U.S.S. Barb (SS-220)
U.S.S. Barb (SS-220)

Author: Everett P. Weaver

Publisher: Riverdale Books

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 9781932606102

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Among the most successful of all American fleet type submarines, U.S.S. Barb made a total of twelve war patrols. During the course of the war, Barb was credited with sinking a total of 26 enemy ships, including the escort aircraft carrier Unyo. During her final five war patrols, under the command of Eugene B. Fluckey, Barb set a record for innovation and aggressiveness unmatched in the submarine service. In a series of rocket attacks during Patrol 12, Barb became the first American submarine to launch rockets in combat. During the same patrol, volunteer saboteurs slipped ashore and blew up a coastal train, in the process becoming the only Americans to "invade" Japan during the war. An incursion into Namkwan Harbor, on the China coast, during the eleventh war patrol, earned the Medal of Honor for Fluckey. This volume contains the complete text of the 12 war patrol reports filed by Barb's wartime commanding officers. Also included is a Foreword by former Barb officer Everett P. Weaver, an Introduction and extensive notes.

Thunder Below!
Thunder Below!

Author: Eugene B. Fluckey

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2013-04-01

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 0252097440

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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.

The Galloping Ghost
The Galloping Ghost

Author: Carl P Lavo

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2011-11-15

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1612510752

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Eugene Fluckey was one of the great naval heroes of World War II. His exploits as captain of the submarine USS Barb revolutionized undersea warfare and laid the groundwork for a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine fleet. He retired as a rear admiral and was awarded numerous presidential, congressional, and military honors, including the Medal of Honor and four Navy Crosses. In the war against Japan, Fluckey fired the first ballistic missiles from a submarine, sank more tonnage than any other U.S. submarine skipper, including an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, a destroyer, and blew up a train after landing submariners-turned-saboteurs on mainland Japan in 1945. Here is the legendary submariner's story, told with the exclusive access to Fluckey's personal papers and based on interviews with him, his family, Barb shipmates, official Navy documents, and the recollections of his contemporaries.

U.S. Submarines Through 1945
U.S. Submarines Through 1945

Author: Norman Friedman

Publisher: US Naval Institute Press

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The period covered by this book was one of radical change for the U.S. Navy. When the modern navy first considered buying a submarine in 1887, it was a coast defense force confined to the Western Hemisphere. The United States became a world power just as its new submarines offered a way of defending its most distant possession, the Philippines, without tying down an expensive fleet. World War I found U.S. submarines in an unexpected role, countering German U-boats in British waters. Then the situation changed again with unexpected speed.

Submarine Diary
Submarine Diary

Author: Corwin Mendenhall

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2013-07-31

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 1612512194

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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

Winning a Future War
Winning a Future War

Author: Norman Friedman

Publisher:

Published: 2019-02

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9781782669074

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"To win in the Pacific during World War II, the U.S. Navy had to transform itself technically, tactically, and strategically. It had to create a fleet capable of the unprecedented feat of fighting and winning far from home, without existing bases, in the face of an enemy with numerous bases fighting in his own waters. Much of the credit for the transformation should go to the war gaming conducted at the U.S. Naval War College. Conversely, as we face further demands for transformation, the inter-war experience at the War College offers valuable guidance as to what works, and why, and how."

Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots: Tales of a Submarine Officer During the Height of the Cold War
Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots: Tales of a Submarine Officer During the Height of the Cold War

Author: Charles Hood Frank

Publisher:

Published: 2019-02-23

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780368344978

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Would you like to know all about the inner workings of a U.S attack submarine? This nonfiction book, told through the eyes of the personal experiences of one of the authors, and greatly expanded now in its third edition with the input of dozens of other submarine veterans, explains how submarines are designed, built, manned, and operated. Key concepts such as buoyancy, navigation, periscope function, sonar and weapons are discussed in detail. You'll enjoy the format of this coming-of-age story of a young Navy man during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and along the way you'll learn about the intense training required for nuclear submarine service. Then you'll come aboard as the narrative turns to day-to-day details of life aboard a submarine--the missions, the routines, the psychological pressures, and the deprivations of living underwater for weeks at a time. The Silent Service, as this group is known, has a wonderful human story that has largely escaped the public domain, in part because of the classified nature of their missions. This book eschews the covert details and instead dwells on the human-interest side of submarine service. Filled with wonderful stories--some hilarious, others sad--and buttressed by 19 historical submarine essays, over 100 photos, and a detailed glossary of terminology, the book is a compelling read that will inform you and give you a newfound pride in the men and women who maintain our sea defenses 24/7. Also, all proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Scholarship Fund of the USSVI. Makes a great gift for that Navy veteran in your life!

Wahoo
Wahoo

Author: Richard O'Kane

Publisher: Presidio Press

Published: 2009-11-11

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 0307548848

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The career of the USS Wahoo in sinking Japanese ships in the farthest reaches of the Empire is legendary in submarine circles. Christened three months after Pearl Harbor, Wahoo was commanded by the astonishing Dudley W. “Mush” Morton, whose originality and daring new techniques led to results unprecedented in naval history; among them, successful “down the throat” barrage against an attacking Japanese destroyer, voracious surface-running gun attacks, and the sinking of a four-ship convoy in one day. Wahoo took the war to Japan’s front porch, and Morton became known as the Navy’s most aggressive and successful sea raider. Now, in a new quality paperback edition, her full story is told by the person most qualified to tell it—her executive officer Richard O’Kane, who went on to become the leading submarine captain of the Second World War. Praise for Wahoo “The accounts of the patrols are spine-tingling, both in triumph and tragedy. It is a tale of great courage, brilliant leadership, and daring innovation in a new type of submarine warfare fought largely on the surface in waters closely controlled by the enemy. Well-written, a gripping story for anybody with a love of the sea or adventure in submarine combat.”—Naval War College Review “This is an exceptional story of American men who rose to the occasion time and again under dangerous circumstance.” —Abilene Reporter News “A first-hand—and first-rate—narrative, told by the former executive officer of this legendary WWII submarine, which gives readers an intimate feel for life aboard the ‘boats’ that helped beat the odds in the battles of the Pacific and put Japan on the defensive.”—Sea Power “Like Clear the Bridge!, [Richard] O’Kane’s bestselling account of the Tang’s 33 confirmed sinkings, [Wahoo] is a rousing, authentic war adventure that could well become a classic of its type, crack[ling] with the tensions, boredom, and occasional exhilaration of submarine life under the Pacific, O’Kane is a superb storyteller, and his credentials are impeccable.”—Springfield Sunday Republic