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Cover image for Thunder Below!

Thunder Below!

by Eugene B. Fluckey
ebook
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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.| Cover Half-Title Page Frontispiece Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Part I. The Eighth War Patrol of the USS Barb in the Sea of Okhotsk, North of Hokkaido, 21 May–9 July 1944 1. Polar Circuit 2. Submarines Down? 3. Up in the Clouds 4. Trapped 5. The Royal Hawaiian Part II. The Ninth War Patrol of the USS Barb in the South China Sea, between Formosa and the Philippines, 4 August–3 October 1944 6. From the Frying Pan 7. Into the Fire 8. Singapore Slaves 9. Save the Queenfish 10. Mission of Mercy 11. Search for Survivors 12. Home Run Part III. The Tenth War Patrol of the USS Barb in the East China Sea, Adjacent Kyushu, Japan, 27 October–25 November 1944 13. Hey! Let Me In! 14. Piggybacking 15. Rest and Be Thankful? 16. Gooney Birds and Gooney People Part IV. The Eleventh War Patrol of the USS Barb in the East China Sea, Formosa Straits, along the China Coast to Wenzhou, 20 December 1944–15 February 1945 17. A Jewel for Christmas 18. Corks in the Bottleneck 19. The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast 20. Barb to Pearl—a Pearl to Barb Part V. Intermezzo 21. Be It Ever So Humble 22. Overkill Part VI. The Twelfth War Patrol of the USS Barb in the Southern Okhotsk Sea, North of Hokkaido, 8 June–2 August 1945 23. Raise a Rumpus 24. Terutsuki 25. Little Iwo Jima 26. Oh, You Cutie! 27. Hear That Train Blow! 28. Countdown to Graduation 29. Swan Song Epilogue Appendix A: Sailing List in the USS Barb, Eighth through Twelfth War Patrols Appendix B: Scoreboard of USS Barb attacks on Japanese shipping as determined by research, including Japanese and U.S....

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