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4.0
Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II
ByPublisher Description
The true story of the USS Tang submarine in World War II and the courageous captain who survived the Tang's sinking and a deadly Japanese torture camp.The true story of the USS Tang submarine in World War II and the courageous captain who survived the Tang's sinking and a deadly Japanese torture camp.
There was one submarine that sailed above all other boats in the Silent Service in World War the USS Tang. Captain Richard Hetherington O’Kane commanded the attack submarine that sunk more tonnage, rescued more downed aviators, and successfully completed more surface attacks than any other American submarine. These undersea predators were the first to lead the offensive rebound against the Japanese, but at great Submariners would have six times the mortality rate as the sailors who manned surface ships.
The Tang achieved its greatest success on October 24, 1944, when it took on an entire Japanese convoy and destroyed it. But its 24th and last torpedo boomeranged, returning to strike the Tang. Mortally wounded, the boat sunk, coming to rest on the bottom of the ocean, 180 feet down. After hours of struggle, nine of the 87 crew, including O’Kane, made it to the surface.
Captured by the Japanese, the Tang sailors joined other submariners and flyers–including Louis Zamperini and “Pappy” Boyington–at a “torture camp” whose purpose was to gain vital information from inmates and otherwise let them die from malnutrition, disease, and abuse. A special target was Captain O’Kane after the Japanese learned of the headlines about the Tang. Against all odds, when the camp was liberated in August 1945, O’Kane, at only 90 pounds, still lived. The following January, Richard O’Kane limped into the White House where President Truman bestowed him with the Medal of Honor.
This is the true story of death and survival in the high seas—and of the submarine and her brave captain who would become legends.
There was one submarine that sailed above all other boats in the Silent Service in World War the USS Tang. Captain Richard Hetherington O’Kane commanded the attack submarine that sunk more tonnage, rescued more downed aviators, and successfully completed more surface attacks than any other American submarine. These undersea predators were the first to lead the offensive rebound against the Japanese, but at great Submariners would have six times the mortality rate as the sailors who manned surface ships.
The Tang achieved its greatest success on October 24, 1944, when it took on an entire Japanese convoy and destroyed it. But its 24th and last torpedo boomeranged, returning to strike the Tang. Mortally wounded, the boat sunk, coming to rest on the bottom of the ocean, 180 feet down. After hours of struggle, nine of the 87 crew, including O’Kane, made it to the surface.
Captured by the Japanese, the Tang sailors joined other submariners and flyers–including Louis Zamperini and “Pappy” Boyington–at a “torture camp” whose purpose was to gain vital information from inmates and otherwise let them die from malnutrition, disease, and abuse. A special target was Captain O’Kane after the Japanese learned of the headlines about the Tang. Against all odds, when the camp was liberated in August 1945, O’Kane, at only 90 pounds, still lived. The following January, Richard O’Kane limped into the White House where President Truman bestowed him with the Medal of Honor.
This is the true story of death and survival in the high seas—and of the submarine and her brave captain who would become legends.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesRunning Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II Reviews
4.0
“Tom Clavin’s Running Deep dives into the incredible exploits of Richard O’Kane and the USS Tang, a subject that is inherently gripping for any history enthusiast. While the core topic is fascinating, the book’s structural issues suggest it would have benefited greatly from a more cohesive final edit.
The opening chapters that are introducing the officers and crew often feel like a dry book report that was a recitation of a reading list rather than a narrative.
Just as the reader becomes immersed in the intensity of World War II, the flow is disrupted by an abrupt, disjointed jump into the history of submarine development. This middle-section "info-dump" creates a frustrating barrier that pulls the reader away from the flow of the narrative and back into that book report feeling.
However, the writing shifts gears significantly in the final 30% of the book, where the prose finally achieves a smooth, impactful, and memorable rhythm. If the entire volume had been polished to match the high-quality storytelling of the conclusion, it would have been a much more powerful tribute to the Tang’s legacy.
As it stands, it’s uneven journey that requires a large amount patience to reach the best material but it does give you some good book recommendations if you wish to read more about the”
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