(Poll Ballot) Escape From the Deep by Alex Kershaw - 5 stars

[Ellen]

During WWII the submarine USS Tang, commanded by CO Richard O'Kane, was one of the most feared vessels by the Japanese Navy. The Tang destroyed dozens of Japanese ships, tankers, supply boats, cruisers and transport craft. On October 24, 1944, the Tang had just fired their last torpedo before heading home to Hawaii when the unthinkable happened. Something catastrophic went wrong in the torpedo and it turned and headed straight for the Tang. The explosion killed more than half of the crew upon impact and sent the submarine to the Formosa Strait's floor, 180 feet deep. As the Tang was sinking a few men managed to escape while the rest of the survivors settled on the bottom in what they feared would be their 'iron coffin'. Abandoning the vessel through the escape trunk would be a harrowing ordeal for even the bravest men and many refused to even try as they returned to their bunks for the inevitable. Several sailors did exit through the trunk making a total of 9 survivors from crew of 80 men. Their ordeal, however, had now taken a ghastly turn as they were scooped from the water by the Japanese navy and sent to Camp Omori also known as the 'torture camp'. None of the men ever revealed information to their captors and were eventually liberated in August 1945.

This is an excellent story of bravery against unbelievable odds. The Tang's nine survivors, especially Commanding Officer O'Kane were near death when rescued but their spirits were intact. The author has done a stellar job of telling their story. I highly recommend this one.