Hellcats of the Sea: Operation Barney and the Mission to the Sea of Japan

by Charles A. Lockwood

Hellcats of the Sea, first published in 1955, recounts the activities of the U.S. Navy's Pacific submarine fleet in World War Two. Much of the book details Operation Barney the secret mission to bring the war closer to the islands of Japan, as the war had never extended to the Sea of Japan. That situation changed on June 9, 1945, when torpedoes from nine American submarines were launched at dozens of Japanese freighters, paralyzing maritime operations between Japan and Korea, and damaging Japan's will to fight. Each U.S. submarine was also equipped with a brand-new secret electronic weapon designed to detect enemy mines. Operation Barney continued for 15 days, with U.S. submarines sinking 28 Japanese ships totaling some 70,000 tons. Sadly, one of the subs, USS Bonefish (SS-223) was lost during the operation. Author Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood was the U.S. Navy commander of the Pacific submarine fleet during World War II.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, World War II, Military History

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Lockwood was an officer in the United States Navy. His tenure as commander of the US submarine force in the Pacific theater of operations greatly increased that force's effectiveness in the Second World War.

Lockwood retired from the Navy in 1947 after a Stint as Naval Inspector General. In his retirement, he wrote several books about submarines, including his own experiences.

Reviews

[Mike Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a history of Operation Barney, the first large scale US submarine operation in the Sea of Japan during World War II. It is written by Charles Lockwood, commander of the US Pacific submarine fleet during the war. The writing is solid and the story of the adventures of the 9 submarines in the Sea of Japan is thrilling as Lockwood paints a vivid picture of the men and their operations as they traverse minefields, dodge depth charges, and stalk Japanese ships. I was left wanting more information on several topics touched on in the book, however, such as the US Navy’s struggle with faulty torpedoes in the early part of the war and the exact mechanics of maneuvering a submarine to get a good firing solution on a ship. Also, some maps would have been nice as I found myself constantly referring to Google maps to get sense of where the subs were operating. Overall, I highly recommend this book.

[Michael E. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Great historical fiction . One of the best books I have read about the submarines in the Pacific during the second world war . They really made men from the boys that join the service . May God bless them all

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about an operation I wasn’t familiar with, “Operation Barney”, the penetration of the Emperor’s Pond by nine submarines fitted out with FM radars to identify mines fields guarding the home waters of Japan for the upcoming operation, “Olympic” and to let the Japs know none of their waters are safe from US submarines.
You get an upfront and personal presentation of how Lockwood convinced Nimitz and the top brass this was a mission that must be undertook especially with the FM radar equipment that would open a whole new chapter to submarine warfare. It took two years from the day he got the idea to its final implementation. He chose the best boats and skippers to execute this daring operation. One can’t help but appreciate and admire the men who volunteered to serve in these iron coffins knowing the dangers that lay in Davey Jones’ Locker.
The interaction and introspective Lockwood let’s the reader experience is enlightening and fascinating.

Cons
The book cover, for whatever reason, has nothing to do with the story. In fact, that is what caught my attention to buy the book.
The structure wasn’t near as tight as tight as “Sink ‘em All.” Too many sub stories are thrown in that add nothing to advance the story. Instead, they come across as jarring reminisces
Seems Lockwood and the editor could have spent more time reviewing this.
The current publisher has managed to inset a host of grammatical errors. Some one tell what a 6-26 bomber is? How about a B-29. And there are others.
This is an excellent story, when it stays on track, covering the invasion of the Sea of Japan and the perils those crews faced deep in enemy territory

Four Stars

[Newell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noting that this book's misleading cover picture might make one think it is about aircraft, it is still easily determined that the book is actually telling the story of submarine warfare with a group nicknamed "Hellcats". The author, Charles A. Lockwood was the Admiral over Pacific Fleet Submarine Operations and does a great job telling the story of submarine fleet operations just prior to and during "Operation Barney" toward the end of WWII. This story of the penetration of the heavily mined entrances to the Sea of Japan to reach Japanese Empire shipping which still remained active at the late part of the war, details the technical tools enabling this action as well as the story of the men and submarines. The narrative does not always flow sequentially but it works. I do recommend for those who like more detail about why things happened rather than just a story of what happened.

[James Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I ever wanted to know about submarine ops in WW2

Loved reading this, but first I must admit I bought the book thinking it was about the Grumman Hellcat fighter airplane which was pictured on the cover. I totally did not expect it to be about sub ops, but I was pleasantly surprised. Great story of a critical WW2 mission not well known even to history buffs.

[David Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Lockwood factual WWII. novel

DR H Really enjoyed the submarine gal @end of last tWelve months. I enjoyed the knock out punch that the vice Admiral named the Blarney operation in sea of Japan. Truly. DRH

[Mike Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely misleading cover - this book is specifically about the development and implementation of mine detecting equipment for US submarines in the Pacific War and has nothing at all to do with airstrikes against Japan. That being said, it is still a good book in spite of the cover.

[Dr Gleyn E Bledsoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flying submarines ?

Good bit of history
Even if artist put a Grumman Hellcat aircraft on the cover instead of a submarine
Reality check?

[Russell G Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

At Last, the beginning of the end of Japan's

Pacific occupation in WW 2. An exciting account of the painstaking operation that helped bring victory over Japan in WW2.

[Robert Lewter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real WWII submarine history. An excellent read.

[jparvinjr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

Read another book written by the author, Zommies, Subs and Zeros. Enjoyed it has I did enjoyed this book.Great job.

[John L Brentlinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cover doesn't match the book

I found it a bit dull. It was not what I expected. I finally skipped to the end. I would be glad to trade it in.

[Charles McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting

This is a good mix of action reports and the lengthy background work that made the mission possible and largely successful.

[Arnold T. Blostein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

The men who served on submarines were amazing. This story highlights the dangers they faced daily. What an amazing accomplishment!

[Bill V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very average book. I had never heard of Operation Barney before. It appears to be a very minor operation that had almost no impact on the eventual outcome of the war.

[William Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hellcats

Good read I would recommend a fine light read for anyone interested in submarine warfare during WW II. Overview of one aspect of submarine warfare.

[Tom sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read.
Great story of the first sonar on subs and minesweepers.
Old minesweeper sonarman here.