O'Kane also constructs an account as he sees it of Wahoo's final patrol, creating a completely speculative and fictional account of what happened on the boat. At one point he even has the crew cheering, though there were no survivors from this patrol to witness any of the events on board.
In this imagined re-enactment he has the Wahoo hit by one of its own rogue torpedoes and then finished off by aerial bombs. He projects his own identical experience on the USS Tang onto this boat for with no compelling reason. It's as if he can't accept that Morton and the Wahoo were vulnerable to the Japanese, and wanted to further blame fix the torpedo design defect that spelled doom for the Tang and most of her crew. Since O'Kane's death the wreck of the Wahoo has been found, and with no evidence of a rogue torpedo hit.
She'd suffered massive damaged aft of her conning tower from a direct hit from a bomb, and sunk in just over two hundred feet of water. There are better accounts of the Wahoo's exploits. Feb 16, Jim rated it really liked it. The author was the Executive Officer on the Wahoo during its first 5 patrols prior to receiving his own submarine command. The book includes the Wahoo's sixth and seventh patrols. The Wahoo was sunk by Japanese aircraft during its seventh patrol, so the descriptions of the seventh patrol are based on the records of the ships sunk by the Wahoo, Japanese records of their attacks on the Wahoo, and the author's well educated guesses about what likely happened based on his knowledge of the captain an The author was the Executive Officer on the Wahoo during its first 5 patrols prior to receiving his own submarine command.
The Wahoo was sunk by Japanese aircraft during its seventh patrol, so the descriptions of the seventh patrol are based on the records of the ships sunk by the Wahoo, Japanese records of their attacks on the Wahoo, and the author's well educated guesses about what likely happened based on his knowledge of the captain and crew and his own experience.
Dudley Morton was a remarkable submarine captain.
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His, and the crew of the Wahoo's, exploits included sinking an attacking Japanese destroyer with a down the throat head on torpedo shot, sinking all 4 ships in a Japanese convoy, and infiltrating into the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. The author is candid about the problems that were experienced with different models of torpedos that often failed to explode or went off course.
In fact one errant torpedo circled back and struck the Wahoo, damaging it, prior to its being sunk while trying to make it home through the strait between Hokkaido and Honshu. You'll enjoy this book. If you google the Wahoo, you'll find out that a joint international expedition located the wreckage of the Wahoo and determined that one of the Japanese bombs hit near the conning tower. Oct 02, Michael rated it really liked it. Anyone that served on the boats will find this a very good read, those that didn't, it could be a good read for them once they understand the jargon of submarine operations.
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The only fault I find with this book is the author's rendition on how the WAHOO was lost, but then he did write this book prior to the discovery of wreck of the USS Wahoo a couple of years ago. Aug 21, David L. The best submarine narrative I have ever read. With all due respect to Tom Clancy, this book is the best page turner and more so for it's history and accuracy. The story of Wahoo has been forgotten by boomers, through gen x and alpha? But this is a story that needs remembering. Read this book, tell this story. Being a former submariner I really related to the narrative and events described!
Dec 27, Jack rated it really liked it Shelves: Likewise, the IJN inflicted severe casualties on our submariners since they operated singly and in dangerous waters. Even with the dud torpedoes, the crew managed multiple sinkings in a single attack. Sadly it was one of her own torpedoes that caused her downfall when it circled and struck its own ship.
The ship was lost with all hands. Each plaque has the names of the fallen on them. There are too many plaques. There are too many names. The WWII submarine force suffered the highest casualty rates any service in the war. The destruction they wrought was also the highest of any service in the war. Today the Japanese Prime Minister is visiting Hawaii. I wonder what he thinks about seeing so much of our WWII history.
Wahoo the patrols of America's most famous World War II submarine
I also find it amazing that such deadly enemies of WWII are now allies. Will we be fighting alongside German and Japanese servicemen during our next war? Jan 18, Iain rated it liked it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. O'Kane manages something quite remarkable in this book.
He manages to present the mundane details of submarine life in an interesting way. Engine operation, navigation by the stars, vacuum tube repair, even games of cribbage. On the flip side, he presents those bursts of intense activity, the torpedo attacks, the anti-sub warfare battles in an equally calm yet engaging way. That having been said the final chapters are a bit awkwardly written.
