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| Escape from the Deep: A Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew | 
 enlarge | Author: Alex Kershaw
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $3.53
You Save: $22.47 (86%)
New (54) Used (46) Collectible (1) from $2.70
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 33772
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0306815192
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.545109164
EAN: 9780306815195
ASIN: 0306815192
Publication Date: April 28, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! NEW Book! May have remainder mark. Most orders ship within 1 BUSINESS DAY with ORDER CONFIRMATION.
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Product Description
By October, 1944, the U.S. Navy submarine Tang was legendary-she had sunk more enemy ships, rescued more downed airmen, and pulled off more daring surface attacks than any other Allied submarine in the Pacific. And then, on her fifth patrol, tragedy struck-the Tang was hit by one of her own faulty torpedoes. The survivors of the explosion struggled to stay alive in their submerged “iron coffin” one hundred-eighty feet beneath the surface. While the Japanese dropped deadly depth charges, just nine of the original eighty-man crew survived a harrowing ascent through the escape hatch. But a far greater ordeal was coming. After being picked up by a Japanese patrol vessel, they were sent to a secret Japanese interrogation camp known as the “Torture Farm.” They were close to death when finally liberated in August, 1945, but they had revealed nothing to the Japanese-not even the greatest secret of World War II.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
Kershaw strikes again! True heroic human story. June 7, 2008
32 out of 32 found this review helpful
There is an old adage that states: 'if it ain't broken, don't fix it'. Sage advice for author/historian Alex Kershaw who has again turned out another 'page-turner' with his recent DaCapo Press release, "Escape From the Deep: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew". While a great many artists struggle to find their muse Kershaw has certainly found his. One could even say that Kershaw's books have a certain 'formula'. For instance, compare his previous Longest Winter and his current book "Escape From the Deep": First, both books have at their heart a story about a small group of soldiers who achieved something remarkable in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Second, units at the heart of both books received considerable after action accolade in terms of individual and unit citations (although in the former case this took many years). Lastly, the overall story in both books can be broken roughly into three parts: 1) combat action; 2) captivity; and 3) after war life. In these, as well as Kershaw's other books (e.g., The Bedford Boys and The Few), what makes these works popular and enjoyable reads is the human story that Kershaw so expertly captures.
"Escape From the Deep" is a book that anyone can read quickly because the reader will not want to put it down. The basic story revolves around the USS Tang, one of the most celebrated submarines to operate in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, and her crew. During her fifth and final combat tour the Tang sank a large tonnage of Japanese shipping (>100,000 tons) in just 14 days (10 Oct-24 Oct 1944) before she was sunk in the Formosa Strait by one of her own torpedoes, an errant final shot of her illustrious career. What makes her story compelling is not simply what she accomplished in battle, but how nine of her crew managed to escape the near certain death of downed submariners, their capture and ultimate survival in captivity on the notorious POW camp, the 'Torture Farm'. As he has done in his previous books, but even more so here, Kershaw presents the coldness and brutality of mechanized warfare while capturing the humanity that is essential to appreciate the impact the Second World War had on shaping our modern world. Kershaw is a master of conveying the human element of war; few authors come close to his abilities to engage the reader to empathize with the combatants. Readers will not only get to know each of the nine men (and a few of the unfortunates who did not survive the war) central to the story, but feel personally connected to each. "Escape From the Deep" is an engaging story that anyone with even a passing interest in WWII will enjoy. Five stars!!
Reads like a Movie April 18, 2008
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
"Reads like a movie"
Alex Kershaw's earlier books are all page turners, but Escape from the Deep takes Kershaw's considerable narrative skills to a new level. This gripping true account of the sinking of the WWII submarine Tang and the subsequent desperate--and mostly futile--efforts of the trapped crew to escape death at 180 feet underwater is so intense and involving that a reader cannot help but be a part of that crew. Description of submarine life and the emotional and psychological experiences of the crew members during and after the sinking is particularly involving, and Kershaw's signature short background vignettes of seamen and officers serves his purpose especially well in this book, making survival or death particularly poignant. Irony abounds, and Kershaw nails it without hammering it to death. Personal ethics, survival, mental toughness, fate, luck--they're all out there, and Kershaw's story brings them home in spades.
Escape from the Deep is another Kershaw tribute to a group of true American heroes, written to appeal not only to WWII aficionados but also to a generation of readers too young to remember the sacrifices of their forbears.
