Escape from the Deep: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew

I've been reading about WWII in Europe but have spent less time on the Pacific War. I listened to this book as an audiobook and the reader, Richard Poe, was really excellent. The title says what the story is about. The submarine is the USS Tang and she was the deadliest sub in the war. In a bizarre turn of events when she fired her final torpedo it circled and struck the Tang itself 20 seconds later.

Good history here. What I liked most was the way the author introduced us to many of the sailors on the Tang and let us see parts of their lives and eventual deaths, whether in the submarine or later in life. They weren't all happy stories (losing your only child is not one of them) but you could admire every one of the men and their show more families. The USS Tang was built at the Mare Island Shipyard in Vallejo (where I live) during WWII. Some of the crewmembers were from Vallejo and nearby cities. show less

A fascinating story about living through an impossible nightmare. I enjoyed it and thought it was good, but not quite as well done as hillenbrand's unbreakable.

I read this book over two days. At a little over 200 pages, this is a page turner and remains accessible to all readers - not just the naval history buffs. Kershaw focuses on the human side of the war and the anxiety specific to those serving in the Silent Service. The story of O'Kane and his crew has been detailed in a number of different books to date, even by O'Kane himself. However, I doubt that the others would present such a thrilling read as this one.

An excellent narrative of the story of the USS Tang, the most decorated, and successful submarine of WW2 which was sunk in the Formosa Straight by it's own torpedo in '44. Nine sailors were able to escape from the sunken vessel in 180 feet of water to be captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the Japanese. The book uses personal experiences of the survivors as well as official records to tell a very good story.

If you haven't read any books recently on action in World War II, this should be your next book to read. This is the story of the USS Tang, one of the most highly decorated submarines of the war. Near the end of her fifth patrol under command of Capt. Richard O'Kane, she was struck by an errant torpedo and sunk in the Formosa Straits. Only nine crewmen survived, including five who had to escape from the sunken sub as it rested on the bottom in 180 feet of water. Unfortunately for the survivors, this was only the beginning of their ordeal. They were to face over 10 months as prisoners in Japanese POW camps. After repeated beatings, torture and malnutrition, many returned home only to face broken homes, flashbacks of their months of show more torture, and recurring feelings of guilt that they had survived the cruel deaths of the rest of their crew. The book is well researched and includes much material gleaned from personal interviews with the survivors and many of the families of the crew. A fascinating true story that relates very well to all of us who owe so much to the members of our armed forces who served in the past and those who continue to protect us now. show less

This is the story of the men of the Uss Tang, a devastatingly effective Sub in WWII. The sub gets sunk in the Formosa Strait. 9 of the 87 survive. Some of the men were stuck on the bottom of the ocean and had to swim from the wreckage to the surface. Some 180 feet. The crew are the only people ever known to survive a sub crash using the Momsen lung.

One again Kershaw has taken some little known WWII story and turned it into a great story.

This is the story of the men of the Uss Tang, a devastatingly effective Sub in WWII. The sub gets sunk in the Formosa Strait. 9 of the 87 survive. Some of the men were stuck on the bottom of the ocean and had to swim from the wreckage to the surface. Some 180 feet. The crew are the only people ever known to survive a sub crash using the Momsen lung.

One again Kershaw has taken some little known WWII story and turned it into a great story.