As reviewed from a civilian military supporters' point of view.
WAR BENEATH THE WAVES by Don Keith
I was so intrigued by another review of this same book, found here, that I went out and purchased "WAR BENEATH THE WAVES". I honestly was expecting the book to be a bit dry and slow going. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not the case! Don Keith most definitely left the "boring" out of the history that fills the pages of "WAR BENEATH THE WAVES".
Keith gathered together the bits and pieces of this story of courage, honor, dedication to duty and pride that had remained untold for nearly 60 years until this book was published.
What you will find in this book is an accounting of the patrols of a particular submarine "USS Billfish" as she is sent to a submarine base in Australia and from there out on patrol. There is an interesting twist to this book.
The Patrol Reports that were written do not contain the full story of what happened on Armistice Day 1943 while Billfish was "Somewhere South of Hell". Those exact details remained in the minds of the men who served on Billfish. As is so often the case, the real story remains untold except perhaps among a very select few "buddies" over a beer in later years time. Most in the military would say that is "As it should be!"
We follow the naval career of one Charles W. Rush, Jr. as he sails on first a surface vessel and later transfers to the submarine service. From "Hooked" to "Somewhere South of Hell" you realize the limitations of just how long a submarine was able to stay down in those days. During the course of World War II, "263 U.S. Navy submarines that went to war, 52 were lost. And with them, more than 3.600 men were dispatched on "eternal patrol." We follow the two sister ships USS Billfish and USS Blowfin throughout this book as they make several joint patrols together, but with radically different outcomes.
If you are interested at all in the history of submarines and submarine warfare, then you will find this book to be a good read. I am not into reading history books, but found the subject of interest and decided to give it a try. I am very pleased after having read this book and would recommend it to others.
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