Strike of the Sailfish Two sister submarines and the sinking of a Japanese aircraft carrier

Historian Moore (Patton's Payback) details a tragic twist of fate in this riveting dual chronicle of two submarines, the USS Sailfish and the USS Sculpin. In May 1939, the Sculpin raced to save the Sailfish, known at the time as the USS Squalus, when it sank 240 feet and landed on the ocean floor during a test dive in the Atlantic. Out of the 58-member crew, only 32 men survived the 39 hours it took before rescue divers brought them back to the surface. The Squalus was raised from the bottom, repaired, and renamed the USS Sailfish in 1940, and went on to serve with distinction in the Pacific during WWII, becoming one of the few U.S. submarines to sink a Japanese aircraft carrier during the war. However, unbeknownst to the crew of the Sailfish, the carrier it torpedoed in December 1943, the Chuyo, was transporting 21 sailors from its former rescue ship, the Sculpin, to a prisoner of war camp in Japan. The Sculpin had been sunk during combat a few weeks earlier, and the surviving crew captured. Moore's narrative aptly weaves together the stories of the two fatefully connected vessels and their crews, highlighting the bond between wartime comrades and the details of daily life in the submarines' cramped quarters. This is a treat for WWII history buffs. (Dec.)

Swiftly moving tale of submarine fireworks in the Pacific. Even non-military buffs will enjoy spending time with two U.S. Navy crews during World War II. Few elderly survivors remain, but prolific military historian Moore, author of Blood and Fury, The Battle for Hell's Island, and other books of military history, makes good use of memoirs, oral histories, videos, interviews, articles, helpful family members and official documents to provide a nearly day-by-day account of often terrible events. Built and launched almost simultaneously in 1938, the Sculpin and Squalus were both the latest model Sargo-class submarines whose "steel pressure holes made them capable of a 'test depth' of two hundred fifty feet." Squalus sank the following year after suffering a catastrophic leak, killing 26 men. Thoroughly overhauled after being recovered, it was renamed the Sailfish. "With a new lease on life and a new name," writes Moore, "Sailfish was destined for great accomplishments in World War II." Boats that sank were considered cursed, but as the author demonstrates as he recounts their patrols in the Pacific, the Sailfish enjoyed a more fortunate career than her companion. Delivering too many crew mini-biographies to remember, but emphasizing the captains and heroes, the author creates a gripping, extremely detailed account of submarines' operation, personalities, and attacks--not always successful--on Japanese shipping. Sculpin was lost after an attack by a Japanese destroyer in 1943, so most of the action involves its sister ship. Readers will enjoy Moore's expert descriptions of many encounters, highlighted by "the first known unassisted sinking of an enemy carrier by a submarine." This isn't quite as impressive as it sounds, because the ship was a flattop merchant vessel designed to transport planes, not a fighting carrier. Nonetheless, Moore's capable history is fast-paced and gripping. Entertaining World War II naval history by an old hand. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.