Take Her Deep: A Submarine Against Japan in World War II

by I.J. Galantin

On August 12, 1943, 32-year-old Pete Galantin took command of the U.S.S. Halibut at Midway Island. Armed with torpedos and a 50 caliber deck gun, Halibut roamed from Pearl Harbor to Saipan, the Phillippines and the coast of Japan, sinking 13 enemy vessels - including a 10,000 ton heavy cruiser - until, on November 14, 1944, the longest, most ferocious attack ever survived by a U.S. submarine knocked Halibut out of commision.

It was a career that earned both ship and crew the Navy Unit Commendation. Now pigboat skipper Pete Galantin tells Halibut's remarkable story. Here are the men who lived and fought from cramped, close quarters, the excitement and drama of on-target hits, and the frustration and peril of all too frequent near-misses caused by malfunctioning torpedos. And here is the final, legendary battle near Luzon Strait. After sinking two enemy vessels, Halibut took depth charges that drove her under to 420 feet, wrecked her conning tower, and bent her hull inward - and survived.

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

262 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and extremely interesting look at one America submarine on patrol against the Japanese. US submarines were extremely successful in slowing and even stopping maritime trade which the U-boats of Germany had tried unsuccessfully against the Allies in the North and South Atlantic.
Well worth the read for anyone interested in this period of WW2.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent single volume-- fairly short but concise-- account of the experience of American submarine warfare in the Pacific in WWII. The author describes not only the technical aspects of sub warfare and technologies of the boat but also describes what the experience was actually like for him and the crew. From the frustrations of the defective torpedoes that deviled the submarine community at the beginning of the war to the daily routine of the crew operating in t shirts and sandals in the boat's internal heat to the anecdotes of the crew and the terror of being depth-charged, it's all here in one volume.

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid account, but not on my top ten list for submariner's in the PTO. Surprisingly light on the details during attacks, of which there aren't many.

[Paladin1420 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and readable memoir. You are brought in person to the time of the events in the books - the Pacific submarine battles of WWII. The human side, humorous, tragic and mundane is presented clearly and compellingly. Plenty of technical details along with personal details make this a well rounded view of the time.