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Large print book

Running deep : bravery, survival, and the true story of the deadliest submarine in World War II

Call Number

  • LARGE TYPE 940.5426 C617 (CEN, OSH)

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Edition

Large print edition.

Publication Information

[Waterville, Maine] : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2025.

Physical Description

525 pages (large print), 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 23 cm.

Summary

"The true story of the deadliest submarine in World War II and the courageous captain who survived torture and imprisonment at the hands of the enemy. There was one submarine that outfought all other boats in the Silent Service in World War II: 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 cost: 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, 180 feet down. After hours of struggle, nine of the 87 crewmen, 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

  • Prologue
  • Act I: The Silent Service. "Every man below was my brother" ; Midshipman from New Hampshire ; Twin dolphins ; "Mushmouth" ; Ready for war ; First blood ; Ticking time bomb ; A cruel end ; Down the throad ; Broken and blazing ; "Destruction can be hard work" ; "Uncle Charlie" ; Pirates of the Pacific ; White feathers
  • Act II: Attack from below. The turtle ; Gains and losses ; Holland's quest ; "An extraordinary machine" ; Underwater missile ; A third lung ; A rare escape ; "Unrestricted warfare" ; Loose lips sink ships
  • Act III: The predator. Ready for combat ; Weeping angels ; Tightening the noose ; Another deep dive ; Mano a mano ; Getting out of Gooneyville ; The rescuers ; The empire falters ; New heroes ; The business of sinking ships ; "Stay with the bastard" ; A real going over ; First in line
  • Act IV: The survivors. Undefeated ; In harm's way ; Lighting up the night ; "Hit 'em harder" ; "Get the hell out" ; Boomerang ; "A wounded animal" ; Time running out ; A surface so far away ; Stick together
  • Act V: Walking dead. "A different challenge" ; War criminals ; Special pleasure ; "Pappy" and the "Tornado" ; City on fire ; Legacy of the "Bird" ; The firestorms ; A rain of supplies ; Homeward bound ; "Gallant and courageous"
  • Epilogue.

Subjects