back.


Death at a Distance

Death at a Distance

Author: Michael Sturma

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2013-07-31

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1612514324

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Only seven U.S. submariners earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Sam Dealey, the USS Harder's commander, was one of them. His honor was awarded posthumously after the entire crew was lost off Bataan during a depth-charge attack in August 1944 by a Japanese convoy. The Harder's fighting spirit is legendary, and its record of sinking a total of eighteen enemy ships (with a tonnage in excess of 55,000) made Dealey one of the top five submarine skippers in the war. During a single patrol his crew sank five enemy destroyers in five short-range torpedo attacks —an unprecedented feat. In addition, the Harder played important roles in rescue missions, extracting secret operatives deep in enemy territory and saving downed pilots. Drawing on previously untapped sources, Michael Sturma, an Australian teaching at Murdoch University, details several daring missions, one that involved the heroic Australian commando Bill Jinkins, and puts the Harder's action in the context of the overall Pacific campaign. In do so, the author adds not only significant information to the Harder's story but also provides a fresh perspective on the submarine war.


Midway Submerged

Midway Submerged

Author: Mark W. Allen

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2011-10-05

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1462049257

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Scholarly studies on the Battle of Midway are prolific, yet few have examined the pivotal role American and Japanese submarines played. Fewer still have challenged the prevailing wisdom held among historians that US airstrikes on vulnerable Japanese fleet carriers marked a turning point in the war, essentially prohibiting Japan from further major naval operations. Midway Submerged presents detailed arguments regarding the tactics employed in the US strategy for the Battle of Midway and effectively argues that submarine warfare played a greater role in the battles outcome than previously thought. Through meticulous research, military historian Mark W. Allen examines the tactics, performance records, American and Japanese naval doctrine, and each participating submarines actions. He concludes that the Japanese defeat should not be blamed on ineffective submarine tactics; instead, Allen advocates a closer inspection of the overall Japanese strategic plan. Furthermore, he creates a compelling and engaging new argument that Admiral Chester W. Nimitz made an appropriate decision to use submarines defensively. Allen shows that Nimitz correctly used his available assets to defend Midway against a Japanese amphibious assault, reigniting a need for more scholarly debate on this subject. For scholars of military history, this is a worthy and much-needed addition to the body of work on the Battle of Midway.


Battle Stations

Battle Stations

Author: Stephen L. Moore

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2021-11-02

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0593186672

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The true story of the valiant men who gave their all to save the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown—and changed the course of the Pacific War. On June 4, 1942—six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor—Yorktown’s crew began the carrier’s final battle against Japan’s infamous aircrafts. Hotshot fighter pilot Lieutenant Scott McCuskey attacked from the air in his Wildcat, becoming the Navy’s second-ever “ace in a day.” Carpenter Boyd McKenzie worked tirelessly to repair Yorktown before a fresh air strike. Critically injured gun crew member George Weise fought for his life as the ship threatened to capsize. Meanwhile, Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Warren Heller raced to save the lives of bloodied gunners and sailors by evacuating them before time ran out. The stories of these heroes and many other brave servicemen bring the gripping narrative of Yorktown’s final thirty days to life, as she fights in the near back-to-back Battles of Coral Sea and Midway. Through unpublished memoirs and interviews with Yorktown’s last surviving veterans, acclaimed author Stephen L. Moore offers up a new and compelling amount of a pivotal month in World War II while honoring the courage of those who served.


Thunder Below!

Thunder Below!

Author: Eugene B. Fluckey

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2013-04-01

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 0252097440

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The thunderous roar of exploding depth charges was a familiar and comforting sound to the crew members of the USS Barb, who frequently found themselves somewhere between enemy fire and Davy Jones's locker. Under the leadership of her fearless skipper, Captain Gene Fluckey, the Barb sank the greatest tonnage of any American sub in World War II. At the same time, the Barb did far more than merely sink ships-she changed forever the way submarines stalk and kill their prey. This is a gripping adventure chock-full of "you-are-there" moments. Fluckey has drawn on logs, reports, letters, interviews, and a recently discovered illegal diary kept by one of his torpedomen. And in a fascinating twist, he uses archival documents from the Japanese Navy to give its version of events. The unique story of the Barb begins with its men, who had the confidence to become unbeatable. Each team helped develop innovative ideas, new tactics, and new strategies. All strove for personal excellence, and success became contagious. Instead of lying in wait under the waves, the USS Barb pursued enemy ships on the surface, attacking in the swift and precise style of torpedo boats. She was the first sub to use rocket missiles and to creep up on enemy convoys at night, joining the flank escort line from astern, darting in and out as she sank ships up the column. Surface-cruising, diving only to escape, "Luckey Fluckey" relentlessly patrolled the Pacific, driving his boat and crew to their limits. There can be no greater contrast to modern warfare's long-distance, videogame style of battle than the exploits of the captain and crew of the USS Barb, where they sub, out of ammunition, actually rammed an enemy ship until it sank. Thunder Below! is a first-rate, true-life, inspirational story of the courage and heroism of ordinary men under fire. A Main Selection of the Military Book Club. Winner of the Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature given by the Naval Order of the United States, New York Commandery.


Wake Of The Wahoo

Wake Of The Wahoo

Author: Chief Petty Officer Forest J. Sterling

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2015-11-06

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 1786257734

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From Pearl Harbor to her last and fatal voyage—the heroic story of America’s most daring World War II submarine, as told by the only surviving member of the crew. The U.S.S. Wahoo was the most successful submarine in the World War II Pacific fleet. She was the first to penetrate an enemy harbor and sink a Japanese ship. She was the first to wipe out an entire enemy convoy single-handed. In her 11 short months of life she managed an incredible 21 kills. Just 45 minutes before leaving Midway for her last—and fatal—patrol, her Chief Yeoman Forest Sterling was transferred to other duty. The result is this book—Sterling’s fantastic yet completely authentic account of a remarkable crew and captain, and the ship they lived and died for. “Many will remember the newspaper stories during World War II and the photo of Wahoo with a broomstick tied to her periscope signifying a clean sweep...But (here is) the full story from the yeoman who made all the patrols...except the last one.”—Medal-of-Honor winner Captain E. B. Fluckey, USN


Rain of Steel

Rain of Steel

Author: Stephen Moore

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 471

ISBN-13: 168247531X

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The last Pacific campaign of World War II was the most violent on record. Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher’s Task Force 58 carriers had conducted air strikes on mainland Japan and supported the Iwo Jima landings, but his aviators were sorely tested once the Okinawa campaign commenced on 1 April 1945. Rain of Steel follows Navy and Marine carrier aviators in the desperate air battles to control the kamikazes directed by Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki. The latter would unleash ten different Kikusui aerial suicide operations, one including a naval force built around the world’s most powerful battleship, the 71,000-ton Yamato. These battles are related largely through the words and experiences of some of the last living U.S. fighter aces of World War II. More than 1,900 kamikaze sorties—and thousands more traditional attack aircraft—would be launched against the U.S. Navy’s warships, radar picket ships, and amphibious vessels during the Okinawa campaign. In this time, Navy, Marine, and Army Air Force pilots would claim some 2,326 aerial victories. The most successful four-man fighter division in U.S. Navy history would be crowned during the fight against Ugaki’s kamikazes. The Japanese named the campaign tetsu no ame (“rain of steel”), often referred to in English as “typhoon of steel.”