Wahoo: The Patrols of America's Most Famous World War II Submarine by Richard H. O'Kane
Maybe it's because they're based on speculation, or in the third person, or simply that we know how the story ends and have grown less patient for the minutia so late in the story. But such details can't scuttle fantastic O'Kane's work. Excellent story of the Wahoo successful patrol activity, initially under a skipper reluctant to attack. Morton who employed very aggressive tactics the Wahoo set an enviable record sinking Japanese shipping. O'Kane, Executive Officer for most of the patrols, provides intriguing details of the patrols and the tactics used to sink 24 Japanese ships.
He describes the difficulties with the initially unreliable torpedoes and the successes made possible by improved weapons. I had the Excellent story of the Wahoo successful patrol activity, initially under a skipper reluctant to attack. I had the pleasure of meeting Adm. His motto was "stay we them until they're on the bottom". Where would America be today without men like Morton yesterday?
The War Patrols of the U. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Submarine Warfare in the Pacific. Submarine Raider of the Pacific. Sponsored products related to this item What's this? Brotherhood, Survival, and Uncommon Valor in Iraq, Deadline- Captain Charlie's Bataan Diary: News Reporter to Commander: He is credited with saving the lives of hundreds of U.
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There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. O'Kane, served under Captain Dudley "Mush" Morton, an aggressive, smart and unselfish officer who was concerned about one thing: This book, a chronicle of the wartime patrols of the USS Wahoo, is an excellent recounting of the way in which the Wahoo worked. In the first couple of chapters, we read an unspoken, but obvious, problem in that submarine commanders did things "by the book" even though "the book" was written in peacetime.
These men, mostly older commanders, were clearly risk averse and were simply passive in their approach. When Dudley Morton became captain of the Wahoo, their first patrol was a sign of things to come. Morton coolly ordered a bow shot on a Japanese destroyer escorting a convoy. In other words, the two ships sailed straight at each other and a torpedo from the Wahoo hit the narrow target of the destroyer, sinking it!
Such a thing hadn't been seen before! Not only that, but the Wahoo chased down every merchant ship in the convoy, both with torpedoes and using the Wahoo's deck guns. With each new patrol, the Wahoo is assigned more dangerous, but potentially richer, hunting grounds around Japan itself. The Wahoo sends the Japanese merchant ships to "Davy Jones' locker" and racked up a score that is still a marvel of American submarine warfare. Captain Morton divided up responsibilities for maximum efficiency.
While he ordered the track of the attack, he delegated the firing of the torpedoes to his executive officer. He told his subordinates to exercise initiative and order attacks when he wasn't present in order not to lose time summoning the Captain to initiate an attack sequence.
Dudley Morton was all about results. There is another story here. The weapons used by the submariners were sometimes deficient. Throughout the book, there is the sense that the torpedoes were a weak link. As time went on, a US sub might fire all their torpedoes and all of them fail! In the end, the USS Wahoo and her crew paid the ultimate price for their country. O'kane's boat was also destroyed - by one of their own torpedoes which had malfunctioned and circled around to sink the Tang that had launched it. This is an excellent book about submariners, naval life and the making of new "rules" on the fly to bring about the results required, regardless of the peacetime book.
This is the story of brave US sailors who volunteered for the most dangerous job in the navy. O'Kane brings the submarine war alive in this book and I cannot recommend it more highly! Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Reality is the entire content of this history. Written in the first person by Wahoo's Executive Officer who was given his own command and therefore, not lost with Mush Morton and his crew on their next and last patrol, this living history gives the reader the direct account of the amazing WWII submarine war on Japan and the incredible men who were "all in the same boat.
This band of brothers was not in a foxhole but in a hole in the water with no escape but to fight to win. These men fought with their ship and their lives.
Wahoo and its crew gave "the last full measure of devotion. To their families from one who was born during that great war, thank you for my life and our way of life. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. At the beginning of the war, one of America's main fighting forces was the submarine force. These boats would sail alone thousands of miles into enemy territory to deliver their torpedoes against enemy shipping. As the war progressed, newer and better subs were being commissioned.
The USS Wahoo was one of the new breeds of American attack submarines, and its job was to destroy as much enemy shipping as possible. Wahoo's executive officer was Richard O'Kane, and he possessed a fighting spirit unlike many officers of his time, including Wahoo's original captain.
Dick O'Kane suffered through two patrols with a captain who was either afraid or didn't know how to properly attack an enemy ship. Despite sinking a couple of enemy ships, Wahoo's crew was growing restless at their captain's lack of aggressiveness. However, on her third patrol, a new captain, Dudley "Mush" Morton took command and the results couldn't have been more different.
Gone was the apprehensiveness, replaced by a newfound confidence and killer spirit.