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

The author recounts the combat experiences of the submarine U.S.S. Halibut during the fourteen months he was in command and describes the attack that nearly destroyed the sub

During the 15-month period when the author commanded the Halibut, nearly everything that could happen to an American sub in action against the Japanese did occur; the vessel was almost sent to the bottom more than once. The climax of this nail-biting narrative is Galantin's account of a depth-charge attack near Luzon Strait in November 1944 and the frantic but choreographed repair work that saved all hands from a one-way trip to Davey Jones's locker. This gripping narrative provides an intimate look at what it was like to fight the submarine war in the Pacific. Readers become familiar not only with the sub's machinery and its workings but with many members of the crew in full dimension. Galantin has a novelist's sense of telling detail, an eye for human quirk and enormous compassion for his loyal, efficient and often terrified crew. Photos.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Galatin, commanding officer of the USS Halibut and one of the few submariners to reach four-star rank, has written an outstanding analytical, self-critical history. Beginning with the early war patrols, he recounts the sub's problems with defective torpedoes and primitive radar and electronic systems. He analyzes every attack made by the Halibut and does not hesitate to take the blame for his own failures. Although the Halibut sunk only 13 vessels, it probably holds the record for surviving the longest anti-submarine attack on a U.S. submarine. The recipient of 250 depth charges, the ship was so badly damaged that its hull was bent inward; yet it managed to surface and reach safety. The Halibut never sailed again. A book for all submarine buffs. Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.