It's also a great read that feels like a movie.
Harrowing Story of U.S.S. Tang's Last Cruise! May 9, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
The U.S.S. Tang and its skipper, Dick O'Kane, were a legend in their time. A protege of the equally renowned Mush Morton, O'Kane blazed a trail at the helm of SS-306, sinking some 93,000 tons of Japanese shipping in five cruises and earning Tang two Presidential Unit Citations. Himself awarded the Medal of Honor, O'Kane was one of only nine survivors when Tang was accidentally destroyed by its own malfunctioning torpedo. Tang's exciting story is told in fine fashion in this latest book by BEDFORD BOYS' author Alex Kershaw.
SS-306 and its skipper have been the subject of several previous books, including one by O'Kane himself. So, when I picked up ESCAPE FROM THE DEEP, my initial thought was "What, another book on the Tang?" However, after sampling the first few pages, I was hooked yet again. Kershaw is a fine writer and this book is one great read.
About two-thirds of the book is given over to Tang's sinking and the subsequent ordeal of the surviving crew. Kershaw's recounting of the desperate efforts to survive by the Tang crewmen already in the water and others trapped onboard the sunken sub are downright harrowing. Though O'Kane and eight others were pulled from the water by the Japanese, their subsequent imprisonment was equally horrendous.
ESCAPE FROM THE DEEP will get to you. Reading of the final moments in the forward torpedo room as some men escape the doomed submarine while others lay back to await death will touch your heart. What I found especially poignant was a reminsicence from O'Kane's daughter. In his final years O'Kane suffered from Alzheimer's. On walks along the beach with his daughter, the sound of foghorns would suddenly transform the man cited as "the bravest of the brave." He would try and pull his daughter toward the water, calling out "We have to go...We have to go save them."
A wonderful tribute to some of America's finest, ESCAPE FROM THE DEEP gets my highest recommendation.
Truth is always better than fiction May 13, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Alex Kershaw's tale of the tragic end of the USS Tang and her crew is a most read for all generations.
Kershaw captures feelings and terror of men hunting men in an iron tube underwater.
He uses first person interviews along with other sources to weave a compelling story.
Kershaw fills in the background of supporting people and events without going "off in the weeds."
The book is a compelling read that I had to do in one sitting.
 A Valuable contribution of WWII Submarine History June 25, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Review: Escape From the Deep
Author: Alex Kershaw
Details: Hardback, 270 pages, by Da Capo Press, 2008, ISBN 9780306815195
Current retail: [...]
Premise: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine (USS Tang), her struggles after being hit by its own torpedo and the survivors and their interment as POWs.
Some of this story will be familiar to readers of Richard O'Kane's book, Clear the Bridge! O'Kane was CO, Medal of Honor winner, and one of the survivors of the accident. But this author has taken the story to new levels with interviews in the past of the survivors. It makes a much better learning experience and I found the descriptions of the escape from the escape trunk much more vivid and real. Only 62 pages were devoted to the buildup prior to the circular run of the Mk 14. A large portion was given to the escape and capture, then the interment and finally the post life accounts of the survivors. Clear the Bridge had none of those life stories.
The pictures were great and certainly most were never before seen photos from the families. The reunion pictures from 88 and 91 showed most to be in very good health with only O'Kane being a little older than the rest although he didn't pass until 1994. The book portrays him as near death upon their rescue at war's end. I'd never see an aerial view of the submarine dock at Midway and the picture of the emaciated POWs will stick in my mind. The most vivid was Clad Decker (one of the Wahoo survivors) photo being taken with a group of POWs at War's end. Thanks to the author for those pictures.
From the beginning when that Congressman in 1943 mentioned to the press that the Japanese were setting their torpedoes too shallow to closing when O'Kane's daughter tells us that he lived with guilt because he did not go down with this ship (he was on the bridge when the torpedo struck) the book was a superb read and of vast historical importance. One bit of the story that wasn't discussed was the trials after the war of the Japanese commanders of the camps and their superiors.
This book is a must for all serious WWII submarine collectors, historians, and enthusiasts. I rate it a 4 of 5, only because I didn't want it to end and wanted more and because only Fluckey's book Thunder Below, Blair's U-Boat War, and Blair's Silent Victory get a 5 of 5. I appreciate the author's work and his research and only wish others would use it as an example.
Ron Martini
SS 339 and SSBN 599 in the 60's
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