Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #252351 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 314 pages

Synopsis
Submarine duty in World War Two took the lives of more than twenty per cent of American submariners. As a young ensign, William J. Ruhe kept a journal on eight action-filled patrols in the South Pacific. His colourful memoir has earned a place alongside the best naval fiction, with such classics as Run Silent, Run Deep and The Hunt For Red October.

Customer Reviews

A unique book action packed
How this book never became a classic submarine book of World War 2, I don't know. It is one man's story of submarine battles in the Pacific. It is written with sincerity and obviously written by someone who was at the blunt end.

I can recommend this book to anybody interested in the history of undersea warfare. As good as Hirschfelds book A U Boat Diary.

Written with honesty
Submariners are usually good writers; some, and Ruhe is one of them, are very good. His experience of the Pacific war is illuminating, but what makes this book really stand out is his honesty. Ruhe was scared, and was not afraid to admit it , nor to talk frankly but with respect and understanding, about the effect of patrols on his commander, Munson. he has an eye for the tiny details: the cockroaches on the old S-boat; the scrawny chicken given by local Philippinos, which was nurtured - so it would lay eggs - instead of being eaten. At the other end of the scale is the almost fatal depth-charging by Japanese escorts while the Crevalle was taking home civilians, including 17 children.
No photograps, but the writing is so vivid that no picture would be worth a thousand words. A great read, whatever side of the pond you are on.
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A good read
If you want to have a flavour of US submarine war in the pacific during world war II look no further.
I cant verify any of the events but thats not important for me. I only wanted to know what the submariners life was like. This book does that job in spades.
Each of the Patrols are retold, with the flaws and the positives of many of the paricipants. Its a very quick read too, I found I'd got to the end in a few days and wanted more.