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Thunder Below!: The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II
by Eugene B. Fluckey
Thunder Below is Eugene "Lucky" Fluckey memoir of commanding five patrols in the USS Barb against Japan in 1944 and 45. Four of those patrols earned Fluckey the Navy Cross, the second highest US Navy award for valor. The remain earned him the Medal of Honor. This is truly an astounding military memoir.
Fluckey's basic principal of command was attack, attack, and attack! The Barb spent as much time on the surface as possible, giving it a 10 mile search radius as opposed to the 5 miles available to a submarine at periscope depth. The extra 5 miles of radius means another 235 square miles of search area at any time, a 300% increased chance to encounter the enemy.
And when Barb encountered the enemy, Fluckey was equally aggressive. One attack had him 'infiltrate' a convoy from the rear, pretending to be an escorting frigate while he moved up the line firing torpedoes at enemy transports. The Medal of Honor action, the attack on Namkwan Harbor, involved a lengthy surface approach to a defended anchorage, and then a long run through poorly charted shoals to reach a depth deep enough to submerge and hide. Fluckey tried to turn down the Medal of Honor, following his belief that only fatal heroism deserved the award, and he'd estimated he had a 50-50 chance of surviving the attack. A coinflip seems like poor odds to me. Off-handed, Fluckey notes that by the start of his fifth patrol, half of his graduating class in submarine school was on endless patrol. This was dangerous work.
The fifth patrol, with almost every ship worth a torpedo already sunk, saw Barb demonstrate two novel forerunners of current submarine technology. Fluckey mounted a rocket launcher (same model as carried on the LST-Rocket) and carried out shore bombardments along the Sea of Okhotsk. He also landed a shore party which mined and blew up a train. These days, ballistic missiles and landing special forces are core submarine missions, but Barb was one of the first, if not the first. She's definitely the only sub that can paint a train on her battle flag. This last patrol was so successful that Japanese media reported six capital ships of Admiral Halsey's fleet had sailed into Okhotsk.
The tactical descriptions are on the lighter side for a general readership. Fluckey provides ample examples of submarine culture, where six officers and 54-odd enlisted made for a flat and egalitarian command structure, at least by naval culture. The Barb celebrated successful attacks with cakes decorated with sinking ships and two beers per man.
This is one hell of tale for anyone interested in submarines or WW2.
Fluckey's basic principal of command was attack, attack, and attack! The Barb spent as much time on the surface as possible, giving it a 10 mile search radius as opposed to the 5 miles available to a submarine at periscope depth. The extra 5 miles of radius means another 235 square miles of search area at any time, a 300% increased chance to encounter the enemy.
And when Barb encountered the enemy, Fluckey was equally aggressive. One attack had him 'infiltrate' a convoy from the rear, pretending to be an escorting frigate while he moved up the line firing torpedoes at enemy transports. The Medal of Honor action, the attack on Namkwan Harbor, involved a lengthy surface approach to a defended anchorage, and then a long run through poorly charted shoals to reach a depth deep enough to submerge and hide. Fluckey tried to turn down the Medal of Honor, following his belief that only fatal heroism deserved the award, and he'd estimated he had a 50-50 chance of surviving the attack. A coinflip seems like poor odds to me. Off-handed, Fluckey notes that by the start of his fifth patrol, half of his graduating class in submarine school was on endless patrol. This was dangerous work.
The fifth patrol, with almost every ship worth a torpedo already sunk, saw Barb demonstrate two novel forerunners of current submarine technology. Fluckey mounted a rocket launcher (same model as carried on the LST-Rocket) and carried out shore bombardments along the Sea of Okhotsk. He also landed a shore party which mined and blew up a train. These days, ballistic missiles and landing special forces are core submarine missions, but Barb was one of the first, if not the first. She's definitely the only sub that can paint a train on her battle flag. This last patrol was so successful that Japanese media reported six capital ships of Admiral Halsey's fleet had sailed into Okhotsk.
The tactical descriptions are on the lighter side for a general readership. Fluckey provides ample examples of submarine culture, where six officers and 54-odd enlisted made for a flat and egalitarian command structure, at least by naval culture. The Barb celebrated successful attacks with cakes decorated with sinking ships and two beers per man.
This is one hell of tale for anyone interested in submarines or WW2.